Prick The Accused Until They Bleed
Public DomainThis witch test aimed to prove whether the accused could bleed like a normal person.
One of the more violent witch tests was undoubtedly “pricking and scratching.” As with the search of the “Devil’s markings,” this test was based on the idea that a pact with the devil would leave a mark on the witch’s body.
Even those without a single birthmark or mole on their skin couldn’t escape this witch test, however. The suspect was instead stripped naked and subjected to the cruel practice of “pricking,” which aimed to detect witch’s marks under the skin by repeatedly pricking the accused with a special needle.
Witch hunters claimed that sometimes these evil markings were hidden and could only be uncovered by pricking and scratching. Witch hunters also claimed that a witch would feel no pain during this agonizing trial and poked at the accused until they found a less sensitive spot. Additionally, if the accused didn’t bleed from this ordeal, then they were declared a witch.
Wikimedia CommonsA Scottish pricking needle used during witch trials.
This witch test was so popular that it spawned an entire industry devoted to pricking. Those who took up work as professional prickers were usually con men looking to make easy money, and they would scan their victim’s body for spots that were less sensitive and less likely to bleed in order to claim that they were indeed a witch.
In Scotland, a woman named Christian Caddell was so desperate for money that she disguised herself as a man so that she could be hired as a witch pricker. Her plan worked, and she was hired in Elgin in March of 1662.
Caddell’s contract was a lucrative one, she made six shillings a day for maintenance and another six pounds for every witch she was able to identify. An average wage at that time was about one shilling per day.
Her scheme as a witch pricker came to an end after she poked a royal court messenger, who successfully petitioned the government for her arrest. She was ultimately banished to the then-colony of Barbados. It’s estimated that Caddell helped condemn at least six innocent people through her witch pricking.
Witch hysteria lasted for several hundred years, with estimates as high as 100,000 for the total number of people executed. The last recorded execution in Europe happened in 1782 when Anna Göldi was killed in Switzerland.
Some sources also name Barbara Zdunk, killed in Prussia in 1811, as the last person executed, but this is held in dispute because records of her trial do not mention legal charges of witchcraft. In the United States, the final recognized legal trial for witchcraft took place decades later in 1878, and perhaps not surprisingly centered around Salem, Massachusetts.
Fortunately for the accused, the trial was dismissed by courts and did not end violently for anyone.
As hysteria over witches died down in Europe, witch tests — at least as legally recognized practices — became obsolete into the 18th century. The hysteria dissipated for a number of reasons, including the higher standards set for evidence imposed within the courts.
But that period of witch hysteria left a lasting cultural impact. There are depictions of witches and witch trials commonly found in pop culture and the term “witch hunt” is now colloquially used to describe questionable processes. Luckily for us, the search for witches has ceased in real life.
Now that you’ve learned about the most absurd witch tests that condemned many to their deaths, read about the unfortunate ordeal of Giles Corey, who was publicly crushed to death during the Salem Witch Trials. Then, learn about the Basque witch trials in Spain, which is considered one of the worst witch hunts in history.
