In this episode, we travel to Scotland to take a look at the first “panic year” of 1590-1591 that resulted in the first witch hunt in Scottish history. Looking specifically at the case of Agnes Sampson, who was known as the Wise Midwife of Keith, we see how this first hunt for witches captured the attention of the king himself, as James VI became convinced that witches directly threatened his life by conjuring a storm at sea. Because of this, King James brought all the more attention and credibility to this witch hunt as he personally sat in on the trials and participated in the questioning of the accused, including a respected old widow and midwife who spent her final days suffering horrific pain and humiliation under the scrutinizing eyes of her king.

Sources:

Ray J. Defalque and A.J. Wright, “In the Name of God: Why Agnes Sampson and Eufame McCalyean were burned at the stake,” Bulletin of Anesthesia History Vol. 22, Issue 3 (July 2004).

Julian Goodare, “Women and the Witch-Hunt in Scotland,” Social History, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Oct. 1998).

Brian P. Levack, ed., “The Trial of Agnes Sampson, 1591,” The Witchcraft Sourcebook, second edition (Routledge, 2015).

Michael Lynch, ed., “Witch-hunts,” The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford University Press, 2007).

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Inside the Walls,” MeeGiStudio

“Dark Storytime,” JoelFazhari

“Dark Piano,” BrunoMagic

“Sinister Night,” SoulProdMusic

“Tragedy and Grief,” Ashot_Danielyan

By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/:

“Skye Cuillin”

“Interloper”

“Invariance”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we discuss the rare story of a noble man who faced accusations of witchcraft on the faraway coast of South America. This is a story of a broken friendship, the abuse of power, and the exploitation of sailors' superstitions to levy accusations of witchcraft. When Sir Francis Drake departed on his infamous voyage that took him around the globe, his friend, Thomas Doughty, joined him on the journey. In the course of this expedition, everything fell apart between the two men, leading to claims of sorcery and an impromptu trial. This week, we dive into the topic of witchcraft during the Age of Exploration, and we consider the question: was anyone truly safe from facing accusations?

Sources:

David Hannay, “The Case of Mr. Doughty,” Blackwood’s Magazine (1898).

Harry Kelsey, Sir Francis Drake: The Queen’s Pirate (Yale University Press, 1998).

Francesca Loverci, “New Light on the Doughty Case: English Catholics during the Elizabethan Age,” Clio: Rivista di studi storici (September 1994).

Morgan, “10 Ancient Nautical Superstitions and Their Origins,” The Collector (January 14, 2026).

Parris, “The Assassination of Thomas Doughty by the Brigand Sir Francis Drake,” Crime Reads (December 9, 2019).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

Lightless Dawn

Folk Round

Netherworld Shanty

Crypto

Hitman

The Escalation

Fantastic Dim Bar

Interloper

Devastation and Revenge

SCP-x6x

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we look at the bizarre case of the woman mistakenly remembered as the first witch executed in England. The story of Agnes Waterhouse features peculiar accusations, including a possessed cat who could turn into a toad, and a horned dog who threatened a young girl's life. In what was presented at the time as an entertaining and macabre story for the masses across England, at its heart we see the story of a woman offering her own life in order to try and save the life of her daughter.

Sources:

Anon., “The Examination and confession of certaine wytches at Chensforde in the countie of Essex : before the Quenes Maiesties judges, the xxvi daye of July, anno 1566, at the assise holden there as then, and one of them put to death for the same offence, as their examination declareth more at large” EEBO Lambeth Palace Library records.

Barbara Rosen, ed. Witchcraft, “English witchcraft statutes of 1542, 1563, and 1604.”

Marion Gibson, “The Trial of Agnes Waterhouse - Witchcraft in Essex, 1566” Essex Record Office blog (July 29, 2021).

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

Hugh Willmott, “The dissolution of the monasteries: mindless violence or planned precision?” History Extra ( Feb 1, 2021).

“Chelmsford: Memorial of first witchcraft execution considered,” BBC (February 24, 2022).

Rosemary Ellen Guiley, “Chelmsford Witches,” in The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft, and Wicca (2008): pp. 58-60.

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music:

“Lord of the Land”

“Stay the Course”

“Night of Chaos”

“Evening of Chaos”

“Mesmerize”

All by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.