The Story of Satan the Cat and England's "First" Witch

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 PayneTheme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposerAdditional 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 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.