Witches and Familiars with Dr. Holly Bamford

What was a witch's familiar, and why did these animal spirits sit at the heart of English witch trials? Returning guest Dr. Holly Bamford joins hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack to explain the witch's familiar, the witch's mark, and the overlooked history of male witches in early modern England. Learn what the familiar meant, how the witch's mark was used as evidence, why the witch-familiar bond mirrored motherhood, and why men accused of witchcraft were not simply feminized. Featuring Agnes Waterhouse and her cat Satan, John Bysack and his six snails, and John Palmer's familiar named Jezebel.What a witch's familiar was in English witchcraftWhy the familiar mattered so much in witch trialsHow the witch's mark was used as evidenceWho was accused of being a male witchWhy men accused of witchcraft were not feminizedHow the witch-familiar bond mirrored motherhoodWhy Agnes Waterhouse and her cat Satan became a foundational caseWhat John Palmer's familiar Jezebel reveals about marriage00:00 Familiars in Trials01:01 Meet Dr Bamford02:08 Conference Paper Idea04:14 What Is a Familiar07:51 Pamphlets and Audiences11:47 Counting Trials Limits15:03 Agnes Waterhouse Case19:21 Marks and Teats22:56 Motherhood and Familiars31:52 Male Witches and Snails41:49 Humanoid Familiar Jezebel46:27 Further Reading Wrap48:53 Modern Meaning Outro#WitchTrials #Witchcraft #WitchsFamiliar #WitchesMark #MaleWitches #WitchcraftHistory #EarlyModernEngland #Familiars #Folklore #AgnesWaterhouse #HistoryPodcast #WitchHunts #EndWitchHuntsBuy: Witchcraft, the Devil, and Emotions in Early Modern England by Charlotte-Rose Millar https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780367204549Buy the book Cunning-Folk and Familiar Spirits by Emma Wilby https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781845190798Register for the Magic and Witchcraft Conference June 24-25 Online & In Personhttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/magic-and-witchcraft-conference-2026-nature-and-the-supernatural-tickets-1989231567166End Witch Hunts: https://www.endwitchhunts.orgThe Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com