370 The Ruin of All Witches
Ben Franklin's World
Liz Covart
4.6 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 31 October 2023
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Happy Halloween! In honor of the 31st of October and All Hallows Eve, we investigate a historical incident of witches and witchcraft in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1651.
Malcolm Gaskill, Emeritus Professor of Early Modern History at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, and one of the leading experts in the history of witchcraft, joins us to discuss details from his new book, The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World.
Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/370
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Complementary Episodes
- Episode 049: Malcolm Gaskill, How the English Became American
- Episode 053: Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft
- Episode 192: Brian Regal, The Secret History of the New Jersey Devil
- Episode 225: Elaine Forman Crane, The Poison Plot: Adultery & Murder in Colonial Newport
- Episode 341: Mairi Cowan, Possession and Exorcism in New France
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to an airwave media podcast. |
| 0:04.0 | Ben Franklin's World is a production of Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios. |
| 0:17.0 | Hello and welcome to episode 370 of Ben Franklin's World. |
| 0:22.0 | The podcast dedicated to helping you learn more about how the people and events of our early American past |
| 0:28.0 | have shaped the present day world we live in. |
| 0:30.0 | And I'm your host, Liz Covard. |
| 0:33.0 | Happy Halloween. |
| 0:35.0 | In honor of the 31st of October and all Hallows Eve, |
| 0:38.0 | we're going to investigate the historical incident of witches and witchcraft. |
| 0:43.0 | Malcolm Gazkill is an emeritus professor of early modern history at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. |
| 0:50.0 | He's also among the foremost experts on witches and witchcraft in the early modern world. |
| 0:55.0 | Now, although Malcolm's study of witches and witchcraft is mainly focused on England, |
| 0:59.0 | his newest book, The Ruin of All Witches, Life and Death in the New World, |
| 1:03.0 | focuses on a witchcraft trial that took place in colonial Massachusetts in 1651, |
| 1:09.0 | 41 years before the infamous Salem witchcraft trials in 1692. |
| 1:14.0 | During our investigation of witches and witchcraft, Malcolm reveals |
| 1:18.0 | how people understood witches and witchcraft in early modern England |
| 1:21.0 | and how those ideas translated to 17th century Massachusetts. |
| 1:25.0 | Details about the colonial settlement at Springfield, Massachusetts, |
| 1:29.0 | which is located in the Connecticut River Valley. |
| 1:32.0 | And how a married couple in Springfield, Human Mary Parsons, |
| 1:35.0 | came to be accused and tried for witchcraft in 1651. |
... |
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