Matthew Hopkins: Witchfinder General
Scoundrel: History's Forgotten Villains
KAST MEDIA | Jason and Carissa Weiser
4.8 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 26 January 2023
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1645, the English Civil War caused a great divide in England - on both sides, the destruction, violence and famine were all blamed on malevolent witches, cursing towns and villages all throughout the countryside to fulfill their pacts with the devil. Thankfully, King Charles I endorsed a duo of witch-hunters, led by Matthew Hopkins to identify and condemn as many accused witches as they could lay eyes on, leading to national and international fame and infamy. Over their careers, Hopkins and his partner John Stearne torturously forced confessions and sent more people to the gallows than all witch-hunters for the prior 160 years combined, and Hopkins’ book ‘The Discovery of Witches’ eventually became the inspiration for the Salem Witch Trials when it arrived on American shores. History may have forgotten about Matthew Hopkins’ insidious influence, but we sure haven’t!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Do you love narrative podcasts, but don't want to listen to ads? |
| 0:04.3 | Cast Media is now offering ad-free listening with a cast subscription, Cast Plus. |
| 0:10.1 | You get ad-free access to not only scoundrel histories forgotten villains, but also great |
| 0:14.5 | shows like opportunist, vigilante, good cult, nighty night, media circus, and their new show |
| 0:21.3 | Lost in Panama. |
| 0:23.1 | Along with ad-free listening, Cast Plus also includes bonus episodes and inside looks into |
| 0:28.4 | making the shows. |
| 0:29.8 | And this is just for Cast Plus subscribers. |
| 0:33.1 | Find out more by going to castmedia.com slash cast plus. |
| 0:38.4 | That's castmedia.com slash K-A-S-T-P-L-U-S. |
| 0:54.5 | Let me tell you a story. |
| 0:56.2 | 1645, Manning Tree and Essex in England, two men worn themselves by a fire in a barn that's |
| 1:02.3 | been retrofitted to hold more than just livestock. |
| 1:05.6 | It holds prisoners. |
| 1:07.9 | These two men are supposed to ensure their prisoner doesn't escape and if possible, obtain |
| 1:12.4 | a confession. |
| 1:13.4 | Unfortunately, this prisoner is more strong willed than they had anticipated. |
| 1:18.3 | Elizabeth Clark will not confess. |
| 1:21.3 | The locals here in Manning Tree have decided to call in the big guns. |
| 1:24.5 | They hear footsteps. |
| 1:26.4 | The door opens and two more men step inside. |
| 1:29.9 | They are John Stern and Matthew Hopkins. |
... |
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