USCBS NewsSAT 31 OCT 2026 / 8:35 PM CDT

Inside the U.K. movement to pardon women executed for witchcraft centuries ago

Just outside of London sits Maidstone, a quiet country town in a peaceful corner of southern England.

But around 400 years ago, Maidstone was the scene of witch hunts in the literal sense of the phrase.

Records show that more than 20 women convicted of witchcraft were hanged in Maidstone. Witch hunts reached their peak in England in the 1600s.

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Inside the U.K. movement to pardon women executed for witchcraft centuries ago

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