Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History

    Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015

    The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 4…

    Full specification wording

    Paper 3, Option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 4 Matthew Hopkins and the East Anglian witch craze, 1645–47: The ending of the witch craze: the growing cost; the re- establishment of traditional authority; the role of John Gaule.

    The craze wound down as prosecutions became too costly and disruptive.

    Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 3 of 3
    • 3 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    The craze wound down as prosecutions became too costly and disruptive. Growing cost covers fees for watchers, gaolers, searches and executions, plus lost labour, making ratepayers and parishes reluctant to fund trials. Re-established traditional authority occurred as the Civil War concluded; central courts and regular assize judges regained control from local zealots and special commissioners, demanding better evidence and rejecting spectral proof. John Gaule, a Huntingdonshire clergyman, attacked Hopkins in 1646 in 'Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches and Witchcraft', arguing that witch-finding methods were ungodly and that Hopkins profited from fear. Together these pressures ended mass trials.

    What earns the marks

    • Explains growing cost: fees for watchers, gaolers, searches, executions and lost labour made prosecutions burdensome for parishes.
    • Explains re-establishment of traditional authority: the return of regular assize judges and central courts reasserted legal control, demanding stronger evidence.
    • Explains John Gaule's role: his 1646 'Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches and Witchcraft' attacked Hopkins's methods as ungodly and profit-driven.
    • Links the three factors: cost, restored legal authority and Gaule's critique combined to end the East Anglian craze and discourage mass prosecutions.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Treating the ending as caused by a single factor.

      Put it right: Show how cost, restored authority and Gaule's critique interacted.

    • Citing special commissioners like John Godbolt as ending the craze.

      Put it right: Godbolt presided over mass convictions in 1645, whereas it was the return of regular assize judges that ended the craze.

    • Confusing the ending of the craze with the end of belief in witchcraft.

      Put it right: Prosecutions declined while belief persisted in many communities.

    Exam tips

    • Plan an answer that addresses each clause of the statement before writing.
    • Use Gaule's text and the return of regular assize judges as precise supporting evidence.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Paper 3, Option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 4 Matthew Hopkins and the East Anglian witch craze, 1645–47: The ending of the witch craze: the growing cost; the re- establishment of traditional authority; the role of John Gaule. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    What was the primary argument made by John Gaule in his 1646 publication that helped to undermine the East Anglian witch craze?

    Listen

    The craze wound down as prosecutions became too costly and disruptive. Growing cost covers fees for watchers, gaolers, searches and executions, plus lost labour, making ratepayers and parishes reluctant to fund trials. Re-established traditional authority occurred as the Civil War concluded; central courts and regular assize judges regained control from local zealots and special commissioners, demanding better evidence and rejecting spectral proof. John Gaule, a Huntingdonshire clergyman, attacked Hopkins in 1646 in 'Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches and Witchcraft', arguing that witch-finding methods were ungodly and that Hopkins profited from fear. Together these pressures ended mass trials. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explains growing cost: fees for watchers, gaolers, searches, executions and lost labour made prosecutions burdensome for parishes. Explains re-establishment of traditional authority: the return of regular assize judges and central courts reasserted legal control, demanding stronger evidence. Explains John Gaule's role: his 1646 'Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches and Witchcraft' attacked Hopkins's methods as ungodly and profit-driven. Links the three factors: cost, restored legal authority and Gaule's critique combined to end the East Anglian craze and discourage mass prosecutions. A common slip: Treating the ending as caused by a single factor. Instead, show how cost, restored authority and Gaule's critique interacted. Exam tip: Plan an answer that addresses each clause of the statement before writing.

    See it

    A flowchart with three parallel causes feeding into a single outcome. The first cause, growing cost of prosecutions, branches into fees for watchers, gaolers, searches and executions, and lost labour burdening parishes. The second cause, re-establishment of traditional authority, leads to central courts and regular assize judges regaining control, which leads to demanding better evidence and rejecting spectral proof. The third cause, John Gaule's critique of Hopkins, leads to his 1646 'Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches and Witchcraft', which leads to methods being described as ungodly and profit-driven. All three causes point to the outcome that mass trials ended.
    Shows how growing cost, the re-establishment of traditional authority and John Gaule's critique combined to end mass witch trials.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Cost of prosecution

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Restoration of authority

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Critique of witch-finding

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Cost of prosecution
    Fees for watchers, gaolers, searches and executions, plus lost labour, made trials burdensome for parishes and ratepayers.
    Restoration of authority
    Central courts and regular assize judges regained control from local zealots and special commissioners, demanding better evidence and rejecting spectral proof.
    Critique of witch-finding
    John Gaule argued that witch-finding methods were ungodly and that Hopkins profited from fear.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A flowchart with three parallel causes feeding into a single outcome. The first cause, growing cost of prosecutions, branches into fees for watchers, gaolers, searches and executions, and lost labour burdening parishes. The second cause, re-establishment of traditional authority, leads to central courts and regular assize judges regaining control, which leads to demanding better evidence and rejecting spectral proof. The third cause, John Gaule's critique of Hopkins, leads to his 1646 'Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches and Witchcraft', which leads to methods being described as ungodly and profit-driven. All three causes point to the outcome that mass trials ended.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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