The WW2 Witch Trial of Hellish Nell

<p>What made a working class woman from Edinburgh become such a threat to British intelligence services during the Second World War, that they tried her as a witch?</p><br><p>In today's episode, we're telling you the story of Helen Duncan, aka Hellish Brown, a medium who lays claim to being the last woman in England to be tried as a witch, culminating in her trial in 1944 under the 1735 Witchcraft Act.</p><br><p>Joining us is Jess Marlton, manager of Bodmin Jail where all sorts of paranormal events take place.</p><br><p>What made Duncan's performances so memorable? Why did her trial capture the public's imagination? And how does the 1735 Witchcraft Act live on today?</p><br><p>Let's go Betwixt the Sheets to find out.</p><br><p>This podcast was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.</p><br><p>world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code<strong> DANSNOW&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>sign up now for your 14-day free trial</strong></a>.</p><br><p>We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>.</p><br><p>You can take part in our listener survey<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here</a>.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>