People in the 17th century believed in witches for three main reasons: 1. Unexplained illnesses or events were often attributed to witchcraft. For example, a woman testified that after refusing to give milk to Isabel, she became sick in ways she could not explain. 2. Superstitions led people to see witchcraft in everyday occurrences. A woman thought she saw fingers and a thumb pinch her thigh, and believed this was a sign of witchcraft. 3. Lack of scientific understanding allowed supernatural explanations to persist. Without knowledge of science or medicine, mysterious illnesses were more likely to be seen as the work of witches or demons.

1. Why did people believe in
witches in the 17th century
Objective:
1. To identify 3 reasons people
believe in witches.

2. Starter: Which of these would you
attribute to a witch? Explain why.
Use your work from
last lesson to add an
idea of your own.
How can you identify
a witch?

3. Task One: Peer Teaching
Each table will be given one explanation as to
why people believed in witches?
You will need to devise a role play and through
this ‘teach’ an other two groups.
SUCCESS CRITERIA:

4. Task Two: Source skills
• Layers of inference
• HINT: Start in the middle and work your way
out

5. What other question should we ask in order to find out more information?
What else do we need to know?
What are the limitations of the source?
Does it tell us enough information?
What can you learn from this source?
What does this source tell us?
“She said that Isabel asked her for some milk but
she refused. Afterwards she met Isabel and was
afraid of her. She was then sick and hurting so much
she could not stand. The next day, going to
Warrington, she was suddenly pinched on her thigh
with four fingers and a thumb. She was instantly
sick- so much so that she could not walk home and
had to go on horseback. Soon after she got better.”
Jane Wilkinson’s evidence against Isabel Robey,
given at a trial of witches in Lancaster in 1612.
This a primary / secondary source.

6. Reflection
• What did you like about the lesson
• What could be better

7. Plenary – Review the lesson
What
What did skills did
you enjoy? you learn?
What would
you do (or like
me to do)
differently?

8. Plenary
• Freeze frame
• Create a freeze frame from today’s lesson
• We will then evaluate them as a class