Witches and Familiars with Dr. Holly Bamford

Written by

Show Notes

What was a witch’s familiar, and why did these animal spirits sit at the heart of English witch trials? Returning guest Dr. Holly Bamford joins hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack to explain the witch’s familiar, the witch’s mark, and the overlooked history of male witches in early modern England. Learn what the familiar meant, how the witch’s mark was used as evidence, why the witch-familiar bond mirrored motherhood, and why men accused of witchcraft were not simply feminized. Featuring Agnes Waterhouse and her cat Satan, John Bysack and his six snails, and John Palmer’s familiar named Jezebel.
What you will learn
What a witch’s familiar was in English witchcraft
Why the familiar mattered so much in witch trials
How the witch’s mark was used as evidence
Who was accused of being a male witch
Why men accused of witchcraft were not feminized
How the witch-familiar bond mirrored motherhood
Why Agnes Waterhouse and her cat Satan became a foundational case
What John Palmer’s familiar Jezebel reveals about marriage

Chapters

00:00 Familiars in Trials
01:01 Meet Dr Bamford
02:08 Conference Paper Idea
04:14 What Is a Familiar
07:51 Pamphlets and Audiences
11:47 Counting Trials Limits
15:03 Agnes Waterhouse Case
19:21 Marks and Teats
22:56 Motherhood and Familiars
31:52 Male Witches and Snails
41:49 Humanoid Familiar Jezebel
46:27 Further Reading Wrap
48:53 Modern Meaning Outro