March 24, 2018
WITCH HUNTS ARE A FUNCTION OF WITCHES:
The story of the first woman in Wales to be hanged for witchcraft (James McCarthy, 30 OCT 2017, Wales Online)
In 1594, Gwen ferch Ellis was a three-times married woman making her living weaving cloth and providing cures for sick animals.She was proud of her expertise as a healer. Taught by her sister, she used charms to help people.The 42-year-old did not charge for her help but was paid in kind with food and wool.But when a charm was found at Gloddaith, the home of upper class Thomas Mostyn, her life changed forever.Gwen, a woman who had already lost two husbands and a sister, was to become the first person hanged in Wales for witchcraft.In the 16th and 17th centuries, Gwen's belief system was what most people understood by the word witch in Wales.
Posted by Orrin Judd at March 24, 2018 6:10 AM
