Witch · Mistley / Manningtree · Famous
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He heard witches through the wall, and dozens of women hanged.
Stand where it happened
English Heritage says the Mistley Towers churchyard is free and open in reasonable daylight hours; tower keys are available from the Mistley Thorn, 10am-4pm. The University of Essex memorial trail links Manningtree and Mistley.
Manningtree and Mistley: England's worst witch-hunt began here, with one man listening at the walls in 1644.
Matthew Hopkins lived in Manningtree in the winter of 1644-5. He claimed that seven or eight witches in the town held meetings near his house, and began questioning neighbours with John Stearne. Their hunt spread across the Tendring Hundred and beyond. At the Chelmsford assizes in July 1645, 36 Essex women were tried; the Essex Record Office counts 19 executed and nine who died in prison. Anne West was hanged in Manningtree. Styled the Witchfinder General, Hopkins died of consumption in 1647, and the Mistley register says he was 'buryed at Mistley August 12th 1647'. His grave is unmarked, and a modern walking trail now remembers the women instead.