Inthelate16thcenturyEuropewasinthegripofaferociouswitchhunt,wherethousandsweretorturedandburntatthestake.ThechurchwasfullybehindthisterrifyingcrusadeagainsttheimaginaryenemiesofChristianity.InFranceandGermanyaloneupto40,000peoplemayhavebeenkilledaswitches.ButEnglandandScotlandwerealmostuntouchedbywitchpersecutionsuntilKingJameshimselfdecidedtolaunchhisown,personalwaronwitchcraft.
In1597KingJamesVIofScotlandpublished'Daemonology',ahandbookonhowtorecogniseanddestroy,witches.Thebookexploredthethreatthat'thoseDetestableslavesoftheDevil',posedtoJameshimself.ItfuelledwavesofwitchhuntingthroughoutBritain.
ThelegacyofJames''Daemonology'continuedthroughoutthe17thcentury,andledtothetortureandexecutionofhundredsofwomeninaseriesofinfamouswitchtrials.No-oneknowsexactlyhowmanymenandwomendiedinthesetrials,suchasthePendletrialof1612,orhowmanyotherswerekilledincasesthatnevercametocourt.ThedocumentaryrevealsthepurgesinmanyareasofBritaindrewdirectlyonKingJames'book.Alsoforthefirsttime,remarkablenewarchaeologicalevidencefromCornwall,suggeststhatwitchcraftwasactivelypracticedforcenturies,evenduringthemostintenseperiodsofwitch-hunting.ExperimentalarchaeologistJacquiWoodhasexcavatedstrangepitslinedwithswan'sfeathers,andfilledwithanimalskinsandhumanremains.Shebelievesthepitswereritualofferingsinspiredbywitchcraftbeliefs.