logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2021
51m 38s

26. Witches

Goalhanger
About this episode

Suzannah Lipscomb joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the history of witches and witchcraft.

Why did society see witches as a threat and what is the modern equivalent of a witch hunt?


A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Harry Lineker

Exec Producer Tony Pastor


*The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*:


Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in London, New Zealand, and Australia!


Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com


Twitter: 


@TheRestHistory


@holland_tom


@dcsandbrook

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
581. The Irish Civil War: The Killing of Michael Collins (Part 2)
After the assassination of Sir Henry Wilson and the signing of the polarising Anglo-Irish Treaty, how did the bombastic Battle of the Four Courts break out in Dublin? With British guns opening fire on the building, how long did the men of the IRA hold out? What was the outcome of ... Show More
47m 22s
Jul 6
580. The Irish Civil War: The Assassination of Sir Henry Wilson (Part 1)
Who was Sir Henry Wilson, and how was he shockingly murdered in 1922? Who ordered it? What was his attitude to the question of Irish Home Rule? Why has death been compared to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose death triggered the First World War? How did he garn ... Show More
49m 32s
Jul 2
579. The Irish War of Independence: Showdown in London (Part 4)
What were the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed in December 1921, following negotiations between the UK and Sinn Féin? How was it received by the Irish people? What was the process by which it was agreed between Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Michael Collins, and Arthur G ... Show More
1h 7m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2019
The Witch Craze
Discover the truth behind the European Witch Craze. Far from the world of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, discover how one book turned the world upside down as a disgruntled patriarchy murdered thousands of innocent women. Join Greg Jenner, comedian Cariad Lloyd and historian Prof Suza ... Show More
47m 20s
Oct 2020
The 90s Witch Craze | 35
On this episode of History of the 90s we are looking back at the decade’s obsession with witches. From The Craft to Charmed, witches were everywhere in popular culture with a slew of movies and tv shows that showcased wiccan rituals and magic. The witch craze in the 90s was nothi ... Show More
44m 39s
Nov 2022
#312 | A History of Witches | Misogyny, Magic and Murder
  For centuries, a woman could be accused of being a witch for the simple crime of being too poor, too rich, or too old.For those accused, the trials were deeply unfair, and the punishment was often torture and death. In this episode, we explore the unfair and bloody history of w ... Show More
25m 32s
Jun 2021
Witches Among Us
June 10, 1692. Bridget Bishop is loaded into a two-wheeled cart and brought from her Salem jail cell to a pasture on a hill, where a rope is hanging from freshly-installed gallows. A crowd forms around her: law officers to read the death warrant, ministers to offer last rites, an ... Show More
29m 46s
Oct 2020
Halloween Witches
Katherine's Telling Everybody Everything about the history of witchcraft and how witches are still used in culture today as tools of female division. Plus, letters about a few witchy mums? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 
40m 27s
Oct 2021
Season of the Witch: The Witch’s Mark
It’s a strange blemish that can take many forms, but always says the same thing: this woman has been touched by the Devil. When Sadie gets a mark of her own, she’s thrust into a world of witchcraft and power. Season of the Witch is a special storytelling series across Parcast Net ... Show More
51m 55s
Nov 2023
Magic books: a global history
What are the earliest forms of written magic? How do the stories of magic and religion intersect? And how will these stories’ continued presence in popular culture influence events yet to come? Professor Owen Davies takes Lauren Good on a journey through the twisting history of t ... Show More
26m 3s
Oct 2021
Season of the Witch: The Magic Wand
Young Katie can't wait to be an adult. So when a witch with a magic wand helps her dreams come true, Katie never wants to go back home... until she learns the witch's cannibalistic secret. Season of the Witch is a special storytelling series across Parcast Network. Follow Superst ... Show More
40m 54s
Mar 2021
Witches, gossip & faking it
In this episode of Thick & Thin, we’re spilling some tea- or better yet, we're finding out just why tea is spilled in the first place. Take a journey with me through the social evolution and psychology behind rumors and gossip, starting with the Salem Witch Trials. Why do we crav ... Show More
44m 24s
Feb 2024
Love: a weird & wonderful history
From prehistoric carvings and medieval spell books to grand romantic gestures and tokens of affection, throughout history there has been no shortage of ways to say those three little words. Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, Edward Brooke-Hitching shares some incredible, and curious, ... Show More
26m 17s