Research Suggests England's Last 'Witch' May Have Survived Execution

A potential clerical error in 17th-century court records raises questions about the fate of Alice Molland, presumed to be England's last executed witch.

• Historian Professor Mark Stoyle proposes that a spelling mistake in court documents might mean Alice Molland never existed.
• The research indicates that Avis Molland, not Alice, may have been the woman sentenced in 1685 but lived until 1693.
• Court records written in Latin could have easily transformed 'Avicia' (Avis) into 'Alicia' (Alice) through a clerical error.
• Avis Molland, a widow burdened by loss, fits the profile of women often accused of witchcraft in early modern England.
• If Avis was the actual accused, the last executed witches in England would be the Bideford Three, hanged in 1682.

3 Articles

The Independent The Telegraph Evening Standard