{"product_id":"rare-17th-century-witch-trial-leg-iron-rector-of-somerford-malmesbury-wiltshire","title":"**RESERVED FOR MATT** Rare 17th Century Witch Trial Leg Iron Rector Of Somerford, Malmesbury, Wiltshire","description":"\u003cp\u003eA Rare 17th Century Leg Iron. But What’s Unusual About This Leg Iron Is That It’s Engraved With The Name And Parish Of A Priest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe engraving reads ‘Edmund Wayt Rector of Somerford near Malmsbury in Wilts’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInterestingly, Malmesbury is where the infamous Wiltshire Witch Trials took place during the 17th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMalmesbury was notorious as a hotbed of witchcraft throughout the 17th century. In 1672, the town was in uproar because many townsfolk were convinced that a coven of witches was active in their midst and was murdering children by witchcraft. A local magistrate called James Long interrogated 14 suspected witches and sent some of them to Salisbury for trial.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the trial, two women – Anne Tilling and Judith Witchell – were found guilty and were then hanged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn closer inspection of the iron you’ll see there are some unusual symbols engraved onto it which look very similar to ‘Witch Marks’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Witch Marks’ were usually scribed onto stone or woodwork near a building’s entrance points, particularly doorways, windows and fireplaces, to protect inhabitants and visitors from witches and evil spirits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring this period religious figures had a great deal to do with the arresting and trialling of suspected witches, and did at times hold them in cells within the church buildings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCould this leg iron have been used in the arresting and trialling of witches during the 17th Century…?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOr, was it perhaps Edmund Wayt himself who was arrested. The 16th and 17th centuries were periods of intense religious reform and consequently, dissent. So, could Edmund Wayt have been a dissenter himself?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a very rare and important piece of social history for the area of Wiltshire and is one surrounded in intrigue and mystery…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition is good, commensurate with age and use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeasures 12.5cm x 10cm x 2cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeighs 450 grams\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Source Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40594806308900,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0259\/1729\/2580\/products\/image_207ec762-1ace-4eeb-a9ed-e7a2a5bd54ce.heic?v=1675950081","url":"https:\/\/folkandfableantiques.com\/products\/rare-17th-century-witch-trial-leg-iron-rector-of-somerford-malmesbury-wiltshire","provider":"Folk \u0026 Fable Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}