Witches of Essex
External Rating36%
202560 minRunning

Witches of Essex

Network:Sky History

Previous Episode

S01E03 - "Manningtree"

Aired on Oct 28, 2025, 9:00 PM

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Description

Rylan Clark teams up with anthropologist Professor Alice Roberts to investigate one of the darkest and most harrowing chapters in British history - the murder of hundreds of women accused of witchcraft.Each episode centres on a specific witch trial, with Rylan and Alice opening a cold case into the stories behind some of the women accused of witchcraft during the 16th and 17th centuries, many of whom were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging.They visit the towns and villages in Essex where the women lived and died. Guided by original court documents and a team of historians, psychologists and medical experts, they explore these women's lives, alleged crimes and trials.

Details

Status
Running
Language
English
Runtime
60 min
Premiered
October 14, 2025
Schedule
Tuesday at 9:00 PM

External Links

Episodes (1 Season · 3 Episodes)

Hatfield Peverel

Henry VIII's law against witches in 1542 led to thousands of women being persecuted and many burned at the stake. New investigative techniques and historical records are to re-examine the fates of women accused of witchcraft during 16th and 17th-century witch trials in Essex. Rylan and Alice Roberts explores the events, lives, and alleged crimes of those accused, often bringing the stories to life through scripted drama and featuring expert testimony from historians and psychologists.

Oct 14, 2025

60 min

St Osyth

St Osyth, a village near Brightlingsea in Essex, was home to 14 women who were put on trial for witchcraft, some of whom were duly convicted according to the law of the time. Rylan and Alice Roberts investigate the 1582 St Osyth witch hunt, where a petty disagreement over money spiralled into mass hysteria and death.

Oct 21, 2025

60 min

Manningtree

Rylan and Alice Roberts visit Manningtree, the focal point for the 1645 witch hunt where self-appointed Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins orchestrated the persecution of many women accused of witchcraft. He terrorised those accused with brutal Puritan zeal and torture.

Oct 28, 2025

60 min

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