Elizabeth Clarke

Elizabeth Clarke (c. 1565–1645) was the first woman persecuted by the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins in 1645 in Essex, England. She was accused of witchcraft by local tailor John Rivet. Local magistrates appointed John Stearne and Hopkins to investigate. This led to further accusations and the deaths of up to two hundred people. She was a woman over eighty with only one leg, who confessed after being deprived of sleep for many nights. Matthew Hopkins also claimed he saw her 'evil helpers', one of which was a baby. She was then hanged.

This was also explained and interpreted in Witches: A Century of Murder. Season 1: Episode 2 "Part 2" (2015).

References

• The Witch-Cult in Western Europe