The Last Witch: When the Burnings Finally Stopped
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Introduction: The Final Executions
The witch hunts did not end with a dramatic proclamation or sudden awakening. They faded gradually, execution by execution, trial by trial, until one day—no more witches burned. The last witch executions occurred at different times across Europe: 1727 in Scotland, 1775 in Germany, 1782 in Switzerland. Three centuries of persecution ended not with revolution but with exhaustion, skepticism, and the slow triumph of reason over fear.
This is the sixteenth article in our Witch Hunts series, completing our examination of resistance and survival. We now explore the final victims, the factors that ended the witch hunts, and how Europe emerged from its darkest chapter.
The Last Victims: Final Executions by Region
Scotland: Janet Horne (1727)
Who: Elderly woman from Sutherland, Scotland
Accusation: Turning her daughter into a pony and having her shod by the Devil
Reality: Daughter had deformed hands and feet (likely congenital)
Trial: Found guilty of witchcraft
Execution: Burned in a tar barrel at Dornoch (1727)
Significance:
- Last person executed for witchcraft in Britain
- Occurred 9 years AFTER Witchcraft Act was repealed (1736)
- Local authorities ignored the law
- Her execution shocked the nation, accelerated reform
Germany: Anna Maria Schwägel (1775)
Who: Servant in Kempten, Bavaria
Accusation: Witchcraft and having sex with the Devil
Trial: Convicted by local court
Execution: Beheaded and burned (1775)
Significance:
- Last legal execution for witchcraft in Germany
- Occurred during the Enlightenment
- Caused scandal and outrage
- Led to reforms prohibiting witch trials
Switzerland: Anna Göldi (1782)
Who: Servant in Glarus, Switzerland
Accusation: Bewitching her employer's daughter (needles found in girl's milk)
Reality: Likely had affair with employer, daughter's illness was natural
Trial: Officially charged with "poisoning," not witchcraft (witchcraft trials already illegal)
Execution: Beheaded (June 13, 1782)
Significance:
- Last legal execution for witchcraft in Europe
- Occurred 7 years before French Revolution
- Authorities tried to hide it was a witch trial
- 2008: Swiss parliament officially exonerated her
Poland: Barbara Zdunk (1811)
Who: Woman in Prussia (then part of Poland)
Accusation: Witchcraft
Fate: Murdered by mob (not legal execution)
Significance: Last known witch-related killing in Europe
Why Did the Witch Hunts End?
1. The Enlightenment: Triumph of Reason
Intellectual shifts (17th-18th centuries):
- Scientific method: Empirical evidence, experimentation, skepticism
- Rationalism: Reason over superstition
- Natural law: Universe governed by laws, not demonic intervention
- Religious tolerance: Decline of religious warfare
Key thinkers:
- René Descartes (1596-1650): Rationalism, doubt as method
- Isaac Newton (1643-1727): Natural laws, mechanical universe
- John Locke (1632-1704): Empiricism, religious tolerance
- Voltaire (1694-1778): Attacked superstition and religious persecution
2. Legal Reforms: Higher Standards
Changes in legal systems:
- Torture banned: Confessions under torture deemed invalid
- Evidence standards raised: Material evidence required, not just accusations
- Right to defense: Legal representation guaranteed
- Appeals process: Higher courts could overturn convictions
- Presumption of innocence: Burden of proof on prosecution
Key legal changes:
- 1682: France banned torture in witch trials
- 1712: Prussia ended witch trials
- 1736: Britain repealed Witchcraft Act
- 1775: Austria-Hungary banned witch trials
3. Skeptical Writings: Changing Minds
Cumulative impact of skeptical works:
- Reginald Scot (1584)
- Friedrich Spee (1631)
- Balthasar Bekker (1691)
- Christian Thomasius (1701) - German jurist who argued against torture
Result: Intellectual climate shifted from belief to skepticism
4. Social Exhaustion: Too Many Deaths
Communities devastated:
- Labor shortages from executions
- Economic damage
- Social fabric torn apart
- Families destroyed
Elite victims:
- When wealthy, powerful people were accused, support for trials waned
- Authorities realized no one was safe
- Self-preservation ended enthusiasm
5. Religious Changes: Less Emphasis on Devil
Theological shifts:
- Less focus on Satan's active power
- More emphasis on God's sovereignty
- Decline of apocalyptic thinking
- Religious wars ended (Peace of Westphalia, 1648)
6. Economic Changes: Rise of Capitalism
New economic order:
- Capitalism required stable, predictable legal systems
- Witch trials disrupted commerce
- Property rights needed protection
- Rational economic actors needed rational laws
The Repeal of Witchcraft Laws
Britain: Witchcraft Act 1736
What it did:
- Repealed previous witchcraft laws
- Made witchcraft no longer a crime
- Made pretending to be a witch a crime (fraud, vagrancy)
Significance: Witchcraft redefined from real supernatural crime to fraud
Other Repeals
- France: 1682 (Louis XIV banned witch trials)
- Prussia: 1714
- Austria: 1766
- Poland: 1776
- Spain: Effectively ended 1614, formally repealed later
The Transition Period: Lingering Beliefs
Unofficial Persecution Continued
Even after legal end:
- Mob violence against suspected witches
- Social ostracism
- Informal "trials" and punishments
- Swimming tests and other folk methods
Examples:
- 1751: Ruth Osborne (England) - killed by mob in swimming test
- 1808: Ann Izzard (England) - scratched by mob (drawing witch's blood)
Belief Persisted
Folk belief in witchcraft continued:
- Rural areas slower to change
- Cunning folk still consulted
- Protective charms still used
- Witch accusations in gossip and slander
The Aftermath: Reckoning and Regret
Public Apologies (Historical)
Salem (1697):
- Day of fasting and repentance declared
- Judge Samuel Sewall publicly apologized
- Ann Putnam Jr. apologized (1706)
Massachusetts (1711):
- Colony reversed convictions
- Paid reparations to families
Modern Apologies and Exonerations
20th-21st centuries:
- 1957: Massachusetts formally apologized for Salem
- 2001: Last five Salem victims officially exonerated
- 2008: Switzerland exonerated Anna Göldi
- 2022: Scotland issued formal apology (First Minister Nicola Sturgeon)
Memorials and Remembrance
- Salem: Witch Trials Memorial (1992)
- Bamberg: Memorial plaques and museum
- Würzburg: Memorial stone
- Various European cities: Plaques, monuments, educational sites
What Replaced Witch Trials?
New Forms of Persecution
The scapegoating impulse didn't disappear:
- Anti-Semitism: Blood libel, pogroms
- Colonialism: "Civilizing" indigenous peoples
- Racism: Slavery, segregation, lynching
- Political persecution: Red Scares, McCarthyism
- Moral panics: Satanic Ritual Abuse (1980s-90s)
The Witch Hunt as Metaphor
"Witch hunt" entered language as term for:
- Unjust persecution
- Mass hysteria
- Scapegoating
- Political persecution
Examples:
- Arthur Miller's The Crucible (1953) - Salem as allegory for McCarthyism
- Modern political rhetoric - "This is a witch hunt!"
Lessons: Why It Matters Today
The Mechanisms of Persecution
- Fear + scapegoating = violence
- Torture produces false confessions
- Mass hysteria overrides reason
- Marginalized groups are vulnerable
- Economic motives drive persecution
The Importance of Due Process
- Presumption of innocence
- Right to legal defense
- Standards of evidence
- Protection from torture
- Independent judiciary
The Power of Skepticism
- Question authority
- Demand evidence
- Resist mass hysteria
- Protect the vulnerable
- Speak truth to power
Conclusion: The Burnings Stopped, The Lessons Remain
The last witch burned in 1782. The last legal execution ended. But the lessons of the witch hunts endure: how fear becomes violence, how scapegoating destroys communities, how reason must triumph over hysteria. The witch hunts ended not because humanity became enlightened overnight, but because brave individuals resisted, skeptics spoke out, and eventually, exhaustion and reason prevailed.
In the next article, we will explore Reclaiming the Witch: Feminist Spirituality & the Craft. We will examine how modern witches reclaim the persecuted identity, how feminism embraced the witch as symbol of female power, and how contemporary witchcraft honors those who burned.
The burnings stopped. But we must never forget why they started.
For Anna Göldi, the last to die. For Janet Horne, burned after the law changed. For all the last victims. We remember, and we learn.
As we close this chapter on a painful history, remember that every ending holds a seed of rebirth, and the resilience of the spirit never truly fades. To honor the quiet strength of those who came before, you might explore your own inner wisdom with our tarot journaling prompts 100 questions for self discovery, or ground your intentions in the modern practice of 40 manifestation rituals intention to reality. For those seeking to clear space and invite new energy, our sacred space cleanse printable energy clearing ritual kit can help you weave a sanctuary of peace and protection in your own home.
