I had already written one book set in Haworth, the home village of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë ( Parliament of Rooks), and as Haworth is literally over the hill from Pendle (Cathy and Heathcliff may well have been able to see Pendle Hill from Wuthering Heights), the Pendle witch trials became the inspiration for my second (and forthcoming) Ghosts of Haworth novel, A Question of Witchcraft. Growing up not far away in the Yorkshire Dales, I had long known of the “Pendle Witches.” I wanted to find out more and understand how and why the witch trials had happened at all, and was determined to write about them. Although the witch trials sucked in many women from the surrounding countryside, this was the hub of the Pendle Witch Hunts, which led to trials at the ancient Lancaster and York Castles. Within this area, in the shadow of the ominously looming Pendle Hill, lay a humble abode with the rather grand name of Malkin Towers. The answer may well lie in Lancashire, England, wherein lies Pendle Forest. But why were they believed so readily, and to the point where nineteen people were hanged, and another 150 accused, harangued, and lived in fear for their lives?

The largest difference between the two witch hunt frenzies seems to be that the Salem trials are now believed to be caused by the ergot fungus the girls who accused their neighbours were poisoned by their bread.

But did you know that a similar scenario played out eighty years before in the north of England? The horror of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts in 1692 is well known, especially as it involved children as accusers leading to trials and executions. To learn more about Karen and her books, visit her web site, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. All of her fiction has appeared at the top of bestseller lists on both sides of the Atlantic, including the top 21 in the UK Kindle Store in 2018. Relevant History welcomes historical fiction author Karen Perkins, author of the Yorkshire Ghost Stories, the Pendle Witch Short Stories, and the Valkyrie Series of historical nautical fiction.

Historical fiction author Karen Perkins takes a stab at the “why” of two historical witch hunts.

Murder by Witchcraft by Karen Perkins