128: The Witches of Belvoir
Summary
Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling examine the 1618 witchcraft accusations against the Flowers women, who were blamed for the mysterious deaths of the Earl of Rutland’s sons at Belvoir Castle. The episode details the Manners family’s descent into despair, King James I’s historical obsession with witch hunts, and the social stigma faced by the accused in Botsford. It covers the women’s arrest, the controversial death of Joan Flowers during transport to Lincoln Castle, and the subsequent imprisonment of her daughters, highlighting the era’s brutal treatment of suspected witches.
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