The First Woman Executed For Witchcraft In England

Agnes Waterhouse became the first woman executed for witchcraft in England in 1566, and villagers claimed she kept a demonic cat named Satan that spoke to her in a human voice and demanded blood in exchange for killing her enemies, and during her trial Agnes confessed that the creature drank from a spot on her body before carrying out murders for her, and witnesses testified that children had fallen mysteriously ill after crossing her path while livestock died screaming in the fields nearby, and when Agnes was finally taken to the gallows crowds gathered to watch the old woman accused of feeding souls to the Devil, and before she died she publicly admitted to witchcraft, sorcery, and making a pact with a creature she claimed lived hidden inside her home for years.

Interesting Fact:

The accusations against Agnes Waterhouse helped fuel England’s growing witch hysteria during the Tudor period. Pamphlets describing her talking cat “Satan” spread across the country and terrified readers. Unlike many later accused witches, Agnes actually confessed publicly before her execution in Chelmsford in July 1566.

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