Last executed ‘witch’ might have lived for years – research

A plaque in Exeter, Devon, commemorating the death of England’s last ‘witches’ (Professor Mark Stoyle/PA) -

The last woman believed to have been executed in England for witchcraft may have avoided the gallows, according to research.

Professor Mark Stoyle, a historian at the University of Southampton, believes a spelling error by a court official suggests that the accused woman was not hanged but instead lived for several years.