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The changing face of Mother Shipton |
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Mother Shipton: from visionary to witch
Mother Shipton's petrifying well
© Copyright Mother Shipton's Cave |
The woodcut illustrating the 1641 pamphlet shows Mother Shipton as an unattractive Tudor woman, not yet attributed with traditional witch-like features. Witchcraft is mentioned in the pamphlet, an accusation thrown at Mother Shipton by Cardinal Wolsey, who was evidently displeased with her prophecy, but she is not yet identified outright as a witch. But what exactly did it mean to be a witch in 17th Century England?
In the period 1560 to 1650, witchcraft was a fact of life in England, proved by the hundreds of witchcraft trials that took place. These trials were concerned with proving whether the accused was a witch, not whether witchcraft existed. The numerous statutes against witchcraft testify to the very real suspicions of witchcraft. The question of why witchcraft accusations were so prevalent during this time has attracted many different explanations: population growth, the challenges of caring for an increasingly aged population, and social tensions caused by the dissolution of the feudal welfare system have all been suggested.
Mother Shipton's cave, Knaresborough
© Copyright Mother Shipton's Cave |
During this period, witches were believed to have been in a pact with Satan and capable of inflicting harm upon their enemies. A witch would also have a mark that identified her as a witch: third nipples and tails were a popular choice. Witches also had familiars, an animal of some kind which could be Satan in animal form. Witchcraft trials peaked in the 1600s, with famous cases including Alice Nutter in Lancashire (1612) and the Essex witch trials (1570-1600).
Some believe that accusations of witchcraft were a form of misogyny, a means of denigrating female independence. C. Lamer in ‘Was witch hunting woman hunting?’ describes the stereotypical witch as “an independent adult woman who does not conform to the male idea of proper female behaviour”. Mother Shipton’s identification as a witch conforms to this argument, coming as it did from a man who was angry at her prophecies. An accusation of witchcraft was an effective way of undermining the authority of her prophecy.
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