As many of you probably know, the death penalty is illegal in the United Kingdom. The last person executed there was a woman by the name of Helen Duncan. She was died December 5th, 1956. Her crime: witchcraft.
Witches have been a part of folklore for thousands of years. Witch hysteria (I would argue) started in England with the death of King Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. It was further set into hyperdrive under the ruling of King James I. Accusations of witchcraft became rare after the Age of Enlightenment in Britain. In the twentieth century, accusations were pretty much unheard of.
That is until Helen Duncan’s predictions became a little too accurate.
It was the 1940s and World War II was in full swing. Duncan was a self proclaimed medium and held séances. One night she spoke with a woman who hadn’t heard from her son. Duncan allegedly contacted the young man during one of her séances and told the mother that his ship had sunk. The British government heard word of this revolution and they immediately became suspicious.
As it turns out, the ship had in fact sunk, but the government had been keeping it a secret for the time being. After a few raids in the late 40s, Duncan was arrested in 1951 and charged with witchcraft. (Apparently because they didn’t have enough to charge her with espionage.) She was tried, found guilty, and executed.
About ten years ago, the British government pardoned Duncan. I say too little too late. Helen Duncan was no real medium and definitely no witch. Just look at the photos of her alleged séances. They’re pretty creepy, but totally fake. She probably just guessed that the young man’s ship had sunk. Death of soldiers was common during WWII. The death of Duncan just added to the list of great tragedies of the war.
… Stay Tuned…
Sources and Further Reading:
“Unexplained: Helen Duncan The Blitz Witch (Paranormal Investigation Documentary) | Timeline” documentary from Timeline- World History Documentaries, YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As82uPOADrA&t=911s
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