Witches in Devon and Witchcraft Trials in Theatre with Tracey Norman

Witches in Devon and Witchcraft Trials in Theatre with Tracey Norman

Tracey has written fiction for as long as she can remember, covering a variety of genres and subjects. Her first stage play WITCH, a historical drama based on original English witch trial transcripts, premiered in 2016 and has been performed more than 80 times to date. Tracey’s most recent publications were Dark Folklore (2021), co-written with her husband Mark, and Who Is Anna Stenberg? (2023), her first full-length novel. Her next book, also co-written with Mark, is Devon’s Forgotten Witches 1860-1910, which is published by The History Press and comes out in August 2025. She gives talks to a variety of groups on historical subjects such as witchcraft and early modern medicine. She, Mark and their daughter live near the edge of a forest in mid Devon, with a trio of insane chickens, and a feline trip hazard.

In this chat, we talk about witchcraft cases in Devon, some of which are surprisingly late into the 20th century, the beauty of using records of witch trials, and how theatre can help us to better understand the lived experience of those accused.

Preorder Devon’s Forgotten Witches 1860-1910: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781803994215

Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/

Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595

Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick

Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore

Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop

Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7

Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick

Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social

'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Episoder(432)

Poplar Trees: Folk Belief, Remedies, and the Arbor Tree

Poplar Trees: Folk Belief, Remedies, and the Arbor Tree

Poplar trees are perhaps one of the lesser-known trees that I've featured on this blog. Many people can recognise an oak tree on sight, but how many could recognise the poplar?  Indeed, how many woul...

21 Mar 20min

Polish Folk Magic with Joanna Tarnawska

Polish Folk Magic with Joanna Tarnawska

Joanna Tarnawska is an animist, folkloric witch, and psychologist residing in the mountains of Lower Silesia, Poland. Her practice intertwines animism, bioregional traditions, and lore, drawing inspir...

20 Mar 1h 3min

Yew Trees: Death, Churchyards, and Helpful Tools

Yew Trees: Death, Churchyards, and Helpful Tools

Back in November 2020, I explored the folklore of the yew tree; specifically, the common yew, or English yew (Taxus baccata). Yes, it's a poisonous tree. Yes, it's linked with death. And yes, people ...

14 Mar 19min

The London Plane: A Tree Suited to City Life

The London Plane: A Tree Suited to City Life

Periodically, I choose a plant, tree or fungus to explore, only to find there is very little folklore about them. Invariably, there are two reasons for this. First, the plant, tree or fungus has littl...

7 Mar 18min

Childhood Games: Classics, Crazes and the Occult in the Playground

Childhood Games: Classics, Crazes and the Occult in the Playground

In January, I asked people if they wanted to share any children’s folklore as part of my February theme. As a branch of study, this largely refers to folklore created, shared, and maintained by childr...

28 Feb 30min

Dolls and Doll Magick with Najah Lightfoot

Dolls and Doll Magick with Najah Lightfoot

Najah Lightfoot is the multi award-winning author and regular contributor to the Llewellyn annuals. Najah’s magickal staff is on display and part of the permanent collection of the Buckland Museum of ...

25 Feb 57min

Children's Beliefs: Superstitions, Luck, and the Brenin Lwyd

Children's Beliefs: Superstitions, Luck, and the Brenin Lwyd

In January, I asked people if they wanted to share any children’s folklore as part of my February theme. As a branch of study, this largely refers to folklore created, shared, and maintained by childr...

21 Feb 29min

Urban Legends among Children: Clowns, Insects, and Ice Shards

Urban Legends among Children: Clowns, Insects, and Ice Shards

In January, I asked people if they wanted to share any children’s folklore as part of my February theme. As a branch of study, this largely refers to folklore created, shared, and maintained by childr...

14 Feb 22min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
aftenpodden
giver-og-gjengen-vg
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
konspirasjonspodden
aftenpodden-usa
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
popradet
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
grenselos
wolfgang-wee-uncut
min-barneoppdragelse
synnve-og-vanessa
fladseth
rss-dannet-uten-piano
alt-fortalt
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
frokostshowet-pa-p5
198-land-med-einar-trnquist
rss-frekvens-med-anine-olsen