Professor Marion Gibson
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witchesetc.bsky.social
Professor Marion Gibson
@witchesetc.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1.2K following 130 posts
Author of Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials (Simon and Schuster/Scribner, 2023/4). History, folklore, books, archives.
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witchesetc.bsky.social
If you missed my chat with @drjaninaramirez.bsky.social @candiamckormack.bsky.social with music and folklore from @threeravenspod.bsky.social and @inkubussukkubus.bsky.social then you can catch up here: www.gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk
Poster advertising Gloucester History Festival digital Winter Warmer event showing Celia Imrie, Alice Roberts, Olivetti Otele and Sebastian Faulks
December 2, 2025 at 3:54 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Looking forward to seeing this exhibition of esoteric artefacts, art and culture! At The Vaults, London… #witches #magic #history
November 13, 2025 at 2:44 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
This witch is a dog toy, believe it or not, called “Corrina Witch Flattie Toy”. She’s too pretty to let the dogs near her, so she’ll join my collection of bizarre seasonal clutter. Happy Halloween!
A witch toy about ten inches tall, dressed in a black coat and hat with moon and star symbols, a blue spotted dress and orange and white stockings. She’s positioned in front of four pumpkins and above Halloween lights in the shape of pink bats and green spiders.
October 31, 2025 at 2:45 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Today I'll be giving a talk at The Wharf, Tavistock at 2pm. Come along if you're in the area and interested in witch trials, archival documents and family history
October 27, 2025 at 8:22 AM
witchesetc.bsky.social
#Halloween is a good time to be editing my next book, Witchland - including the story of Nazareth Fassett, prosecuted for being a woman who wouldn’t shut up (a scold or “objurgatrix”) years before her #witch trial
A Latin indictment for “scolding” handwritten on yellowed paper in a Great Yarmouth record book
October 21, 2025 at 10:55 AM
witchesetc.bsky.social
New series Witches of Essex 14.10.25 Sky History 9pm with me, experts in crime, theatre, medicine, history, forensics, @profaliceroberts.bsky.social @goingmedieval.bsky.social and Rylan #witches #essex #history
Accused witch Bess Clarke - portrayed by actor - with woodcut image of Matthew Hopkins, witchfinder general, and text from his book, advertising Witches of Essex series
October 10, 2025 at 10:54 AM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Early birthday present from a charity shop on the Barbican, Plymouth 😀
Two Hornsea “heirloom” pattern herb jars in a luscious olive green and black: labelled thyme and mint in a mad Victorianesque font
July 6, 2025 at 1:37 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Researching the Newcastle #witch trial of 1649-50 today! Tyne and Wear Archives have a lovely building and friendly archivists
Victorian red brick Gothic building housing archives and Discovery museum
June 26, 2025 at 11:56 AM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Doing some Secret Filming today at Woodbury Iron Age hillfort 🎬
Green trees and dappled sunlight in a woodland with prehistoric earthworks
June 20, 2025 at 10:04 AM
witchesetc.bsky.social
My genuine pleasure! Now I want to know if it’s correct 😀
June 14, 2025 at 3:07 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Astrological birthday book c.1930s - looks like if you were born on 30 July you have to make scientific instruments and people born on 25th March will definitely be “waspish” farmers or sailors…
June 14, 2025 at 2:55 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Witchy history podcast miniseries! Ep 1 of our 1640s witch hunt research project is out now, in collaboration with @folklorepod.bsky.social Link to listen for free here: www.thefolklorepodcast.com/seven-county... @magicnotwitches.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk
June 10, 2025 at 1:10 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Some lovely witchy merchandise at Plymouth’s Green Man Weekend today (magnets, coasters, T-shirt from The Hum from the Hill)
May 25, 2025 at 2:15 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
More joy from #RSA2025 - thanks @janmachielsen.bsky.social for group photo! Lovely to see everyone in it and Diane Purkiss. Great papers by Elly Truitt, Laura Pani, Shanti Graheli, Samantha Brown (not on here?) and everyone mentioned in previous post. Scholars together are strong!
Michael Ostling, Laura Kounine, Virginia Krause, Andrew Sneddon, Jan Machielsen, LuAnn Homza, Mikki Brock, Marion Gibson, Thibault Maus be Rolley Canadian, US and German flags flying pointedly together outside Westin Hotel Boston skyscrapers lit up against a peach, primrose and pale blue sky Huh, an espresso martini (well, I felt like I was on holiday from ALL THE RUBBISH UNIVERSITY NEWS AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS and it was, er, midday)
March 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Celebrating scholarship and creativity #RSA2025 Star papers, lovely friends including @mikkibrock.bsky.social @ellenwerner.bsky.social @pjsalzman.bsky.social
@jmhclark.bsky.social
@drandrewsneddon.bsky.social @notwithoutmustard.bsky.social @toujoursbizarre.bsky.social @hsbamford.bsky.social
Postcards of woodcuts: devil and woman images reading “witch, please!” and knight mounted on black horse slaying dragon reading “Spenser, Make allegorie great againe” by digitalrenaissance.uvic.ca Cover of graphic novel made for Andrew Sneddon’s 1711 Islandmagee Witches project showing girl in bonnet against a yellow-lit window and the white cottage where the accusations began @w1711.org Leaflet from the Vesuvian Lost Cities project showing QR code and engraving of volcano erupting Leaflets from LEMDO online text Hornbooks and more woodcut images from Digital Renaissance Editions including Newes from Scotland linocut in gold ink by Brett Greatley Hirsch and “Moves like Jaggard” postcard showing printing press
March 24, 2025 at 12:30 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
New academic article: full text edition of a Victorian play on the Pendle witches, written by Emma, Lady Ribblesdale, previously unpublished, with biography of Emma #Pendle #witches #womenwriters
Access via: muse.jhu.edu/issue/54108
March 18, 2025 at 9:43 AM
witchesetc.bsky.social
I’m so pleased to see this @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy - now signed and beribboned
February 21, 2025 at 12:58 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Trying to unravel the stories of Great Yarmouth’s accused witches today - here are the beautifully kept records of a 1645 trial #witches #history
Trial record for Alice Clipwell, Bridget Howard, Mary Blackborne, Elizabeth Dudgeon, Elizabeth Bradwell and Joan Lacey, handwritten in Latin
January 24, 2025 at 10:49 AM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Medieval cross on Dartmoor, a waymarker for monks travelling from Buckfast Abbey to Plympton Priory - this one is Spurrell’s Cross
Granite cross on a snowy moorland
January 9, 2025 at 3:37 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Dartmoor today!
Stone bridge in sun over still blur and black water with a reflection of the arch Frosted fern Long thin shard of ice over a clear puddle, with lines like tree rings across its length Sun on orange bracken in the background, with green reeds and clear frozen water in the foreground covered in strands of frozen grass
January 3, 2025 at 6:55 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Charity shop find today - Celtic Pottery, Newlyn. It’s not all doom and gloom if there’s a nice 70s pot or two 🤎
Celtic Pottery coffee pot in brown and grey metallic glazes and green spotted glaze with geometric leafy patterns
December 30, 2024 at 6:17 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Is there a lovelier staircase anywhere? The old Grand Midland hotel at St Pancras. I’m so glad to have seen this while I was in London
Victorian staircase - curved wooden rail with wrought iron banisters - with original flowered carpet, first floor landing, backed by leaded windows Pale blue vaulted ceiling with gold ribs and white stars, red wallpaper with gold fleur de lis, seen through banisters made with curls of black wrought iron Ridiculously curvy white stone stairs apparently floating in mid air in front of ruby red wallpaper Looking down into the stair well, the stairs form a horseshoe of blue, red and gold
December 28, 2024 at 5:38 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Huh. That was a surprise ending
Poster for the film Firebrand, about King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine Parr, starring Alicia Vikander and Jude Law
December 26, 2024 at 3:38 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
Some amazing images of medical and charm work by Medieval women at the @britishlibrary.bsky.social exhibition! Revelatory exhibition including female authors, illuminators, printers, rulers, traders, bankers, teachers…
Blonde Minerva in a pink skirt and crown with individual breastplates, a raised sword and a massive shield - illuminated manuscript Sketch of a smiling woman in a headdress and long gown applying cups to a seated male patient in a loincloth Diagram of a woman squatting with her inner organs visible - heart, stomach, uterus etc - labelled Birth girdle, parchment roll with texts and crosses and a diamond shaped wound of Christ thought to be a reference to his giving birth to Christianity
December 22, 2024 at 4:47 PM
witchesetc.bsky.social
It’s lovely to see that Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials is one of The New Yorker’s recommended books for 2024
Text page showing review of Witchcraft
December 9, 2024 at 9:40 AM