One of the last criminal trials using the 1735 Witchcraft Act was,
improbably, in London in 1944. The accused was Helen Duncan, a
middle-aged Scotswoman. This is her extraordinary story. Helen
Duncan - known since childhood as 'Hellish Nell', for her
uncontainable nature - was one of the most popular mediums of the
twentieth century, holding seances around the country where she was
believed to manifest the spirits of the dead. What happens when we
die? It was the question of the age for a generation which had
endured one world war and now was living through another. Mrs
Duncan's seances offered an answer. But when she started
foretelling naval disasters, she also attracted the unwelcome
attention of the secret service. And so just weeks before the
Normandy landings, absurdly, anachronistically, she was prosecuted
for witchcraft and jailed. Was Nell a conjurer, a martyr or a
security risk? Hellish Nell was first published in 2001 to
widespread acclaim. It remains in this revised edition a
fascinating window into the unsettled spiritual and psychological
mood of the times: a sensational tale of spectacle, credulity and
cruelty, and of Britain's last witch.
General
| Imprint: |
Penguin
|
| Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
| Release date: |
October 2023 |
| Authors: |
Malcolm Gaskill
|
| Dimensions: |
198 x 129 x 35mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Paperback
|
| Pages: |
416 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-1-80206-199-4 |
| Categories: |
Books
|
| LSN: |
1-80206-199-1 |
| Barcode: |
9781802061994 |
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