Dr Kat and "The Last Witch"

[@karissailormoon]

Just found your channel the other day and I'm hooked! Thank you for your brilliant videos.

[@janellinger4492]

I was so surprised at how recently that last case was.I was expecting something closer to the 1700-1800's.

[@hdwarrior8830]

Rebecca Nurse was executed as a witch here in the US, she was an ancestor of mine. She is said to haunt her old home. It is my goal to go see it one day! Astonishingly she forgave her accuser before her execution. I am not sure I could have done that.

[@alicejump2290]

Appreciate how you understand and explain the perspective of the historical time. While so much of the media and social media wants to apply current cultural views to historical situations, especially movies which present modern takes on characters and actions! Looking back we can find reprehensible to us behaviors that at the least were acceptable or tolerated in the timeframes of history!

[@blissgirl9052]

My guess was the year 1951, so I wasn't too badly off. I am aware of Helen Duncan thanks to a couple podcast episodes from Stuff You Missed in History Class, and Lore. I am also deeply fascinated about the way James the first of England changed the population's relationship to witchcraft and perhaps the Western World's relationship to women especially. And that would make a great episode ( if I haven't gotten to it yet and it's in the queue forgive me). I rarely comment because to be totally honest I most often watch these videos at night. I love falling asleep to history. But I have been steadfastly binging this channel for the last three weeks with thorough enjoyment. So thank you for everything you do. I hope you are keeping well and safe. Good wishes from Arizona.

[@whaleymom76]

She lived in a navy town! If they are in England anything like they are in America, it is likely she got the info on the sunken ship by hearing the local talk of other military wives or service people. She wouldn't have had to be a spy--only observant.

[@janetwebb2701]

1943-4? In regard to the sinking of a British war ship. She had a visionary episode involving her son's spirit. But I cannot remember exactly pinpoint the date without cheating by looking up the event online. I'm not a cheater when it comes to history.

[@dougr.2398]

Shocking if true!!!

[@janetwebb2701]

BTW recently discovered your channel. You are fabulous. Thank you for your insightful look into history. I have enjoyed every single moment! Blessings!

[@juliechi6166]

Love the impact of the Enlightenment and change in language.

[@ellenb2498]

Very interesting video! I knew it was in the 1940's, having heard some of this years ago from an English friend. That said, when you do this work, it's important to know when to speak and when to keep silent. In my state of New York in the US, such activities are considered an entertainment. Not sure how they are considered in the UK these days. Not all that long ago, not at all.......

[@starrywizdom]

There's yet another possibility for how Helen Duncan was able to speak of the HMS Barham sinking -- she made a guess. Psychics & mediums often hazard lots of wild predictions about the future, hoping that their many misses will be forgotten & any accidental hits will stick in peoples' minds. If there happened to be any rumours floating around Portsmouth about the Barham having sunk, she could have been inspired by them...

[@Pottawattamie]

I don't think Helen was profiteering in any way. It was her duty to use the gift she was given and she was unable to deny it. All genuine clairvoyants will say this. They are bound to deliver the messages they receive out of respect for the departed. This is my understanding anyway. My interest in Helen is down to the fact that my own great uncle was amongst the men lost on the Barham. I believe the message was given because they knew on the other side it was being kept from their families and this obviously caused them great sadness.

[@ReadingthePast]

I am very sorry for the loss of your great uncle and those he served with. I hope that Duncan's messages, however she received them, brought some peace to those left behind.

[@Pottawattamie]

@@ReadingthePast Thank you his name was John Adams he was aged 19 and was from Gateshead.

[@janetwebb2701]

Sincere appreciation for your uncle's sacrifice. My father fought with the US 44th division in Germany. May your family be forever BLESSED!

[@i_luv_hecklefish]

@@ReadingthePast I agree. I believe if its something that helps someone along in their mourning process and they walk away feeling a sense of peace then it can be a good thing. However, when it comes to those who string along individuals they know are in a vulnerable state because of their grief and use this vulnerability to profit from heartbreak, it's a different story. I think its shameful to do such a think. As in almost anything, it's all about intent and where one's motivations lay.

[@Starae336]

Charging people is profiting though no way to say it’s not

[@janetwebb2701]

Well I was in the area. My thoughts, she scared the poo out of the ministry! And in a time when they had to maintain the faith of the people, the age old habit of political persecution was the best way to maintain it. I believe, however, it backfired to a certain extent. While many may not have come out and expressed it as vehemently as they should, they certainly would feel the fear of having any "abilities" equal to hers.

[@alison__16]

Just starting the video but my guess is somewhere in the 1940s. I remember reading about it long ago and was shocked how recent it was

[@wilmwoodfilms1835]

Isn’t it entirely possible she heard rumors since she lived so close to the fleet or had a Marconi receiver and picked up messages? People talk all the time and a sailor could have made a comment about losing his mate on a ship. Local psychics could probably make a killing by investing in police radios. 🤣🤣

[@kathleenpatterson3147]

I just found out about you kat and I absolutely love your presentations. Your accent is a pleasure to listen to.

[@debbiemitchell4583]

I love that you decided to talk about witches and witch hunts based on what’s going on now. Not sure if you meant what I’m thinking. I’m American and obviously EVERYTHING here is a witch hunt. 😉😂😔

[@Goddessofvets16]

Fascinating! I never knew that UK kept those laws on the books that long - let alone apply them so recently as the 1940's! Are they still alive and in your law books?

[@xwiirastusx]

There is an option that Helen Duncan simply took a wild guess on the sinking of the ship, since it was highly likely to happen in wartime.

[@lucyosborne9239]

I had heard of Helen Duncan and her spiritual gifts. I guessed 1945 rather than 1944 and was, until now, ignorant of her prison term and the abolishing of the laws concerning witchcraft.

[@casmonido]

Ask a mortician recently made a video about that! I think she said the most likely explanation was that a member of one of the dead soliders' families must have shared the information.

[@TheMehamil85]

What if Helen Duncan just had a lucky guess? A war was on, ships get attacked. That ship got attacked and sunk which wasn't public knowledge but because Duncan had an audience who wanted information/entertainment, she said it was attacked and sunk. It's plausible she made it up and got punished for it.

[@juanitacarrollyoung2979]

My guess was going to be sometime in the 20th century, even before you so kindly gave us the timeline of English witchcraft acts. I was thinking of the 1920's or 30's, but something like the 1970's wouldn't have surprised me. Given that the whole thing wasn't repealed until relatively recently, aren't we lucky that no one had been convicted and punished in the 21rst century?

[@pat412pear]

Juanita Carroll Young Yet...

[@Dawn24Michele]

The person who tells the truth is the person who is vilified. Always.

[@nanettewinstonarmstrong9294]

Ive been listening to that song from Rush ~ Witch Hunt lately . I was apprehensive to listen to stay focused in the Positive , a Friend posting the Album and I noticed that song which I didnt know before , as a Gnostic and curious Minded Person I listened . The Music Video showing clips of a Village Mob making their way to the Vampires Castle at Night through the Forest with their Torches .. dark , eerie , dramatic song n Video . I Liked it , some really Good lyrics despite . Rush Albums usually with Alchemical Glyphs n Esoteric about Exoteric . Gnostics of Natures Existence Recorded Scientifically ( for Purpose ) or Witchcraft ? Appreciator , Lover or a Manipulator , hatetor ? Pagan , Celebrators or e*** | ehp machine of jezebel ? I would have to go back n listen more about Helen from Scotland ..

[@victoriamckinnon4851]

My guess would be, is somewhere that the last witch trial, took place amidst the poison panic. My guess was way off. Informative and interesting, thank you for your videos the helping me get through this time. 💖

[@barbarabrice9712]

It is possible that she really did have those psychic powers. There are many well-known and respected psychics in England. These people are perfectly capable of receiving information from people who have crossed over, to which they would have had no access otherwise.

[@orsino88]

For a moment, I thought you'd said "relaxed heretic." That's a fair description of me.

[@MountainPearls]

I guessed WWII. I’m such a nerd and love Dr. Kat!

[@Foxiepawstotti]

I don't think she would have been punished at any other time. I think it was suspicion that she could have been a spy and they couldn't let that go.

[@FabianTrahan]

You are Amazing! Fascinating History!

[@MsLogjam]

The information on Helen's Wiki page says that she would swallow things like paper soaked in egg white and regurgitate it at seances to create the impression of ectoplasm. There are pictures showing the dolls and things she used for her act. Of course, Wiki is only a starting point when it comes to serious research. A researcher named Graeme Donald said that even though the Barham sinking was kept quiet, condolence letters were still sent out to the families of 861 sailors who died and it stands to reason that someone talked.

[@rachelbaker3511]

Fascinating story of Helen Duncan. Witchcraft or treason?

[@mikalbell8125]

I was two years off mainly because I was thinking of the title of a documentary Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson called "The Blitz Witch".

[@Goddessofvets16]

One question. What did Helen consider herself? Witch, clairvoyant, or spy, or do we even know?

[@jakual339]

There's a third logical way she could have gotten the information: she didn't. As in, she didn't say that the ship had sunk because she knew it, she pulled it out of nowhere. It sounds like she was "communicating" with an unknown sailor, so it wasn't like she was claiming a specific loved one was dead (something that would be remembered and verified), she could have confused the name of the ship with another one she knew had sunk, or picked a name at random. Psychics typically make large numbers of claims, and rely heavily on the "misses" being forgotten about or moved past quickly, while the "hits" get retained as proof of their gifts. She just happened to be unfortunate in that one of her "hits" caught the government's attention. It'd be like having a very public missing person, and a dozen psychics come forward to "help" the police, each of them claiming a different message from the beyond. Then the person is found deceased in a body of water... and one of the psychics said the person was in water! So the police arrest the psychic who said that, because clearly they were involved in the murder, to have that kind of information about it. But no, it's just that 12 people made claims, and chances were one of them was going to be close.

[@GatewayAreaParanormal]

I would really like another video on witchcraft in the Middle Ages England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland please.

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

Please don't There are enough vids on this already and they all plough the same 2 furrows. Either the 'witches' are seen as total innocents, destroyed by a vindicitive community, or they were nasty people who the community wanted to get rid of. I suspect neither is true, When looking at history I tend to apply the same attitudes and prejudices that we have now. Because people haven't changed. Our situations and living conditions may have, but we are basically the same in our souls. When you watch the news and watch an innocent man die in the basest way, or see animals treated badly, we are just like them. We went nowhere. That is why I have no problem in seeing things from their angle. It is ours

[@deborahbranham-taylor6682]

There is an excellent English production that takes you through the whole sad history, starting with the very first people, the Malleus Malificarum writer, the personal and political background of the which hunting frenzy etc. It is quite thorough and not boring. Look for it on KZbin.

[@lilypotter9476]

I think Dr Kat's video would have her unique (honest) perspective and would be enjoyed and appreciated by her subscribers.

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

@@lilypotter9476 So what is Your take? seeing as you seem so keen to hear someone elses? Or do you just want another soundbite to add to the collection?

[@GatewayAreaParanormal]

Hogwash McTurnip I don’t appreciate your trolling on my comment. Go be nasty elsewhere. People are obviously interested in the topic. If you’re not leave the rest that are, alone.

[@Charlotte66666]

Loving your content.

[@MsKK909]

Was it that lady who was a seer during WWII and was telling people about their loved ones fighting in the war... thereby blowing military secrets?

[@annebishop9634]

Spiritualism always sees a surge during and after times of war.

[@dawnmason9558]

As a practising Wiccan, we witches are still around, one could be living next door to you.

[@frightbat208]

Whoa I was way off with the date 😲

[@stoker1931jane]

Me too...thought is was some where in 1800s😅. Didn't think such old laws were kept in place....then again it doesn't surprise me.

[@richardemmaperry899]

Wow! My guess was wayyyy off - I had thought 1800

[@wendygerrish4964]

I was going to go for 1720ish. 1941 -Sounds like a con taking advantage of the situation yet others could regard it as a public service. Obviously a source of leaked information no matter how that information was derived. The D-Day thing was paramount...and we all know lose lips sink ships.

[@ariadneschulz8822]

Before I finish this video I'm going to go with 1943. Pretty sure your last witch trial was during WWII when a woman held a seance and basically deduced that a ship had gone down despite that information not being released. Could have been WWI though. Honestly not sure. But yes. Final answer is June of 1943.

[@triciaphillips4271]

Could it possibly have been a family member who went down with the ship? Maybe that's how she knew?

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

The Blitz Witch?

[@Pottawattamie]

Most of us have luckily never experienced poverty so therefore we cannot judge the actions of others who have. Do modern clairvoyants not market themselves on television this was not an option at the time so if she needed to 'market' herself why not it does not mean that she had no genuine gift.

[@ladymeghenderson9337]

1944. Helen Duncan. under the witchcraft act 1735

[@helenwhale2603]

What about Salem

[@sarahoquendo7967]

I'm going to guess sometime in the later half of the nineteenth century.... Awww. I was close-ish.

[@emmahardesty4330]

I think it's sadly possible that the last "witch" prosecution was in the 19th century. Just a guess.

[@Moonpearl121]

Helen Duncan 1933?

[@Moonpearl121]

Got the person right, but the date wrong (although she was prosecuted in 1933). I very much doubt she had contact with the Germans. I actually met someone in the 1970s who had attended one of her seances - he was moved to tears when he saw his dead child. 'Physical' mediumship is long out of fashion, but it was a big deal in the 1920s and 30s.

[@mariposahorribilis]

I went for a whole century and still got it wrong!

[@kpee2496]

Helen Duncan...during WWII.

[@DeidreL9]

I’m thinking this was modern history. It strikes me as humorous when people say nowadays, oh those silly people believing in witches. Wicca is alive and well now. But it’s misunderstood as meaning malicious magic users and people who hex or curse. People into Satanism are another matter entirely. Stuff goes on, always has, and whether it’s sympathetic majick or something paranormal, there are causes and effects. But how much do the medieval witch trials reflect actual happenings in that time? Probably not very much. It’s incredibly tragic. I still feel this is modern history. Be interesting to see!

[@danellewilbraham]

As an American, I can hardly imagine where are you would’ve heard about witchhunts in 2019 🍊

[@lynnedelacy2841]

Pendle Witches as a topic?

[@leannemilne1975]

Such a good suggestion!!!

[@wickedwitch3520]

I knew that the last person convicted of witchcraft was in the 20th century but not so late. I thought it happened in the very early in the 20th century.

[@seekingthemiddleway4048]

Depends whether she had any other "hits"...

[@anitab348]

It was during WW2 wasn’t it? Wasn’t she Scottish and saw a ship sink

[@lisahodges8299]

1954 Birdy

[@jacobrobinson5606]

1758 just a guess out the blue

[@mikalbell8125]

Was it possible; the government wanted her to reveal her source, and if that source was German Intelligence, to turn her to the British Side.

[@mikalbell8125]

Pre vid guess 1942.

[@karenkorab8269]

1603

[@charlight2911]

Before I became a born again christian I too used to be into new age practices. This too involved mediums, tarot etc etc at the time I was so astounded by the accuracy of it all I had no doubts whatsoever that it was spiritual and 'other worldly'. Having been through the darkness I now know that these things are real but not what they seem. When people think they're contacting loved ones they're actually communicating with demons, who are very deceiving. This is why God says in His word that practicing such things is an abomination to Him. He is a jealous God that wants you to come to Him for guidance not some demons. Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. I am currently reading a book by King James in 1597 called 'Daemonologie' which is about his research on witchcraft, magic, sorcery, spirits and an account on the North Berwick witch trials (£6 Amazon!)

[@madmonkee6757]

Hmmm... The anti-witchcraft statutes in the UK were repealed in the early 1950s (and replaced with the fradulent medium's act). I remember Gerald Gardner's first book, a novel, was published in 1949, and he went public as a witch with his first two non-fiction books about witchcraft in the early 1950s (I think 1953, but my memory sucks.) So my guess is the last conviction was probably in the late 1940s or the early 1950s. *His first book may have actually been about the kriss knife, or maybe that came later.

[@madmonkee6757]

1944, of course! I should've known that. I've heard about the psychic channeling information from dead sailors, so I should've remembered that it was during WWII.

[@hogwashmcturnip8930]

Gardner was a fake He cobbled Wicca together from his obsession with nudism and Freemasonry. The woman he claimed initiated him was actually believed ro be a rather puritanical Christian that he had clashed with! You don't get 'initiated' you either are, or you aren't. You can learn, but Gardner and Wicca is just another sad cult

[@2ndavenuesw481]

Theresa May!

[@madelaineseguin1490]

Crazy how religion was that powerful. Sad.