#TRICKY TEST 2 3 WOMENS TRIAL#

In the midst of witch hunts, desperate villagers would sometimes even burn or cut off any offending marks on their bodies, only to have their wounds labeled as proof of a covenant with the devil. Moles, scars, birthmarks, sores, supernumerary nipples and tattoos could all qualify, so examiners rarely came up empty-handed. In both cases, it was easy for even the most minor physical imperfections to be labeled as the work of the devil himself. Prosecutors might also search for the вЂњwitchesвЂ™ teat,вЂќ an extra nipple allegedly used to suckle the witchвЂ™s helper animals. This вЂњDevilвЂ™s MarkвЂќ could supposedly change shape and color, and was believed to be numb and insensitive to pain. Witch-hunters often had their suspects stripped and publically examined for signs of an unsightly blemish that witches were said to receive upon making their pact with Satan. Cullender and Denny were both later hanged as witches. The girls unclenched their fists anyway, which suggested they were faking, but even this was not enough to prove the womenвЂ™s innocence.

To ensure the reaction was genuine, judges had the children blindfolded and touched by other members of the court. The children had been suffering from fits that left their fists clenched so tightly that even a strong man could not pry their fingers apart, but early tests showed they easily opened whenever Cullender or Denny touched them.

#TRICKY TEST 2 3 WOMENS TRIAL#

Touch tests played a famous part in the 1662 trial of Rose Cullender and Amy Denny, two elderly English women charged with bewitching a pair of young girls. A non-reaction signaled innocence, but if the victim came out of their fit, it was seen as proof that the suspect had placed them under a spell. In cases where a possessed person fell into spells or fits, the suspected witch would be brought into the room and asked to a lay a hand on them. The touch test worked on the idea that victims of sorcery would have a special reaction to physical contact with their evildoer.

Tricky test 2 3 womens