{"product_id":"witchfinders-by-malcolm-gaskill-9780674025424","title":"Witchfinders","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy spring 1645, two years of civil war had exacted a dreadful toll upon England. People lived in terror as disease and poverty spread, and the nation grew ever more politically divided. In a remote corner of Essex, two obscure gentlemen, Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne, exploited the anxiety and lawlessness of the time and initiated a brutal campaign to drive out the presumed evil in their midst.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTouring Suffolk and East Anglia on horseback, they detected demons and idolators everywhere. Through torture, they extracted from terrified prisoners confessions of consorting with Satan and demonic spirits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAcclaimed historian Malcolm Gaskill retells the chilling story of the most savage witch-hunt in English history. By the autumn of 1647 at least 250 people—mostly women—had been captured, interrogated, and hauled before the courts. More than a hundred were hanged, causing Hopkins to be dubbed \u003cem\u003eWitchfinder General\u003c\/em\u003e by critics and admirers alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThough their campaign was never legally sanctioned, they garnered the popular support of local gentry, clergy, and villagers. While \u003cem\u003eWitchfinders\u003c\/em\u003e tells of a unique and tragic historical moment fueled by religious fervour, today it serves as a reminder of the power of fear and fanaticism to fuel ordinary people's willingness to demonise others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000850235628,"sku":"9780674025424","price":63.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26841913482427.jpg?v=1763309763","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/witchfinders-by-malcolm-gaskill-9780674025424","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}