The Coggeshall Witch
Commentary
Although James Boys begins his account with some sympathy with the widow he ends convinced she was a witch, his findings 'plainly prove the accusations of the vulgar' as he put it. Somewhat surprising in an educated man - even one who believed in the reality of the Devil.
By the time of these events in Coggeshall witch-hunting was in decline. For many, the so-called trials were remembered with distaste as were the number of deaths and the inhumanity it had encouraged. As early as 1646 Guale had investigated the subject and condemned Hopkins in a book, 'Select Cases of Conscience Touching Witches and Witchcraft'. The book was well written, its arguments convincing, and public opinion was aroused against the abuses it exposed:
"Every old woman with a wrinkled face, a furrowed brow, a hairy lip, a gobber tooth, a spindle in her hand and a dog or cat by her side, is not only suspect but pronounced for a witch."
Yet in out of the way place like Coggeshall, belief in witches still ran deep, which is why so many people were involved in the Widow Comon's persecution and 'hundreds' took part in the trial by swimming. They were living in fearful and uncertain times. The law courts finally reacted against the show-trials and the first acquittal for witchcraft, despite much condemnatory evidence, was made by Justice Holt in 1694 on the ground of 'general absurdity'. It may be that this judgement saved the Widow Comon's life [sic] as she was not brought to a court of law despite the 'evidence' of the mob who, to their credit perhaps, did not take retribution into their own hands as they might once have done.
The Widow Comon emerges from the story as a very strong-willed woman who refused to respond to the outrage of the crowd or the hectoring of the Reverend Boys. She sticks to her guns and (literally) said - be damned to the consequences. One might even suspect she had a sense of humour. You will no doubt come to your own conclusions about this and about her state of mind but she was certainly tough, for despite being swam three times, she still died in her bed!
We will leave the last words to her. After being thrown into the river for the third time, perhaps her bleakest moment, her shout 'Ye see what I am! What need you swim me any more?' is far from an expression of defeat as an extraordinary and wonderfully brave exclamation of triumph.
Trevor Disley October 2018
Sources
I have followed Bufton's spelling of the name of Widow Comon, the Rev Boys uses 'Coman'.
The most authoritative account is in 'The Case of Witchcraft in Coggeshall Essex', was taken from Rev Boys own manuscript and published in 1901 by A Russell Smith. (50 copies only)
Other sources
Gilbert W, Transactions of the Essex Archeological Society Vol XI p211, 1909
Blackwell G, A Case of Witchcraft in Coggeshall. Essex, Coggeshall WEA, 1974 (another record of Boys account)
Cutts, Rev E, Transactions of the Essex Archeological Society, Vol I p117, 1858 (Extracts from a MS of Bufton's diary)