Witches in Virginia

Witches in Virginia & The Virginia Witch Hunts

The most famous witch trials occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 when a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil. These young girls started to have violent fits; they would scream and have uncontrollable outbursts. People didn’t know what to think until the girls accused several local women of witchcraft.

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Back then, science wasn’t as advanced as it is today. People didn’t have, what would be considered by today’s standards, a logical explanation for what was going on. Therefore, after examining the girls, William Griggs (a local doctor), diagnosed them with bewitchment. Tituba (a slave), Sarah Good (a homeless beggar), and Sarah Osborn (a poor woman) were blamed for the crime. What didn’t help was Tituba pleaded guilty, which resulted in more hysteria. When many other young girls started to exhibit the same symptoms, the town panicked.

What came of these accusations was the criminal prosecution, and even death, of many people (mostly women) in the coming years.

Witch trials didn’t just occur in Massachusetts. Other states accused women, and some men, of witchcraft. One of these states was Virginia. There were more than thirty-three witch trials in Virginia from the 1600’s until the final trial took place in 1733.

Go on a ghost tour exploring Virginia’s witch trials and uncover their haunting history, including the chilling legends of Grace Sherwood and other accused witches whose spirits may still linger.

What witch trials took place in Virginia?

While Virginia never experienced the mass hysteria of the Salem witch trials, accusations of witchcraft did occur, and some led to court cases and punishments. The colony’s legal system was hesitant to convict individuals of witchcraft due to the severity of the crime, but fear and suspicion still spread. Unlike in Massachusetts, where executions were common, no one in Virginia was executed for witchcraft. However, trials and ordeals, such as the infamous trial by water, were sometimes used to determine guilt.

The most well-known case in Virginia’s history is that of Grace Sherwood, known as the “Witch of Pungo.” Accused multiple times by her neighbors, Sherwood was subjected to a trial by water in 1706, where she was thrown into the Lynnhaven River to see if she would sink or float—a common test for alleged witches. Since she floated, she was declared guilty and imprisoned, though she was later released and lived out her days on her farm. Other lesser-known cases occurred throughout the colony, but none were as infamous as Sherwood’s.

Did you know that even after her trial, Grace Sherwood’s legend persisted, and in 2006, she was officially pardoned by the governor of Virginia?

The Accusations Against Grace Sherwood

Virginia didn’t experience the hysteria that Massachusetts did when it came to witch trials. The courts were hesitant to accuse someone of witchcraft because of the severity of the crime. According to historical records, no women in Virginia died as a result of these trials, and only one woman was found guilty—Grace Sherwood, known as the “Witch of Pungo.” Virginia’s witches faced accusations fueled by fear and superstition, but the colony’s legal system was more restrained compared to others.

Sherwood was born in Pungo, Virginia (now part of Virginia Beach) in 1660 to John and Susan White. She married James Sherwood, with whom she had three children. The first accusations against her came in 1698 when neighbors claimed she had bewitched their pigs and cotton. She and her husband fought the case but lost. Though she wasn’t arrested, rumors spread. As one of Virginia’s witches, her story became the most infamous in the colony’s history.

After her husband’s death in 1701, Grace had to manage the farm and raise her children alone. She never remarried, which led to criticism. She was also known as a herbalist and often wore men’s clothing while working. These factors, along with the prior accusations, fueled more suspicions. She was blamed for ruined gardens, dying livestock, and even bad weather.

In 1705, she sued her neighbors, Luke and Elizabeth Hill, for assault and battery and won twenty pounds sterling in damages. In retaliation, the Hills accused her of witchcraft again.

The Trial and Aftermath’

Sherwood’s case was delayed multiple times, but eventually, a jury of women was assigned to search her for witch marks—spots where a witch supposedly fed a demon given to her by the devil. The women claimed they found two marks, but the trial dragged on for months without a conviction.

The county then ordered a trial by water. On July 10, 1706, she was thrown into the Lynnhaven River. Since she floated—a supposed sign of guilt—she was convicted and sent to jail.

There are no official records of her release, but in 1714, she successfully petitioned for the reinstatement of her land, suggesting she had been freed. She lived on her farm until her death in 1740.

Life After Death

Grace Sherwood’s story is known and celebrated throughout Virginia annually. In Pungo, Sherwood is an honorary official of the town’s annual strawberry festival. Also, in Williamsburg, there is a yearly reenactment of her trial. She is known throughout Virginia Beach, which also holds a yearly reenactment, held at the Ferry Plantation House. In 2006, during this reenactment, Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf read the pardon for Grace Sherwood aloud. He also declared that July 10th (300 years after her trial to the day), be known as Grace Sherwood Day.

That same day, the governor of Virginia (Timothy Kane) also pardoned Sherwood. The following year, a statue of Sherwood was unveiled in Virginia Beach.

Other Accusations of Witchcraft in Virginia

While Grace Sherwood was the only woman convicted of witchcraft in Virginia, she wasn’t the only accused person. Court records were destroyed during the Civil War, so it’s impossible to know exactly how many cases there were. However, at least a dozen cases of Virginia’s witches have been documented in colonial records. Some of the accused include Joan Wright, Katherine Grady, William Harding, and a woman named Mary (no last name), among others.

The earliest known case occurred in September 1626 when Joan Wright’s neighbors accused her of causing the death of a newborn through witchcraft. Wright, a married midwife from Surry County, was also accused of killing crops and livestock and accurately predicting the deaths of other colonists. Despite the accusations, she was not convicted, making her one of the many alleged Virginia’s witches who faced fear and suspicion but escaped execution.

Another woman accused of witchcraft was Katherine Grady. Although she wasn’t technically in Virginia when convicted, she was heading there from England. En route, a violent storm hit. As an explanation for the unfortunate event, the crew accused Katherine Grady of causing it through witchcraft. Detailed records of the trial are lost, but it is known that Grady was hung before reaching the Virginian shores.

In Virginia, two men were suspected of practicing witchcraft. One of two was a man named William Harding. In 1656, Reverend David Lindsey, an expert on witchcraft from Scotland, accused William of practicing witchcraft. He was sentenced to thirteen lashes. No records indicate why they accused him of the crime.

In other known cases, people suspected women of bewitching horses, cows, and chickens, and sometimes would inspect them for marks.

The last known case of witchcraft in Virginia occurred in 1730. Accusations began when people suspected a woman named Mary of using witchcraft to find lost items and treasure. As a punishment for the accusation, she was reportedly whipped thirty-nine times.

The Origins of Witch Trials and Mass Hysteria

So why did all of this happen? What caused people to become so paranoid that they started to believe devil-worshiping witches surrounded them?

During the colonial era, people strongly believed in heaven, God, hell, and the devil—along with those who served him. Witchcraft was widely feared, and witch trials were not only common in America but also in England. Suspicion grew even stronger with the presence of Native Americans and their unfamiliar beliefs and practices. Settlers, encountering a culture they did not understand, often assumed that Native Americans were involved in devil worship.

Beyond cultural fears, the settlers faced harsh and uncertain living conditions. Frequent crop failures, unexplained illnesses, and sudden deaths created a sense of desperation. Lacking scientific explanations, many colonists blamed witchcraft for their misfortunes, fueling the hysteria that led to witch trials. Those accused were often marginalized members of society, such as enslaved individuals like Tituba or outcasts like Sarah Good, Sarah Osborn, Grace Sherwood, and Joan Wright.

Brutal Methods of Witch Testing

To determine guilt, authorities used a range of cruel and superstitious tests. The most common was trial by water, where the accused had their hands and feet bound and were thrown into water—if they sank, they were innocent; if they floated, they were guilty.

Another widely used method was pressing, in which the accused was placed between heavy stones that slowly crushed them until they confessed. Dunking was also common, where the accused was repeatedly submerged in water and brought back up until they admitted to witchcraft.

Other tests were equally bizarre and unscientific. The touch test claimed that if an afflicted person stopped having a fit when touched by the accused, then the accused was guilty. Some trials involved forcing the accused to recite a prayer, believing that a witch would be unable to do so. Authorities also searched for witchcraft artifacts such as poppets (voodoo-like dolls), palmistry books, or horoscopes as proof of guilt.

One of the most unusual tests was the cake test, in which a victim’s urine was mixed with rye meal to bake a “witch cake.” This cake was fed to a dog, and if the accused screamed in pain while the dog ate it—supposedly because their essence was in the urine—they were declared a witch.

These extreme and irrational methods fueled the paranoia of the time, leading to countless wrongful accusations, imprisonments, and executions.

Conclusion

Witch trials were common in the colonial era. Many women and some men were found guilty of witchcraft. However, not all the trials occurred in Massachusetts. Among other states, Virginia had its fair share. Virginia’s witch trials were driven by fear and superstition, as people sought explanations for their hardships in an unpredictable world. It is true that people fear what they don’t understand, and times were hard when the trials began. As a result, individuals like Grace Sherwood, Joan Wright, Katherine Grady, William Harding, and Mary suffered.

Virginia’s witch trials eventually came to an end when they were deemed unlawful by the government, bringing one of the darkest times in America’s history to a close.

Learn More About The Haunted History of Williamsburg

If this has sparked your curiosity, Williamsburg has plenty more history—and even more spine-chilling drama—along its haunted walking trails. With its deep past and intense emotions, many tours start at the city’s most storied locations, where history feels alive.

Throughout Williamsburg, echoes of violent deaths, tragedies, and restless spirits remain. These tours reveal the city’s dark past, from fiery duels to forbidden love affairs, bringing history’s secrets to life. Legends of Virginia’s witches also linger, with tales of accused women like Grace Sherwood and others who faced fear, suspicion, and trials that left lasting marks on the region’s haunted history.

Williamsburg also played a role in Virginia’s witch trials. While not as infamous as Salem, the fear of witchcraft was real. Women faced accusations, trials, and ordeals like the trial by water, which condemned Grace Sherwood, the Witch of Pungo. Some believe the spirits of the accused still linger, their stories waiting to be told.

Curious to uncover more of Williamsburg’s haunted past? Dive deeper into the eerie history in our blog and book your Colonial ghost tour to encounter these spectral stories firsthand! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more ghostly updates and chilling tales!

Sources:

http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials
http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Witchcraft_in_Colonial_Virginia#start_entry
https://virginiahistory.org/learn/grace-sherwood-witch-pungo
https://www.npr.org/2006/10/29/6400850/revisiting-the-last-witch-trial
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/spellbound-ashmolean-museum-witchcraft