Elizabeth Clarke

Frontispiece of The Discovery of Witches, 1647. Elizabeth Clarke appears on the right Elizabeth Clarke (c. 1606–1645), alias Bedinfield, was the first woman persecuted by the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins in 1645 in Essex, England. At 39 years old, she was accused of witchcraft by local tailor John Rivet. Hopkins and John Stearne took on the role of investigators, stating that they had seen familiars while watching her. During the process, she was deprived of sleep for multiple nights before confessing and implicating other women in the local area. She was tried at Chelmsford assizes, before being hanged for witchcraft.

Background Clarke was born in 1606 in Bradfield, Essex to Bartholomew and an unnamed mother. Clarke had one younger sister, Jane Clarke, who was born in 1609. As a child Clarke's witnessed her mother being accused of being a witch. Her mother was subsequently jailed, tried, and executed for the crime. The records of this trial and her mothers name have been lost. Later in life Clarke moved to the neighbouring parish of Manningtree with her father, Bartholomew, who died in 1614.

In 1621 Clarke moved in with her sister, who had recently married Richard Benifield. After this move Clarke also became known by the name Elizabeth Bedinfield, adopting her sisters new last name. Jane later died in 1630 and when Clarke gave birth to a baby girl on 12 February 1643, she named the child Jane in memory of her sister. Clarke named the baby's father as Joseph Applegate, but the couple was unwed, and Clarke later explained that she named him so he could be forced to pay child support. The baby was baptised at Thomas Witham's chapel.

Witchcraft trial Clarke was accused of cursing the wife of a local tailor, John Rivet during the winter of 1645. Matthew Hopkins, assisted by John Stearne and Mary Phillipps, took up the role of investigator and prosecutor, known as "Watcher".

Although torture was illegal in England, suspected witches were subject to scrutiny by their Watchers. In Clarke's case, Hopkins and colleagues including John Stearne watched her for three days and nights without allowing her to sleep. During this process Clarke was forced to continually walk around her room, a process known as "watching and walking". Clarke's body was also inspected by four women, who claimed they found witch's marks. Hopkins also claimed that Clarke had admitted to having "carnal copulation with the devil". During the trial the watchers gave different accounts of the appearances of Clarke's familiars but Clarke was found guilty of feeding familiar spirits, and with killing John Edwards, a local child who died in the summer of 1644. In total, 36 women were imprisoned and the majority of them were sentenced to death. Vinegar Tom - a greyhound with long legs, A black imp White imps that went to bed with Clarke in the shape of a "proper gentleman" with a laced band. Sacke and Sugar - a demonic black rabbit Other familiars referred to by name but not description: Elemauzer, Pyewacket, Peck-in-the-crown & Grizel Greedigut.