In November, 1589, a woman named Alice Samuels was accused of witchcraft. She lived in the Cambridgeshire village of Warboys, had a family, and made the mistake of visiting a neighbour's sick child. The child laid the blame for her illness at Alice's feet and called her a witch. The child's sisters backed up these claims, and the situation quickly became serious.
In April, 1593, Alice and her family were put on trial: Alice, John, and their daughter Agnes were all found guilty and they were hanged.
I have only given a very brief summary of this horrible story and I refuse to name the people who caused the church-sanctioned murders of an innocent family. This is just one of many stories that you will find if you look into the historical witch trials.
It is way past time that these innocent people were acknowledged and pardoned. Maybe they did practice some form of witchcraft, but it's more likely that they were inconvenient or difficult people in some way. Whether they were actual witches or not, they did not deserve to die. They deserved so much better.
We cannot make up for the way they were treated, or for their murders, but we can make sure they are pardoned and remembered. Please sign the petition
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