Exhibition to explore 17th Century witch trials

Many people in Suffolk believed witches were responsible for their misfortunes

A new pop-up exhibition is exploring the stories of the women and men who faced execution after being accused of witchcraft in Suffolk.

The Heart of Suffolk: Witch Trials will be displayed at Sudbury Arts Centre until the end of October, before taking over The Bull pub in Long Melford and then Elmswell Library.

The event will delve into the experiences of people who were persecuted during the county's infamous witch trials which were carried out between 1645 and 1647, led by the Suffolk/Essex "Witchfinder General" Matthew Hopkins.

One of those trials, which took place in Bury St Edmunds in 1645, became the largest in England, with 18 people hanged.

Some of the witch trials were held in the presence of royalty, such as King James I (James VI of Scotland)

Witch trials were established in the 1600s as communities looked to relieve their villages of the misfortunes they believed were brought on them by witches.

In the modern districts of Babergh and Mid Suffolk alone, more than 60 people were accused of witchcraft, with many being tried and executed.

Many of these would have been apprehended by the so-called Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, who was born in Suffolk before moving to Mistley in Essex, and his colleague John Stearne.

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Stearne covered the west of the Suffolk and Hopkins the east, bringing at least 150 people to trial, leading to more than 100 executions.

They were so prolific, that between January 1645 and August 1647, they condemned more witches than all previous English witch-hunters combined.

Their work was the subject of the British movie Witchfinder General starring Vincent Price as Hopkins.

"Witchfinder General" Matthew Hopkins, who was born in Suffolk, condemned more than 100 witches in the county

Nadia Cenci, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for communities, said she was "excited" about the exhibition and how it could help change the narrative.

"Many of the stories of those accused of witchcraft have been lost to history, overshadowed by those of the witchfinders who condemned them," she said.

"This fascinating collaboration finally sheds light on those persecuted, and the legacy of the fear and loss that ripped through communities."

The exhibition will be displayed at the Sudbury Arts Centre until the end of the month

The exhibition, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, is a collaboration between Suffolk Archives, Mid Suffolk District Council and Babergh District Council.

Emily Shepperson, Suffolk Archives' exhibitions and interpretations officer, described the display as "fascinating" and a "great opportunity" to look at the trials' history.

"We are looking forward to featuring many of these stories again in Suffolk Archives' Witches and Witchcraft exhibition in 2026, working alongside the Museum of Magic and Witchcraft in Cornwall," she said.