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Victoria Helen McCrae Duncan (née MacFarlane, 25 November 1897 – 6 December 1956) was a Scottish medium best known as the last person to be imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act 1735 (9 Geo. 2. c. 5) for fraudulent claims. She was famous for producing ectoplasm which was proved to be made from cheesecloth. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Helen Duncan: The last person to be imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act 1735, in April 1944. Her conviction led to the repeal of the Act and the introduction of the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951 . Jane Rebecca Yorke , the last person convicted under the Witchcraft Act 1735, in September 1944.
Yorke's case demonstrated that, following the earlier trial of Helen Duncan, the Director of Public Prosecutions had decided that the Witchcraft Act 1735 was still useful in dealing with cases involving mediums. Although the Act was used as a threat in several subsequent cases, the last in 1950, this was the last in which someone was actually ...
In 1944 she was charged with claiming to be able to conjure the spirits of dead people, found guilty and sentenced to nine months in prison. [3] In 1951, the Witchcraft Act 1735 was replaced with the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951 (14 & 15 Geo. 6. c. 33), a law "persecuting deliberately fraudulent mediums" but not sincere believers.
Helen Duncan (1897–1956) was a Scottish medium best known as the last person to be imprisoned under the British Witchcraft Act 1735 (9 Geo. 2. c. 5). Helen Duncan may also refer to: Helen Duncan (politician) (1941–2007), member of the New Zealand House of Representatives; Helen M. Duncan (1910–1971), United States geologist and paleontologist
Duncan confessed, possibly under duress, to witchcraft and she implicated others including John Cane and Euphame MacCalzean. [6] MacCalzean, Agnes Sampson and several others were accused of witchcraft. It was alleged that they had killed the Earl of Angus by witchcraft, [7] and planned to murder the first king of England and Scotland, James VI ...
Anna Tait or Anne Tait, also known as 'Hononni', was accused of witchcraft in Haddington, East Lothian in 1634 and executed in 1635. Her case revolved around her feelings of grief and guilt which caused her suicidal thoughts for the murder of her first husband and the death of her beloved daughter following a botched home abortion.
The Forfar witch trials ended with the execution of Helen Guthrie, who was the last woman to be executed for witchcraft in the town. Helen Guthrie, in her confession, is said to have described an event on about 18 July 1661 when she, Shyrie, and Elspet Alexander travelled to Barry and, after drinking three pints of ale, went to the shore to ...