Witchcraft on display at Lincoln Castle

Lincoln Castle has its own connection with witches.

In 1618, Joan Flower and her daughters Margaret and Philippa were sent to the castle prison on charges of witchcraft after the son of the family they worked for at Belvoir Castle fell ill and died.

They say that on the way, Jeanne, deciding to prove her innocence, agreed to take part in the “test of bread.”

The chaplain blessed the bread, since it was believed that no witch could eat something so sacred.

Joan put the bread in her mouth, fell to the ground and quickly died.

Margaret and Philippa later admitted that they used magic to make their son sick.

They were found guilty of witchcraft, sentenced to death and hanged outside the castle walls in March 1619.

The exhibition is on display in the castle’s Magna Carta vault until Sunday 5 January 2025.

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