Witches of the 17th Century
Witches were constantly being sought out in the 17th century. Society was suspicious of men and women who did not follow society's way of life. They believed women were responsible for original sin (the story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit). Witch hunt hysteria took place in the 17th century where towns would chase and kill these "witches". Women who were considered witches would have to fall in one of these categories. A women did not marry, a women who was exceedingly knowledgeable on medicine or a women who lived by herself. Witch hunting became a popular and profitable business. The most famous witch-hunter was Matthew Hopkins who called himself the Witch-Hunter General. There were many punishments for witches such as hanging, burning, pressed death (squished between two doors with weights) and other creatively horrifying punishments of death. Women who were misfits of society were killed because of being falsely accused of being a witch.