Culture And Memory

The Witches of Essex Community Heritage Project

The Witches of Essex Community heritage Project is a new project exploring the witches of Essex and particularly, of St Osyth, an Essex village around which a series of ‘Witch’ accusations spread in the 1580s. During our six-month free community project, we will work with the Essex Records Office and Professor Marion Gibson. The project will be open to approximately 15-20 local participants in Colchester and surrounding areas. Participants will be invited to attend a weekly workshop where we will develop historical enquiry skills, use archives, artefacts, performance techniques and visits developing an understanding of the stories of those who were accused of witchcraft. Who were they? Why were they accused? How were they treated? How have these stories impacted our community today? We will create a series of learning materials and audio stories bringing to life some of the real-life stories to share with the local community.