Witch-hunting įrontispiece from Matthew Hopkins' The Discovery of Witches (1647), showing witches identifying their familiar spiritsįollowing the Lancaster Witch Trials (1612–1634), William Harvey, physician to King Charles I of England, had been ordered to examine the four women accused, and from this there came a requirement to have material proof of being a witch. From the way that he presented evidence in trials, Hopkins is commonly thought to have been trained as a lawyer, but there is scant evidence to suggest this was the case. According to tradition, Hopkins used his recently acquired inheritance of a hundred marks to establish himself as a gentleman and to buy the Thorn Inn in Mistley. In the early 1640s, Hopkins moved to Manningtree, Essex, a town on the River Stour, about 10 miles (16 km) from Wenham. Hopkins states in his book The Discovery of Witches (1647) that he "never travelled far . Hopkins' brother John became Minister of South Fambridge in 1645 but was removed from the post a year later for neglecting his work.
Although James Hopkins had died in 1634, when the iconoclast William Dowsing, commissioned in 1643 by the Parliamentarian Earl of Manchester "for the destruction of monuments of idolatry and superstition", visited the parish in 1645 he observed that "there was nothing to reform". Thus Matthew Hopkins could not have been born before 1619, and could not have been older than 28 when he died, but he may have been as young as 25. His father was popular with his parishioners, one of whom in 1619 left money to purchase Bibles for his then three children James, John and Thomas. The family at one point held title "to lands and tenements in Framlingham 'at the castle '". His father, James Hopkins, was a Puritan clergyman and vicar of St John's of Great Wenham, in Suffolk. He was born in Great Wenham, Suffolk and was the fourth son of six children. Little is known of Matthew Hopkins before 1644, and there are no surviving contemporary documents concerning him or his family. Hopkins and his colleague John Stearne sent more accused people to the gallows than all the other witch-hunters in England of the previous 160 years. He is believed to have been responsible for the executions of over 100 alleged witches between the years 16. He and his associates were responsible for more people being hanged for witchcraft than in the previous 100 years, and were solely responsible for the increase in witch trials during those years. The son of a Puritan minister, Hopkins' career as a witch-finder began in March 1644 and lasted until his retirement in 1647. He was mainly active in East Anglia and claimed to hold the office of Witchfinder General, although that title was never bestowed by Parliament. Matthew Hopkins ( c. 1620 – 12 August 1647) was an English witch-hunter whose career flourished during the English Civil War. Forgotten Realms Helps receives a small commission whenever a product is purchased through these links.A portrait of Matthew Hopkins, 'The Celebrated Witch-finder', from the 1837 edition of The Discovery of Witches Some pages on this website contain affiliate links. Use of such names without mention of trademark or copyright status should not be construed as a challenge to such status.įorgotten Realms Helps is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to.
WITCH HUNTER LICENSE
Most product names are trademarks owned or used under license by the companies that publish those products. The Forgotten Realms was created by Ed Greenwood circa 1967. "Cross not a librarian, for they hold the keys to all lore." - old Faerûnian saying.ĭungeons & Dragons ©1995 - 2023 Wizards of the Coast. Special: Must have been selected by another witch hunter, a trained under that mentor before entering the prestige class.Īll the Prestige Classes material is © Hasbro 2003, 2004 and used without their permission - so make them happy and buy the book.Able to cast magic circle against Taint or magic circle against evil.Skills: Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (Shadowlands) 10 ranks.To qualify to become a Witch Hunter, a character must fulfill all the following criteria: Ghosts and other evil spirits, demons and oni, and practitioners of black magic are the witch hunters' sworn enemies, and they bring unique abilities and expertise to bear in combating these foes. Witch hunters combine magical training with combat expertise to battle the spiritual forces of evil in the world. This Prestige class uses elements that may not be applicable to the Forgotten Realms Campaign
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