Exeter Witch Executions
- When
- 1682
- Where
- Rougemont Castle; Heavitree gallows
- Episodes
- 2
In August 1682, Temperance Lloyd, Mary Trembles, and Susannah Edwards were hanged at Exeter for witchcraft. They are recognized as the last individuals executed for this crime in England, following a trial at Rougemont Castle based on hearsay and a confession.
Episodes
- Exeter Assizes Trial
The women were tried at Rougemont Castle in 1682, with evidence relying on hearsay and Lloyd's confession.
- Execution at Heavitree
The three women were hanged at the Heavitree gallows outside Exeter on 25 August 1682.
Background and detail
Trial Proceedings. The women were tried in 1682 at Rougemont Castle. Evidence was largely hearsay, though Lloyd provided a confession that she did not fully recant before her execution. Historian John Callow suggests political and religious tensions in the West Country influenced the conviction.
Execution. On 25 August 1682, the three women were hanged at the Heavitree gallows outside Exeter. Their bodies were subsequently dumped in unconsecrated ground nearby. They are labelled as the last people hanged in England for witchcraft.
People involved
- Temperance Lloyd · Accused witch
- Mary Trembles · Accused witch
- Susannah Edwards · Accused witch
Sources
- Bideford witch trial Wikipedia, revision of 2026-04-01
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.