On this day, a family feud boiled over and led to one of history’s most infamous witch trials. Today in 1612, the Pendle Witch Trials began in Lancaster, England. The trials were the result of a rivalry between two families that both worked in traditional herbal medicine. Both families accused the other of witchcraft and by the end of the proceedings, ten people including members from both of the rival families had been hanged. The high number of people who lost their lives and a very detailed book written by the court clerk after the fact combined to make the Pendle Witch Trials one of the most well-documented and high-profile witch trials ever.
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