Image 1
Artist: Unknown
The “Swimming” of Mary Sutton (1615).
Line Drawing
Rosen, Barbara, ed. Witchcraft in England, 1558-1618. Amherst: U of Mass.
The Swimming of Mary Sutton by an unknown artist depicts the punishment for exercising ones' personal freedom. As part of the infamous “swimming test,” accused witches were dragged to the nearest body of water, stripped to their undergarments, bound and then tossed in to to see if they would sink or float. Since witches were believed to have spurned the sacrament of baptism, it was thought that the water would reject their body and prevent them from submerging. According to this logic, an innocent person would sink like a stone, but a witch would simply bob on the surface. The victim typically had a rope tied around their waist so they could be pulled from the water if they sank, but it wasn’t unusual for accidental drowning deaths to occur.
The “Swimming” of Mary Sutton (1615).
Line Drawing
Rosen, Barbara, ed. Witchcraft in England, 1558-1618. Amherst: U of Mass.
The Swimming of Mary Sutton by an unknown artist depicts the punishment for exercising ones' personal freedom. As part of the infamous “swimming test,” accused witches were dragged to the nearest body of water, stripped to their undergarments, bound and then tossed in to to see if they would sink or float. Since witches were believed to have spurned the sacrament of baptism, it was thought that the water would reject their body and prevent them from submerging. According to this logic, an innocent person would sink like a stone, but a witch would simply bob on the surface. The victim typically had a rope tied around their waist so they could be pulled from the water if they sank, but it wasn’t unusual for accidental drowning deaths to occur.