The last witch was convicted in Britain in 1944.Was already split the atom. Planes flew over the Atlantic. And where the judges judged a witch ...
Fatal way this woman was the last officially recognized and condemned in Britain, a witch. While at the pinnacle of power when he was not indifferent to it, Sir Winston.Helen Duncan was born in 1897 in a small Scottish town of Callender in the home furniture maker.
On the background of general poverty and high unemployment, although her family lived in a modest but well off. As a child, Helen was very noisy and moving a child than earned the nickname of Hell Hell (Hell - Hell in a translation from English). In the seven years she has found a unique gift of communicating with spirits and the other world. Sagacity of life experience, her mother warned her daughter Helen to keep in secret their communication with spirits. But if she could foresee that the unusual ability to bring her daughter Helen to jail ... and she will go down in history as the last convicted witch ...
In 16 years, Helen began to work in Dundee. At the same age she had developed tuberculosis (what to do, damn the Scottish weather!). However, there would be a blessing in disguise. In the sanatorium, where Helen was sent for treatment, she met with former soldiers who have earned rheumatic fever in military service, Henry Duncan. In 1916, Helen and Henry were married. It was truly a marriage of love. In marriage, Helen gave birth to six children. Unfortunately, the health of her husband, undermined the army deteriorated. After a heart attack he was unable to work and returned to his former hobby - reading spiritualist books. Husband became an invaluable assistant to Helen in her career the medium.
In the 30 years of Helen Duncan was one of the most famous mediums in Britain. She specialized in the materialization of the recently deceased souls of people with ectoplasm, which she allegedly released from his mouth.
Photo taken at one of Helen Duncan seance with the permission of the medium, demonstrating the time of the materialization of the soul. Witnesses spoke of the sessions that materialized objects located at some distance from the medium and were less dense than the material body in the room. Of course, to believe in the possibility and reality of materialization was not easy. Skeptics were both among the inhabitants, and among scientists. Among the latter was, and Harry Prince, director of the National Physical Laboratory in Britain who has studied the ability of Helen, and was present at many of its sessions. Helen Duncan was suspected that she swallowed the gauze in advance, and during the session tricked her out of herself in the guise of ectoplasm. Helen herself poured oil on the fire, not wishing for scientific validation of their abilities to undergo X-ray examination.
Photo taken at one of Helen Duncan seance with the permission of the medium, demonstrating the time of the materialization of the soul. Witnesses spoke of the sessions that materialized objects located at some distance from the medium and were less dense than the material body in the room. Of course, to believe in the possibility and reality of materialization was not easy. Skeptics were both among the inhabitants, and among scientists. Among the latter was, and Harry Prince, director of the National Physical Laboratory in Britain who has studied the ability of Helen, and was present at many of its sessions. Helen Duncan was suspected that she swallowed the gauze in advance, and during the session tricked her out of herself in the guise of ectoplasm. Helen herself poured oil on the fire, not wishing for scientific validation of their abilities to undergo X-ray examination.
Since the beginning of World War II, seances Helen Duncan became especially popular - many nadeyalic learn from her about the fate of their loved ones. For the first time Helen came to the attention of British intelligence in May 1941 in Portsmouth (city-based Navy Britain), where she lived. On one of his seances in a trance Helen told that one of the ships of Her Majesty's Navy sank, killing at bottom 1.100 lives. On the death of the ship did not report the news, so awareness of Helen Duncan seemed suspicious.
In the same 1941 on one of the Ouija Helen Duncan appeared ghost sailor. He appeared before his mother in a military uniform, the cap was clearly visible name of the ship HMS Barham. Ghost told me that his ship was involved in the battle and was sunk by a German submarine. The entire crew perished. However, the British government completely denied the loss of the ship and the deaths. The press has also reported about it. Only a few months later it was announced the death of the ship. Admiralty motivated desire to maintain his silence the fighting spirit of the nation and prevent panic among the population. All information on the sinking of Barham passed classified as "top secret".The fact that Helen Duncan was aware of the death of the ship, very alarmed serious people from military intelligence.
In the same 1941 on one of the Ouija Helen Duncan appeared ghost sailor. He appeared before his mother in a military uniform, the cap was clearly visible name of the ship HMS Barham. Ghost told me that his ship was involved in the battle and was sunk by a German submarine. The entire crew perished. However, the British government completely denied the loss of the ship and the deaths. The press has also reported about it. Only a few months later it was announced the death of the ship. Admiralty motivated desire to maintain his silence the fighting spirit of the nation and prevent panic among the population. All information on the sinking of Barham passed classified as "top secret".The fact that Helen Duncan was aware of the death of the ship, very alarmed serious people from military intelligence.
Secret Service no longer know what else we know of Helen Duncan. The day D - Day landings in Normandy (June 6, 1944). If Helen suddenly prividilis plans landing troops Allies in Normandy, it could pose a real threat to national security. However, to accuse it as a medium, it was impossible - the lessons in spiritualism was absolutely legal. Therefore, the Secret Service found nothing better than to push against Helen Duncan charged under the law against witchcraft (The Witchcraft Act), which was adopted in England in 1735 godu.Vnuchka Helen Duncan, Mary Martin, who lives in Edinburgh, denies it that Helen could be a danger to national security: "My grandmother was accused of treason. But her two sons and two brother in-law served in the army ... she would never have issued important secrets "- she says.
Was Helen Duncan actually condemned as a witch? Many authors Witchcraft Act 1735 is interpreted is not quite true. In fact, Witchcraft Act (Act of witchcraft) has been introduced as a measure of control is not the witches and the belief in witches. The introduction of this law meant that no one in England and Scotland can no longer be prosecuted for what is supposedly a witch, simply because witches do not exist. However, in accordance with this Act, a person could be fined or imprisoned for having pretended to be a witch or a claim that has the power of a witch (actually for fraud). In its time (1735!), The law was indeed revolutionary. He put an end to the witch-hunt in England and Scotland (if there is no witch-hunt and then they can not). England was the first country to repeal the laws of witches in 1735, while in Switzerland last witch was executed in 1782 (that is, the Enlightenment, at the time of Kant, Goethe, Mozart and Beethoven). Condemning Helen Duncan under the Witchcraft Act, the court actually attributed to her by a witch. Helen herself is never a witch and did not call. By the way, Helen Duncan was not the last of the accused, to which it applies is the law of witchcraft. In late 1944, Jane Rebecca York also has been accused of usurping power witch. However, the advanced age of the defendant (she was over 70) saved her from prison and allowed her to escape a fine.In January 1944, Helen Duncan was arrested immediately on his seance. Old Bailey court in London after a seven-day hearing found her guilty under the law The Witchcraft Act of 1735 and sentenced to 9 months imprisonment in the famous London prison Hollovay (Holloway Prison). She was not even allowed to file an appeal. Winston Churchill visited the Helen Duncan in prison. It was rumored that Churchill himself, who believed in the paranormal, was a visitor Ouija Helen Duncan.
Perhaps the most attentive observer of the process itself was the British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. Open a second front, the Armada came to the shores of Normandy, Allied troops numbering in the hundreds and hundreds of thousands rushed into battle, and he now and then inquired about what is happening in the small courtroom. When the verdict was read, Churchill found time and energy to make a public statement and accuse the judges in "a terrible injustice and prejudice."
Helen Duncan went to a conclusion. And the prime minister the following year was defeated in the election. But in 1951, returning to power, Churchill was the first thing repealed Act of 1735. In honor of the unfortunate, unjustly accused by a woman whose ability he secretly adored.
Perhaps the most attentive observer of the process itself was the British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. Open a second front, the Armada came to the shores of Normandy, Allied troops numbering in the hundreds and hundreds of thousands rushed into battle, and he now and then inquired about what is happening in the small courtroom. When the verdict was read, Churchill found time and energy to make a public statement and accuse the judges in "a terrible injustice and prejudice."
Helen Duncan went to a conclusion. And the prime minister the following year was defeated in the election. But in 1951, returning to power, Churchill was the first thing repealed Act of 1735. In honor of the unfortunate, unjustly accused by a woman whose ability he secretly adored.
The Secret Service and police are not left in peace Helen Duncan, and after the war. Upon release, Helen has vowed to no longer hold seances. However, someone has beguiled, apparently. During a private seance in Nottingham in November 1956, police broke into the room where the session took place. The police tried to grab the ectoplasm, to prove its materiality and to convict Helen quackery, but ectoplasm disappeared before their eyes. All attempts by police to prove the fraud have not been successful. Helen was arrested and taken to a detention cell. Caused by the camera saw a doctor not a witch, a very sick woman with two second-degree burns across the abdomen. Probably, burns were the result of the reaction ectoplasm at a seance abrupt termination. Interruption of a seance, as a rule, is physically painful for a medium which has entered into a trance. In this state, the body of the medium becomes very sensitive to the slightest impact. During a session, you can not touch the newcomer into a trance medium, otherwise the ectoplasm too quickly returns to a medium body and may cause him serious harm.
After his arrest, Helen felt very weak. She returned to his native Scotland to be closer to relatives. After five weeks, she died at the age of 59.
After his arrest, Helen felt very weak. She returned to his native Scotland to be closer to relatives. After five weeks, she died at the age of 59.
So far, Helen Duncan is not rehabilitated and she did not drop charges of witchcraft. Her relatives and the British Society for the Study of paranormal phenomena are actively campaign for the rehabilitation of Helen Duncan.
But witches have to think about. The Witchcraft Act (law against witchcraft) in 1735 has still not lost its force in the Republic of Ireland (although there has never been applied, to honor the Irish).
But witches have to think about. The Witchcraft Act (law against witchcraft) in 1735 has still not lost its force in the Republic of Ireland (although there has never been applied, to honor the Irish).
British Paranormal Research Society has long struggled to obtain from the government and the official justification for the rehabilitation of Helen Duncan. Most likely, Sir Winston Churchill would have agreed with this requirement. Maybe he'd even made another brilliant speech about how badly society has treated a woman whose only crime was that she was able to talk with the dead .