Lucy Worsley on how to solve history’s mysteries

In her latest BBC series, historian Lucy Worsley explores why puzzles from the distant past continue to fascinate us. She spoke to James Rampton about witches, the princes in the tower and whether George III was actually ‘mad’

Many in the 16th century believed the devil was recruiting women as witches (Public Domain)

King James VI of Scotland took the divine right of kings to extremes. In a story that almost defies belief, he played an all too personal role in the zealous witch-hunting frenzy that swept 16th-century Britain.

In 1590, in preparation for acceding to the throne south of the border and becoming James I of England, the monarch was anxious to burnish his credentials as the upholder of the faith, so he supported a drastic new religious ideology which claimed the devil was recruiting women as witches.

That same year, a midwife called Agnes Sampson was arrested for leading a group of 200 “witches”, who were purportedly celebrating Halloween at St Andrews church in North Berwick.