Though we think of witch hunts as something that occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries, the UK convicted its last witch in 1944.
During her life, Scot Helen Duncan claimed she was clairvoyant, held seances, and talked to spirits. As an adult, she traveled across Britain helping grieving families talk to their loved ones. While most rational people would conclude Duncan was faking it, she fooled Arthur Conan Doyle and many of her loyal clients testified on her behalf at her trial.
Duncan allegedly used a mixture of cheesecloth, paper, and egg whites to produce “ectoplasm”, which she regurgitated during her séances. The alleged spirits that occasionally appeared were actually painted papier-mâché masks draped old sheets. Duncan was eventually charged with fraud, but continued her work throughout World War II, serving families of those lost in the fighting. After the military investigated, Duncan was charged under the Vagrancy Act and the Witchcraft Act, which also forbade fraudulent spiritual activity. Duncan was sentenced to nine months in prison, but resumed her work after her release. The Witchcraft Act was repealed in 1951, after Winston Churchill learned that the archaic law had been used in modern court.
