In February 1698, I was cleaning Leonard Town, a small village in southern Maryland. The locals knew who to blame. They set fire to the shed of Mall Dyer, who lives alone on the edge of a town considered a witch.
She escaped the infuriated citizens, but only died in the frozen wilderness. Her body was found clinging to a rock, and her knees and hands probably left an impression.
Dyer inspired what lies at the heart of the 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project, perhaps one of the most famous fictional witches in American pop culture. The film never specifically mentions Mr. Dyer's fate, but it is widely believed to be based on her story. The hit film, which is skillfully sold as a discovered footage, has given Maryland a ghostly reputation.
Mr. Dyer is one of seven people who were convicted of witchcraft trials in Maryland in the 17th and 18th centuries. Only one was executed. Rebecca Fowler is a widow who was hanged in 1685 after accusing the servants of witchcraft. However, their reputation has become unhappy for centuries.
Now Maryland's representative, Heather A. Bagnoll, is representing the patch in the Northern Province of Annapolis, and has introduced a resolution at the General Assembly to exonerate them all. The proposed resolution, which was heard by the initial committee on March 10, has been criticized as being out of Maryland's priorities, but Bagnorr bristled the proposal that the measure was frivolous. In an interview, she was hit with Roev, who was thrust into the Supreme Court in 2022. He said it was partly motivated by the end of Wade and anti-abortion measures passed in states like Texas.
“I have a real appetite for it, and the more I talk about it, the more people realize, 'No, this is serious,'” Bagnal said. “This isn't just a flashy flight. It's relevant today.”
She compared the campaign against witches to a campaign against trans rights and racial diversity initiatives.
At her first hearing last week, Bagnorr was joined by advocates for the exoneration of witches, including an Anglican priest. Her staff were then excited, but were not sure the measure might come out for a full vote. It could be months and years.
Daniel Myrick, who co-directed “The Blair Witch Project,” said he supported her efforts. “We are a flawed country and it was born out of doing incredibly cruel things,” he said in an interview. As he said, the better “symbolic” calculations are not at all – and better than never late.
“It's a matter of social justice,” said Elizabeth Puglise Shaw, a family law lawyer in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. “These people should never be criticized.” She became interested in exoneration of witches after learning that other states had done so. In 2022, Massachusetts cleared Elizabeth Johnson Jr. Connecticut continued to exonerate its own witch in 2023.
Perhaps most notably Scotland apologized for the magical trials that led to the torture and execution of thousands of women in the 16th and 18th centuries. “Anyone who doesn't fit the mold of what people were expecting will be targeted,” Marisa Ross said. Like Bagnorr, Dr. Ross said there is a similarity between magical panic and the rising social hostility of today. “It was a way for everyone to have a common enemy,” she said.
In the Puritan colonies of New England, witchcraft was a catch-all accusation levelled against women for a variety of reasons. There is a lack of husband, personality quirks, interest in Chinese herbal medicine or childbirth.
“The accusations are usually against outsiders within the community,” said Daniel T. Howlett, who completes a doctoral program in religion and disability at the American colony at George Mason University, Virginia. Howlett is associated with Mary Bradbury, who was found guilty of witchcraft at the Salem trial. “Being a witch meant you signed a contract with the devil in most European traditions,” he said.
In many cases, women were simply convenient scapegoats. Beth M. Caruso, who led the Connecticut exoneration effort, wrote three novels about the state's witch trials. Her interest peaked after learning of the light form of Alce Young, believed to be the first woman to be hanged for witchcraft in an American colony in 1647. Like Dyer, Young was blamed for the outbreak of illness. “The place she lived was right next to the gathering of child deaths,” Caruso said. “So, it makes perfect sense as to why she was criticized.”
The present cultural moments may be particularly auspicious. The Witch enjoys something like a revival, not just for “Wicked,” a hit musical film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Eribo. The “Witchtok” hashtag on Tiktok has millions of posts as users flock to the moody aesthetics of magic and focus on alternative healing and nature-centered spirituality.
“Part of our draw to witchcraft is our personal identity, our body, our body autonomy, our planetary love, and often the acceptance and celebration of healing from past religious trauma.” “For example, many of us are women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and members of other underserved communities. Those who were convicted and challenged for witchcraft, as we do, were vulnerable people who often live around society.”
(In some countries and regions, women are still being charged with witchcraft.)
Today, legendary Mall Dyer is still permeated in Leonard Town, an organized waterfront enclave where horse-drawn carriages could pass through the hip cocktail lounge. The rocks that Dyer appears to have met at her end are covered in glass. It is said to infuriate Dyer's spirit and bring bad luck. The cat cafe on the town's main strip is called “Meow Dyer.” This is an obvious reference to the name of the accused witch. Since 2021, the weekend in late February has been dedicated to celebrating Dyer's memories. This year, the event included a “Paranomalous Survey,” AX Slows and a cocktail contest.
Historic markers on the road to Leonard Town declare Maryland's heritage as a heaven of religious tolerance. Nevertheless, when England passed the Anti-Wash Act in 1604, the state adopted it. But Bagnorr is not troubled by the fact that it has been centuries since fraud was committed under the law. “It's never the wrong time to do the right thing,” she said.
