Louise Ryland-Epton talk: Agnes Mylles and the murder by witchcraft of William Bayntun

In 1563 a witchcraft act was passed by the English parliament. It formed the legal basis for all English witchcraft trials. In early 1564, a baby, William Bayntun died in north Wiltshire, allegedly murdered by witchcraft. Three legal cases followed, and three women were implicated in the murder plot — a local widow, Agnes Mylles from Stanley near Chippenham, the child’s aunt, Dorothy Bayntun, and his mother, Agnes Bayntun, a cousin to Queen Elizabeth I. The three were accused by a fourth woman, a witchfinder. The cases had dreadful consequences for almost all the protagonists, leading to imprisonment, torture, and ultimately the execution of Agnes Mylles, the first recorded person to be executed in England for the crime of witchcraft. This is a tragic tale of toxic family relationships played out in the Chippenham area against the backdrop of the Tudor Reformation.

The event is FREE but please register at Chippenham Library, or call the library on 01249 6750536.

Find out more about the Chippenham – Our History project on this website here.