Explore the tragic tale of the Belvoir Castle Flowers and their witchcraft trial at Lincoln Castle

A dark episode where two young lords of the castle fell ill and died, resulting in the deaths of three witches, is being retold in a special exhibition.

Centuries-old artefacts telling the story of witchcraft in Lincolnshire are now on display at Lincoln Castle.

In 1618, three women were accused of witchcraft which harmed the heir of Belvoir Castle, near Grantham.

Joan Flower and her daughters, Margaret and Philippa, had previously been servants at Belvoir Castle when Henry Manners fell ill and died in 1613.

His brother, Francis Manners, also later became ill and died in 1620.

Blame quickly fell on the Flowers, believed to have cast spells, and they were arrested shortly before Christmas 1618.

The three women were taken to Lincoln Castle’s gaol.

En-route at Ancaster, Joan, seeking to prove her innocence, took part in the ‘ordeal by bread’—a ritual said to expose witches.

However, as she attempted to eat the piece of blessed bread, she collapsed and died on the spot.

Margaret and Philippa later confessed under severe interrogation and were sentenced to hang on March 11, 1619 —an event that left an enduring mark on the area’s history.

The trio also revealed three others who helped them - Anne Baker of Bottesford, Joan Willimot of Goadby, and Ellen Green of Stathern.

More than 500 people were executed for witchcraft around the country after it became a capital offence in 1542, with the last recorded execution in 1682.

The tale of the Flowers has inspired books and historians and is among those told through the display of centuries-old artefacts at Lincoln Castle.

Alongside this local tale of witchcraft, Lincoln Castle’s exhibit features unusual artefacts, many from nearby rural areas, illustrating how strongly the belief in witchcraft persisted across Lincolnshire, even into the Victorian era.

The exhibit includes charms thought to protect homes from evil spirits, such as a 19th-century “witch bottle” filled with items like pins, leather, and hair.

Found in Navenby, the bottle is believed to have been buried near a doorway as a protective charm.

Another artefact on display is a ‘witch ball’ from Willoughton, designed to confuse and deflect witches’ spells with its reflective surface.

The village was home to churchwarden Betty Wells (1747–1841), rumoured to be involved in witchcraft due to her lazy eye and herbal remedies.

Like many objects on display, it underscores how locals took extraordinary measures against sorcery.

The exhibition in the Magna Carta vault will be open until Sunday, January 5, 2025.