Grace Sherwood facts for kids

Grace White Sherwood (1660–1740), known as the Witch of Pungo, was the last person found guilty of witchcraft in Virginia. She was a farmer, healer, and midwife.

Her neighbors accused her of strange things. They said she could turn into a cat, ruin crops, and cause animals to die. She faced witchcraft charges several times. In 1706, she was accused of causing harm to her neighbor, Elizabeth Hill. The court decided to test her guilt by "ducking" her in water. If she sank, she was innocent. If she floated, she was guilty. Grace floated to the surface. She may have spent almost eight years in jail before being set free.

Grace lived in Pungo, which is now part of Virginia Beach. She married James Sherwood in 1680. They had three sons: John, James, and Richard. Her first accusation was in 1697. She was said to have put a spell on a bull, causing its death. This case was dropped. The next year, neighbors accused her of bewitching their pigs and cotton. Grace sued them for slander (spreading false rumors), but she lost. Her husband had to pay court costs. In 1706, she was found guilty of witchcraft and put in prison.

By 1714, Grace was out of prison. She got her property back from Princess Anne County. Her husband had died in 1701. She did not marry again. Grace lived on her farm until she died in 1740, around 80 years old. On July 10, 2006, 300 years after her conviction, Virginia's Governor Tim Kaine officially cleared her name. He recognized that she was wrongly accused. A statue of Grace Sherwood was put up in Virginia Beach. It shows her with a raccoon and a basket of garlic and rosemary. This shows her love for animals and her knowledge of herbal healing.

Grace Sherwood's Early Life

Grace Sherwood was born in 1660. Her parents were John and Susan White. Her father, John White, was a carpenter and farmer. Her mother, Susan, was from England. Grace was born in Virginia, likely in Pungo.

In April 1680, Grace White married James Sherwood. He was a respected farmer. They married at the Lynnhaven Parish Church. They had three sons: John, James, and Richard. Grace's father gave them 50 acres of land when they married. When he died in 1681, they received the rest of his 145-acre farm.

The Sherwood family was not wealthy. They lived in an area with other small landowners. Besides farming, Grace grew her own herbs. She used these herbs to help sick people and animals. She also worked as a midwife, helping women give birth. When James died in 1701, Grace inherited his land. She never remarried.

No pictures of Grace Sherwood exist from her time. But people described her as attractive and tall. She also had a good sense of humor. Grace wore trousers while working on her farm. This was unusual for women back then. Her herb growing was also uncommon. Some people thought her unique style and skills sometimes caused jealousy among her neighbors. Some stories suggest that people might have made up witchcraft tales to try and take her property. Grace was involved in many lawsuits. She often had to defend herself against witchcraft claims. Or she sued her accusers for spreading false stories.

Witchcraft Beliefs in Virginia

Asheville Bridge Creek, known as Muddy Creek when Grace Sherwood lived on its banks

In early America, many colonists believed in witches and evil forces. They thought witchcraft was the work of the Devil. People believed they could spot witches by their strange actions. As early as 1626, a court in Virginia looked into a case about a woman named Goodwife Joan Wright. She was said to have predicted deaths and caused illness. We don't know what happened in her case.

Virginia did not have large events like the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials of 1692–1693. In Salem, 19 people were executed for witchcraft. This was before Grace Sherwood was accused. In Virginia, church leaders had less power in court. They rarely took part in witchcraft trials. In New England, ministers were very involved. People's fears of witchcraft in Virginia were more about folklore than strict religious beliefs. New England's Puritans lived in towns. Community pressure often led to witchcraft convictions there. But in Virginia, most people lived on farms. They were spread out over a large area.

Virginia's leaders wanted to stop problems like gossip and slander. They saw these as threats to peace. They tried to avoid witchcraft trials because they caused arguments. Virginia courts were careful about witchcraft accusations. They were even more careful about finding people guilty. In Salem, the accused had to prove they were innocent. But in Virginia, the accuser had to prove guilt.

Also, Virginia courts usually ignored evidence from supernatural means. New England courts sometimes used such evidence to convict people. Virginia needed proof of guilt. This included looking for "witch's marks" or using a ducking test. Judges would dismiss cases that lacked strong evidence. They also allowed accused people to sue their accusers for slander. This shows Virginia tried to prevent witchcraft charges.

The southeastern part of Virginia, near Norfolk and Virginia Beach, had more witchcraft accusations. This might have been because there were fewer wealthy leaders there. These leaders might have stopped such trials.

Few records from that time survive. But we know of 19 witchcraft cases in Virginia in the 1600s. All but one ended with the person being found innocent. The one guilty person was a man in 1656. He was sentenced to 10 lashes and sent away from the county. No one was ever executed for witchcraft in Virginia. Even so, in 1736, judges were reminded that witchcraft was still a crime. First-time offenders could be put in a pillory and jailed for up to a year.

The trial by ducking was used only once in Virginia, for Grace Sherwood. People believed that water was pure. So, it would reject witches, making them float. Innocent people would sink.

Accusations Against Grace Sherwood

Early Claims

The first accusation against Grace Sherwood came to court in early 1697. Richard Capps said she used a spell to kill his bull. The court did not make a decision. The Sherwoods then sued Capps for spreading false rumors. They settled the case. In 1698, her neighbor John Gisburne accused Grace of enchanting his pigs and cotton crops. No court action followed. Another lawsuit by the Sherwoods for slander failed.

In the same year, Elizabeth Barnes claimed that Grace had turned into a black cat. Barnes said the cat entered her home, jumped over her bed, and whipped her. She claimed the cat left through the keyhole. This claim was also not resolved. Grace's lawsuit for slander failed again. For each failed lawsuit, Grace and her husband had to pay court costs.

A historian named Richard Beale Davis wrote that by this time, "Princess Anne County had obviously grown tired of Mrs. Sherwood as a general nuisance." In 1705, Grace had a fight with her neighbor, Elizabeth Hill. Grace sued the Hills for assault. On December 7, 1705, she won the case and was given 20 shillings.

The Water Trial

On January 3, 1706, the Hills accused Grace Sherwood of witchcraft. She did not show up in court. So, on February 7, 1706, the court ordered her to appear. She was charged with bewitching Elizabeth Hill. In March 1706, the Princess Anne County judges tried to form two juries of women. The first was to search Grace's home for wax figures. These figures might show she was a witch. The second jury was to look for marks on Grace's body. But local people did not want to be on these juries. Both juries refused to do the searches.

On March 7, 1706, a jury of 12 "ancient and knowing women" examined Grace. They were looking for marks of the Devil on her body. They found two "marks not like theirs or like those of any other woman." The leader of this jury was Elizabeth Barnes. She was the same person who had accused Grace of witchcraft before.

Neither the leaders in Williamsburg nor the local court wanted to declare Grace a witch. The Williamsburg officials thought the charge was too unclear. On April 16, they told the local court to look into the case more. For each court appearance, Grace had to travel 16 miles from her farm.

On May 2, 1706, the judges noted that no specific evil act had been proven against Grace. But they said there was "great cause of suspicion." So, the Sheriff of Princess Anne County took Grace into custody. Grace could pay a bond to be released until her trial. Maximilian Boush, a church leader, was the prosecutor. On July 5, 1706, the judges ordered a trial by ducking. Grace agreed to it. But heavy rains caused a delay until July 10. They worried the wet weather might harm her health. Grace was taken inside Lynnhaven Parish Church. She was placed on a stool and told to ask for forgiveness for her witchery. She replied, "I be not a witch, I be a healer."

Witch Duck Bay as seen from the very end of North Witchduck Road on Witch Duck Point in Virginia Beach. This is the place where Grace Sherwood was ducked.

Around 10 a.m. on July 10, 1706, Grace Sherwood was taken down a dirt road. This road is now called Witchduck Road. She went to a farm near the mouth of the Lynnhaven River. News had spread, and many people came to watch. They began to shout, "Duck the witch!"

In a trial by water, if Grace floated, she would be guilty of witchcraft. If she sank, she would be innocent. The court did not want Grace to drown. They ordered that care be taken to save her life. Six judges rowed in one boat 200 yards out into the river. In another boat were the sheriff, the magistrate, and Grace. She was "cast into the river" and quickly floated to the surface. The sheriff then tied a 13-pound Bible around her neck. This made her sink. But she untied herself and came back to the surface. This convinced many people watching that she was a witch. As Grace was pulled from the water, a heavy rain reportedly started. It drenched everyone watching.

After the Trial

What happened to Grace after her ducking is not fully clear. Many court records from that time are missing. She spent an unknown amount of time in jail. It might have been as long as seven years and nine months. She was ordered to be held for "a future trial." But there is no record of another trial. So, the charge might have been dropped at some point.

On September 1, 1708, she was ordered to pay Christopher Cocke 600 pounds of tobacco. The reason is not known from the records. She seems to have been released by 1714. In that year, she paid back taxes on her 145-acre property. This land was on the banks of Muddy Creek. Virginia Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood helped her get her land back. She lived quietly on her farm until she died in 1740, around 80 years old. She likely died in August or September 1740. Her will was approved on October 1, 1740. It stated she was a widow. She left five shillings to her sons James and Richard. She left everything else to her oldest son, John.

According to local stories, Grace's sons put her body near the fireplace. A wind came down the chimney. Her body disappeared in the embers. The only clue left was a cloven hoofprint. Grace Sherwood is buried in an unmarked grave. It is under some trees in a field in Virginia Beach. Stories about the Devil taking her body, strange storms, and black cats appeared after her death. Her home on Muddy Creek stood for over 200 years. After being burned several times in the 1900s, only the brick chimneys were left in 2002. These were torn down in November 2002. Now, only a few bricks and part of the overgrown foundation remain. The property is now part of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Grace Sherwood's Legacy

Street sign in the Witch Duck Point housing area of Virginia Beach. Many things are named "Witchduck" or "Witch Duck" in Virginia Beach, and both spellings are in use.

Grace Sherwood's story was not well known until 1973. That's when Virginia Beach historian Louisa Venable Kyle wrote a children's book about her. It was called The Witch of Pungo. It was a collection of seven local folk tales. These stories were fiction but based on real events. Grace's story was also made into a play called Cry Witch. This play is shown at Colonial Williamsburg, a restored historical capital of Virginia.

A statue of Grace Sherwood was revealed on April 21, 2007. It was made by Robert Cunningham. The statue is near Sentara Bayside Hospital. This is close to where the colonial courthouse and the ducking point were. The statue shows Grace with a raccoon and a basket of rosemary. The raccoon shows her love for animals. The rosemary shows her knowledge of herbal healing. A historical marker (K-276) was put up in 2002. It is about 25 yards from Grace's statue.

The place where she was tested in the water is called Witch Duck Bay. The land next to it is Witch Duck Point. A part of Virginia State Route 190 in Virginia Beach is named "Witchduck Road". Other places named after her in Virginia Beach include Sherwood Lane and Witch Point Trail. In 2014, a memorial marker was placed in an herb garden. This garden is at the Old Donation Episcopal Church, Grace Sherwood's former church. A local story says that all the rosemary growing there came from a single plant Grace carried from England in an eggshell.

Belinda Nash wrote a book about Grace Sherwood. She also worked very hard to get Grace pardoned. Governor Tim Kaine officially cleared Grace Sherwood's name on July 10, 2006. This was the 300th anniversary of her conviction. Since 2006, annual reenactments of the ducking have taken place. No one is actually ducked in these events. They start from a spot near Witch Duck Bay. Local residents say a strange moving light still appears each July over Witch Duck Bay. They believe it is Grace Sherwood's restless spirit.

Images for kids

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  Memorial marker for Grace Sherwood

See also

In Spanish: Grace Sherwood para niños