✦ WITCHCRAFT.IMA cabinet of curious evidence

The evidence room

What kind of evidence is this?

Ten cases on the desk. The aim is thoughtful reading, not testing anyone’s beliefs.

Three labels, one important caution

Primary record: an original document or object for the question being asked. An artwork is evidence of representation; a recorded accusation is evidence of an allegation. Neither proves a supernatural event.

Later retelling / interpretation: a subsequent account, museum overview or reading of earlier material. It may be useful and well sourced, but keep its access layer visible.

Popular myth / unsupported claim: a confident statement that the presented evidence does not establish. A familiar image or universal slogan is not a source trail.

The same object can have different roles for different questions. Primary does not mean complete or neutral. A score only counts the classification choices in this exercise.

Browse all ten cases and answers

01 · The medieval windmill

A souvenir guide says the Castletown windmill existed in 1611. The building research identifies a different, earlier watermill and quotes accounts of the new windmill in 1828.

Later retelling / interpretation — The souvenir is a later retelling of the building’s supposed past. It is primary evidence for the museum’s presentation, but not reliable proof of a 1611 windmill. Identify which mill a source means.

Limit: The original 1828 newspapers were accessed through quoted research.

02 · An accusation about a hare

Document 151 preserves witnesses’ claims that Elizabeth Kewin changed into a hare, along with a response denying a reported location. What is the evidence for the existence of the allegation?

Primary record — An archive-derived record, accessed through transcription, documents an allegation and response. The recorded allegation does not prove that transformation happened.

Limit: The original manuscript was not inspected; the access layers remain important.

03 · One song, one proven person?

A proposed identity for Jinny appears in an interview description. A specialist also describes changing names and song variants. A new caption says the identity is definitely proved.

Popular myth / unsupported claim — The definite caption is an unsupported generalisation. An identification hypothesis and song variants do not establish a proven direct chain.

Limit: We read the official interview description, not an independently transcribed audio interview.

04 · The woodcut is a picture

The British Museum catalogues Dürer’s print showing a witch riding backwards on a goat. What kind of evidence is the original print for the artist’s representation?

Primary record — The original artwork is a primary object for studying representation. It does not establish actual flight or a universal historic practice.

Limit: The modern catalogue is the access point. No museum image is reproduced here.

05 · Every circle must protect

A newly written caption says every circle carved in an old building was intended to stop witchcraft. Heritage sources discuss several possible meanings.

Popular myth / unsupported claim — Every is doing unsupported work. Observation of a shape and interpretation of its purpose are different claims. Practical and protective explanations need context.

Limit: No single visual test determines a maker’s intention.

06 · A trial account has a writer

A contemporary printed account is associated with court clerk Thomas Potts. What is that account as evidence for the way the proceedings were presented to readers?

Primary record — A contemporary account is a primary source for its own presentation. Its author, purpose and editorial framing still matter; primary does not mean neutral.

Limit: The catalogue is modern and the account is not a complete verbatim transcript claimed by this site.

07 · All cats, all places

A social caption says every medieval cat represented evil. The British Library describes cats in several different roles.

Popular myth / unsupported claim — The universal slogan is unsupported. One motif can serve several cultural purposes; a specific object needs its own date and context.

Limit: A publisher description introduces further study; it is not a catalogue of every cat image.

08 · A museum dates its beginning

The museum’s own history describes its Isle of Man opening in 1951. You are consulting this present-day historical overview, rather than the original opening announcement.

Later retelling / interpretation — This access point is a later institutional historical account. It is a useful named source, but identifying its date and role remains part of sound reading.

Limit: Do not confuse the Isle of Man opening with Boscastle’s 1960 opening.

09 · Salem and the borrowed image

A caption claims the nineteen Salem victims described by the museum were burned at the stake. The museum overview records hangings.

Popular myth / unsupported claim — The caption imports an inaccurate familiar image. Check the recorded form of execution rather than applying a generic witch-trial scene.

Limit: This question concerns the specific nineteen hangings; the museum discusses other deaths separately.

10 · The collector’s book

Moore’s printed collection records beliefs. What is the original publication as evidence of what this collector selected and presented?

Primary record — A historical publication is a primary source for its own collecting and presentation. It is not proof that the reported charm worked or that all islanders agreed.

Limit: The online Manx transcription is flagged as needing correction; no language lesson is derived from it.