Hellish Nell: Last of Britain's Witches

In 1944, Helen Duncan, a middle-aged Scotswoman, was prosecuted for witchcraft under the 1735 Witchcraft Act in London. She was a popular medium who held seances where she was believed to manifest the spirits of the dead. Despite her popularity, she attracted the attention of the secret service and was jailed just weeks before the Normandy landings. Her book, "Hellish Nell," was first published in 2001 and remains a fascinating window into the spiritual and psychological mood of the times.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 496 pages
Publication date: 05 October 2023
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

One of the final criminal trials under the 1735 Witchcraft Act took place in London in 1944, surprisingly. The accused was Helen Duncan, a middle-aged Scotswoman. This is her incredible tale.

Helen Duncan, also known as Hellish Nell since childhood due to her uncontrollable nature, was one of the most famous mediums of the twentieth century. She held seances throughout the country, where she was believed to communicate with the spirits of the deceased.

What happens after we die? It was a question of the age for a generation that had experienced one world war and was now living through another. Mrs. Duncan's seances provided an answer. But when she began foretelling naval disasters, she also drew the unwanted attention of the secret service. And so, absurdly and anachronistically, she was prosecuted for witchcraft and imprisoned just weeks before the Normandy landings. Was Nell a conjurer, a martyr, or a security risk?

Hellish Nell was first published in 2001 to widespread acclaim. It remains in this revised edition a fascinating window into the unsettled spiritual and psychological mood of the times: a sensational tale of spectacle, credulity, and cruelty, and of Britain's last witch.

Weight: 340g
Dimension: 131 x 196 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781802061994