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Alice Glaston (c. 1535 – 13 April 1546) is probably the youngest female ever to be legally executed in England, aged just eleven.[a]John Dean, hanged for arson in 1629, is the youngest known victim of the executioner, at the age of eight or nine.[1] She was executed at Much Wenlock, Shropshire probably by hanging, along with two other people. The court records have been lost, but it has been speculated that the crime of which she was found guilty was either murder or witchcraft.[2][3][b]The Witchcraft Act of 1542Series of Acts passed by the Parliaments of England and Scotland making witchcraft a secular offence punishable by death. had declared witchcraft to be a crime punishable by death.[4] It remained in force for five years before its repeal by King Edward VII in 1547, during which time there appear to have been no prosecutions under the Act.[5]
Alice was buried at the local parish church, her burial recorded by Sir Thomas Butler, vicar of Much Wenlock.[6] Her story inspired the writer Paul Evans to create a speculative radio poem about her, The Spirit Child, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 27 October 2014.[7]
Notes
| a | John Dean, hanged for arson in 1629, is the youngest known victim of the executioner, at the age of eight or nine.[1] |
|---|---|
| b | The Witchcraft Act of 1542Series of Acts passed by the Parliaments of England and Scotland making witchcraft a secular offence punishable by death. had declared witchcraft to be a crime punishable by death.[4] It remained in force for five years before its repeal by King Edward VII in 1547, during which time there appear to have been no prosecutions under the Act.[5] |