Revenge of the killer fairies
Forget knife-carrying hoodies, people in the mid-17th century had far more dangerous opponents to worry about… such as spirits and fairies.
Also, pitchforks, stools or even a trusty frying pan were the weapons of choice when it came to street fights, a newly unearthed burial register has shown.
The document reveals the deeply superstitious – and often brutal – side of life in Oliver Cromwell’s England.
Covering deaths from 1656 to 1663 – the manuscript reveals no less than four people were ‘Frighted to Death by faries’ while another died after being ‘Led into a horse pond by a will of the whisp’.
