A slightly strange thing to be doing on a cold winter’s afternoon on a Sunday in January, but those of you who know me, know that I’m slightly obsessed with the witches of Essex. Essex people (mainly women) who – between the 1560s and c1680s – were legally convicted of the crime of witchcraft.
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Living close to the Essex town of Maldon, I’m a mere stone’s throw from some of the major “outbreaks” of Englandâs Tudor witchcraft. So, hence my decision to go on a witch-hunt.
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Today, I visited the village Hatfield Peverel. In this village lived one of the first people to be executed for witchcraft in England. She was executed in 1566. If Essex was Tudor witch-county (which it was), then Hatfield Peverel was witch-village. The parish had more Elizabethan witches living in it than anywhere else in Essex (and therefore, by default, anywhere in England).
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Hatfield Peverel today, despite being near the City of Chelmsford, is still relatively small. It is probably better known for its a train station with fast trains into London and its very easy access to the A12.
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Not many people realise that it was once a witch village.
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So, I went hunting for poor Agnes Waterhouse of Hatfield Peverel – executed in Chelmsford in 1566 for being a witch. Her grandmother, sister and daughter â all of Hatfield Peverel – were witches too.
A woodcutting of Agnes Waterhouse. Executed in 1566 for murdering William Fynee by witchcraft
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Today, there is very little trace of the Tudor or medieval village. A small amount of remnants are present in a few buildings and within the names of some of the houses. Such as Priory Lodge – located where there was once a medieval priory. Later, the ruins of the former priory were heavily amended during the 18th century.
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Born in the early 1500s, Agnes Waterhouse and her family would have known the original Benedictine priory. It was closed in 1536, during Henry VIIIâs Dissolution of the Monasteries – part of the consequences of the English Reformation. Long before her execution in 1566, as a young poor woman of the village, Agnes might have visited the priory, seeking charity and alms â such as bread and milk – for her family from its monks.
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With most of the medieval/Tudor village long gone, the nearest I could get to poor Agnes was today’s parish church – St Andrewâs.
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Agnes Waterhouse was born in the early 1500s – during the reign of Catholic Henry VII. Today’s parish church was originally part of the pre-Reformation Catholic priory’s church. But by the time of her trial in 1566, England had changed and was Protestant under Queen Elizabeth I’s Religious Settlement.
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So much religious change happened during the 60 years of Agnesâ life.
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A booklet printed at the time of her execution stated that Agnes said her prayers in Latin. A clear indication to Tudor folk that she was of the old religion â the banned Catholic faith. During Elizabeth I’s reign, England was a Protestant country and everyone was legally forced to say their prayers in English â the language of Protestantism.
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Agnesâ prosecutors used the fact that she said her prayers in Latin – the language of the banned Catholic faith â as evidence that she was a witch.
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Strange times…
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Unfortunately, today Hatfield Peverelâs church was locked, so I couldnât get inside it. The interior probably looks very different to how it was during Agnesâ childhood. Back then, at the start of the 1500s, the priory’s church must have been highly decorated with paintings of Catholic saints and symbolism. The interiors of English churches were white-washed on the orders, first of Henry VIII and then later by his son Edward VI.
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Today, 450 years on, it was the nearest I could get to Agnes Waterhouse.
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It was very peaceful in todayâs churchyard â although I could hear the constant roar of the nearby A12 â East Angliaâs equivalent to a motorway. A murder of crows was calling in the churchyardâs trees (I love that expression â Iâve always wanted to say it!). But even in the coldness of the first Sunday in January, snowdrops were in full bloom.
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Normally, when I’m witch-hunting, my next steps would be to look in the parish registers â baptisms, marriages and burials. Itâs unlikely I’d find the burial of a convicted Essex witchâ they were buried in a pit of executed criminals in Chelmsford â in unconsecrated ground. But I might find a witch’s victims buried in the local churchyard.
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However a quick look at Essex Record Office’s website shows that Hatfield Peverel’s parish registers start in the early 1600s. I don’t know the complete history of St Andrew’s – particularly when it started to be the village’s parish church after the priory (and therefore it’s church) was closed. Agnes may have worshiped at another nearby church such as the one at Ulting.
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So that’s one avenue of my research closed.
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I didn’t quite find Agnes. But I certainly found the places where she played and roamed – and learnt her craft of being a witch – as a child in Henry VII’s and Henry VIII’s England.
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By the way, many people think that the major road in Chelmsford – Waterhouse Lane – was named after her. Even Chelmsford’s local newspaper has published an article saying that it was….
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But think about it carefully… Witches were feared throughout England. Would a road (even what was, in Tudor times, a small country lane) really be named after a convicted notorious and much dreaded executed witch? Moreover, poor Agnes came from Hatfield Peverel – not Chelmsford.
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But then, playing devil’s advocate, maybe the lane was named after her because of her place of execution. Chelmsfordâs gallows was located approximately at the start of Waterhouse Lane. The hangman’s gallows were roughly where the road called Primrose Hill now is.
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Then again, would the great and good of Tudor Chelmsford really really name a road after an executed and much feared witch from Hatfield Peverel who had a cat called Satan – who spoke to her and told her to say her prayers in Latin.
Since this article was first published in 2014, it has generated a surprising amount of discussion among historians, local researchers, genealogists and family historians interested in the 1566 Essex witchcraft trials.
In recent years I have been contacted by a number of people who believe they are descended from Agnes Waterhouse or other families connected with the village of Hatfield Peverel. Some have shared family trees, while others have pointed me towards records and sources that I had not previously encountered. The continuing interest in Agnes, Joan Waterhouse, Elizabeth Francis and the wider community of Hatfield Peverel has been both fascinating and encouraging.
As this article was originally written in 2014 (12 years ago!) some of my interpretations have changed as further evidence has come to light. In particular, the exact relationship between Agnes Waterhouse and Elizabeth Francis continues to be the subject of my research.
If you believe you have traced your ancestry to Agnes Waterhouse, Joan Waterhouse, the Francis family, or any of the other Hatfield Peverel families connected with the events of 1566, I would be very interested to hear from you. Equally, if you have come across original documents, family papers, or local traditions relating to the Waterhouse family, please do get in touch.
I am also interested to hear from people who live today in Hatfield Peverel and the surrounding villages, as I continue to build a picture of the landscape, community and daily life of Agnes’ world.
I am also delighted that the illustration of Sathan the white-spotted cat from the 1566 pamphlet, together with my accompanying caption, has found a wider audience among those discussing the history of the trials.
I remain actively engaged in researching Agnes Waterhouse, her family, and the Tudor community of Hatfield Peverel. The discoveries made since this article was first published are helping to shape a forthcoming book exploring Agnes’s life and the world of Tudor Essex in the years leading up to the 1566 witchcraft trials.
The story of Agnes Waterhouse continues to raise new questions nearly 460 years after her execution, and I am always pleased to hear from fellow researchers.
Very interesting reading about agnes Waterhouse who I believe may be one of my ancestors!I’ve tried finding out where she might be buried and your article might have pointed me in the right direction,thank you
Sadly, I would imagine that her body was thrown into a criminal pit somewhere near the gallows in Chelmsford. It is very unlikely that her body would have been taken back to Hatfield Peverel.
Extremely interesting. I’ve heard that her Cottage is still on Hatfield Peverel ? Does anyone know whereabouts or maybe the site iwhere it was located?
Found out she is my 12th great grandmother. Wonder if she was really a witch at all or a victim of others fears. She could’ve been a healer misconstrued. In those days it was normal to be tortured into confessing to crimes you didnt commit. I guess Agnes and God himself only knows the truth. I just pray that her soul is resting in peace, especially repenting and asking God for forgiveness of sins before her hanging.
I understand the nearby St Annes Castle pub (i think now known as just the castle) is reputedly haunted by a witch…..could it be Agnes spirit??! Even though, as you say its unlikely her body would have been brought back to Hatfield Peverel.
I wonder if waterhouse lane has always been called that?? Maybe it has relatively recently been changed to waterhouse lane, perhaps by an official who knew the story of agnes and wanted to do something in way of an apology….or perhaps it is just named after a body of water/water works and its an amazing coincidence that it also happens to be her name?!
I feel so much pain for those in days gone by who were considered different and were misunderstood – resulting in them being blamed, persecuted, and executed….im thank ful we no longer are quite so crazy…..but then there are still in effect witch trials happening today….anytime someone thinks different to the crowd, follows nature rather than materialistic goals, dresses differently, or who has a different view on the world to the majority then they are perhaps not executed – but are often shunned by society/their family…..đȘ there are some fantastic songs ive just found that capture this kind of crowd mentality and so persecution, and unfounded fears…..’witch of salem town’ kristen lawrence; ‘girl from the woods’ galahad; and ‘witch’ karliene….
I was born in Hatfield Peverel and my father built the first supermarket in the village. My mother lived in the village until she died in her 98th Year. My third daughter was born over the supermarket. My husband and I emigrated to Canada in 1979. My eldest daughter who was born in Witham, Essex went to her spiritulist church in Ottawa recently where she was given a message to research the Witches of Essex. We were amazed that none of us had any idea about this part of Hatfield Peverels history.
Hello, Carolyn – I learned today that Lady Agnes Margeria Waterhouse was my 13th great grandmother. Interestingly I agree with your assessment. Also, I learned that Agnes’ father was also murdered for practicing witchery, John of Skircote Waterhouse. It seems that John had quite a lot of cash and land. They were also likely to have been Catholic at a time when all of England was commanded to abandon Catholicism so that the King of England could get a divorce. Nonetheless I have found that even in present history its not what you know, it is who. Nice to meet you, Cousin. http://www.essexrecordofficeblog.co.uk/the-trial-of-agnes-waterhouse-witchcraft-in-essex-1566/ https://patp.us/reading/waterhouse-of-skircoat
Thank you for your comment and for sharing the Skircoat Waterhouse material. It is certainly an interesting Waterhouse family history and I appreciate you taking the time to post it.
As someone who has spent many years researching Agnes Waterhouse and the 1566 Chelmsford witchcraft trials, I should mention that I have not yet found any contemporary evidence linking Agnes Waterhouse of Hatfield Peverel to the Waterhouse family of Skircoat, Yorkshire. Likewise, I have not come across any primary source identifying her as âLady Agnes Margeria Waterhouseâ or stating that her father, John Waterhouse of Skircoat, was executed for witchcraft.
That does not necessarily mean such evidence does not exist, but if you have a contemporary source, document, pedigree, will, or other record establishing these connections, I would be very interested to see it.
One of the challenges with Agnes Waterhouse of Hatfield Peverel is that the surviving records tell us surprisingly little about her family origins. Even her maiden name remains unknown. As a result, many later genealogical claims are difficult to verify.
Thank you again for contributing to the discussion. If you have any further sources or references, I would be delighted to examine them.
Good article Kate,
I was born in Terling, my family came from there, Chelmsford, maldon, kelvedon, the notleys, Witham.
And as a young kid, I can remember the stories of the witches,
My other grandmother at kelvedon lived with a family called kemp, and it was thought that they were related to Ursula kemp.
Also you said she said her prayers in Latin, which has made me think like can a witch be religious, when they’re usually associated with paganism, or was it Latin or a different language, was she an immigrant,.
And years ago, peoples surnames were to do with their profession or the place they came from, maybe her ancestors lived in Waterhouse lane.?
Hi! Iâm the 14th great granddaughter of Agnes Waterhouse. Thank you for writing this! I have been trying to visit and havenât been able to so this was very intuitive.
I’m Agnes’s direct descendant 14 generations. I see some cousins have posted the same above. I tried ‘replying’ to those comments but…doesn’t seem to work. Might be fun to get everyone together for a family reunion. I’ll bring Satan, my cat.
Thank you for commenting! I must admit that the prospect of a Waterhouse family reunion with Satan the cat in attendance did make me smile. Although not a Waterhouse myself, may I come too? I can bring my own cats, one of whom I suspect our Tudor ancestors would have readily described as a white-spotted cat!
You are certainly not the first person to tell me that Agnes Waterhouse appears in their family tree, and I find those claims fascinating. As I have been researching Agnes and the Hatfield Peverel witchcraft trials for many years, I am always interested in learning how people have connected themselves to her.
May I ask how your line of descent works? Which child or descendant of Agnes do you trace your ancestry through, and what sources have you used to make the connection?
One of the challenges for historians is that the surviving records tell us surprisingly little about Agnes’s family. We know about Agnes, her daughter Joan, and some of the wider village families, but many details remain elusive. I am therefore always keen to see new evidence and compare notes with other researchers.
I look forward to hearing more about your connection.
Hi Kate, nice to make your e-quaintance. I’m Carl Laudan (considering changing my name to Alexander Bentley as the ‘Laudan’ family are mostly a crew of horse thieves and murderers) My father’s mother, Ethel Bentley, Born Sep 25 1900 Masstown, Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada, married into the Laudans in 1916 in Alberta. A mistake that led, eventually, to my existence. My line goes like this: Ethel Bentley, Emerson Davis Bentley, David William Bentley, David Webster Bentley, David Baldwin Bentley II, David Baldwin Bentley, David Bentley, William Bentley, William Bentley, William Bentley, William Bentley, John Bentley, Sir John De Shelf Bentley (married Lady Agnes Margaret Waterhouse in 1530 Halifax, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England) Their son, John Bentley, born in 1535 in Shudy Camps, Cambridgeshire, England. I’m relying on connexions I’ve found through MyHeritage. Originally inspired by my grandmother’s claim we had cousins in Nova Scotia, where I now reside, many thousands of kilometres away from Vancouver and the Laudans. I had no idea about Agnes and didn’t go looking for her. She just happens to be in my direct line.
Hello Carl,
Thank you for taking the time to reply. It is a pleasure to make your e-quaintance too! Firstly apologies for not being apply to use the âReplyâ option on my blog to directly reply to a comment. Not sure whatâs gone wrong there! Technology!
Your account certainly made me smile, particularly the part about the Laudans and the unintended consequences of your grandmother’s marriage in 1916. Genealogy often takes us down unexpected paths.
Thank you also for sharing your line of descent. It is always fascinating to see how people arrive at Agnes Waterhouse, especially when they were not actively searching for her and instead discover her while following another branch of their family tree.
However, I suspect that the Agnes Waterhouse in your tree is not the same Agnes Waterhouse who is the subject of this article. The Agnes I write about lived in Hatfield Peverel, Essex, and was executed for witchcraft in 1566. Despite many years of research, I have found no contemporary evidence that she was “Lady Agnes Margaret Waterhouse” or that she married Sir John de Shelf Bentley in Yorkshire.
In fact, one of the great frustrations for historians is that we know remarkably little about Agnes’s origins and family connections. Waterhouse was her married name, not her maiden name. Much of my recent research has focused on trying to untangle those very questions.
The marriage in your family tree may well involve a genuine Agnes Waterhouse, but at present I am not aware of any reliable evidence linking her to Agnes Waterhouse of Hatfield Peverel.
Thank you again for getting in touch and for sharing your family story. One of the unexpected pleasures of researching Agnes has been hearing from people around the world whose family histories have crossed paths with the name Waterhouse, even if they ultimately lead to a different Agnes.
Comment (15)
Jonathan Hetherington| 15th January 2019
Very interesting reading about agnes Waterhouse who I believe may be one of my ancestors!I’ve tried finding out where she might be buried and your article might have pointed me in the right direction,thank you
Kate Cole| 15th January 2019
Sadly, I would imagine that her body was thrown into a criminal pit somewhere near the gallows in Chelmsford. It is very unlikely that her body would have been taken back to Hatfield Peverel.
Laura Sproit| 4th October 2025
Extremely interesting. I’ve heard that her Cottage is still on Hatfield Peverel ? Does anyone know whereabouts or maybe the site iwhere it was located?
Carolyn Bentley| 9th February 2020
Found out she is my 12th great grandmother. Wonder if she was really a witch at all or a victim of others fears. She could’ve been a healer misconstrued. In those days it was normal to be tortured into confessing to crimes you didnt commit. I guess Agnes and God himself only knows the truth. I just pray that her soul is resting in peace, especially repenting and asking God for forgiveness of sins before her hanging.
Dee| 28th September 2021
I understand the nearby St Annes Castle pub (i think now known as just the castle) is reputedly haunted by a witch…..could it be Agnes spirit??! Even though, as you say its unlikely her body would have been brought back to Hatfield Peverel.
I wonder if waterhouse lane has always been called that?? Maybe it has relatively recently been changed to waterhouse lane, perhaps by an official who knew the story of agnes and wanted to do something in way of an apology….or perhaps it is just named after a body of water/water works and its an amazing coincidence that it also happens to be her name?!
I feel so much pain for those in days gone by who were considered different and were misunderstood – resulting in them being blamed, persecuted, and executed….im thank ful we no longer are quite so crazy…..but then there are still in effect witch trials happening today….anytime someone thinks different to the crowd, follows nature rather than materialistic goals, dresses differently, or who has a different view on the world to the majority then they are perhaps not executed – but are often shunned by society/their family…..đȘ there are some fantastic songs ive just found that capture this kind of crowd mentality and so persecution, and unfounded fears…..’witch of salem town’ kristen lawrence; ‘girl from the woods’ galahad; and ‘witch’ karliene….
Maggie Martin| 19th November 2022
I was born in Hatfield Peverel and my father built the first supermarket in the village. My mother lived in the village until she died in her 98th Year. My third daughter was born over the supermarket. My husband and I emigrated to Canada in 1979. My eldest daughter who was born in Witham, Essex went to her spiritulist church in Ottawa recently where she was given a message to research the Witches of Essex. We were amazed that none of us had any idea about this part of Hatfield Peverels history.
Marie Raynor| 28th November 2022
Hello, Carolyn – I learned today that Lady Agnes Margeria Waterhouse was my 13th great grandmother. Interestingly I agree with your assessment. Also, I learned that Agnes’ father was also murdered for practicing witchery, John of Skircote Waterhouse. It seems that John had quite a lot of cash and land. They were also likely to have been Catholic at a time when all of England was commanded to abandon Catholicism so that the King of England could get a divorce. Nonetheless I have found that even in present history its not what you know, it is who. Nice to meet you, Cousin. http://www.essexrecordofficeblog.co.uk/the-trial-of-agnes-waterhouse-witchcraft-in-essex-1566/
https://patp.us/reading/waterhouse-of-skircoat
Kate| 16th June 2026
Hello,
Thank you for your comment and for sharing the Skircoat Waterhouse material. It is certainly an interesting Waterhouse family history and I appreciate you taking the time to post it.
As someone who has spent many years researching Agnes Waterhouse and the 1566 Chelmsford witchcraft trials, I should mention that I have not yet found any contemporary evidence linking Agnes Waterhouse of Hatfield Peverel to the Waterhouse family of Skircoat, Yorkshire. Likewise, I have not come across any primary source identifying her as âLady Agnes Margeria Waterhouseâ or stating that her father, John Waterhouse of Skircoat, was executed for witchcraft.
That does not necessarily mean such evidence does not exist, but if you have a contemporary source, document, pedigree, will, or other record establishing these connections, I would be very interested to see it.
One of the challenges with Agnes Waterhouse of Hatfield Peverel is that the surviving records tell us surprisingly little about her family origins. Even her maiden name remains unknown. As a result, many later genealogical claims are difficult to verify.
Thank you again for contributing to the discussion. If you have any further sources or references, I would be delighted to examine them.
Best wishes,
Julian Rolfe| 12th April 2023
Good article Kate,
I was born in Terling, my family came from there, Chelmsford, maldon, kelvedon, the notleys, Witham.
And as a young kid, I can remember the stories of the witches,
My other grandmother at kelvedon lived with a family called kemp, and it was thought that they were related to Ursula kemp.
Also you said she said her prayers in Latin, which has made me think like can a witch be religious, when they’re usually associated with paganism, or was it Latin or a different language, was she an immigrant,.
And years ago, peoples surnames were to do with their profession or the place they came from, maybe her ancestors lived in Waterhouse lane.?
Holly Milstead| 18th August 2023
Hi! Iâm the 14th great granddaughter of Agnes Waterhouse. Thank you for writing this! I have been trying to visit and havenât been able to so this was very intuitive.
Roger Christian Lett| 15th October 2025
My ancestors are from Hatfield Peverell
Names
Lungley
Dean
Puckle
Carl Laudan| 16th June 2026
I’m Agnes’s direct descendant 14 generations. I see some cousins have posted the same above. I tried ‘replying’ to those comments but…doesn’t seem to work. Might be fun to get everyone together for a family reunion. I’ll bring Satan, my cat.
Kate J Cole| 17th June 2026
Hello,
Thank you for commenting! I must admit that the prospect of a Waterhouse family reunion with Satan the cat in attendance did make me smile. Although not a Waterhouse myself, may I come too? I can bring my own cats, one of whom I suspect our Tudor ancestors would have readily described as a white-spotted cat!
You are certainly not the first person to tell me that Agnes Waterhouse appears in their family tree, and I find those claims fascinating. As I have been researching Agnes and the Hatfield Peverel witchcraft trials for many years, I am always interested in learning how people have connected themselves to her.
May I ask how your line of descent works? Which child or descendant of Agnes do you trace your ancestry through, and what sources have you used to make the connection?
One of the challenges for historians is that the surviving records tell us surprisingly little about Agnes’s family. We know about Agnes, her daughter Joan, and some of the wider village families, but many details remain elusive. I am therefore always keen to see new evidence and compare notes with other researchers.
I look forward to hearing more about your connection.
Best wishes,
Kate
Carl Laudan| 17th June 2026
Hi Kate, nice to make your e-quaintance. I’m Carl Laudan (considering changing my name to Alexander Bentley as the ‘Laudan’ family are mostly a crew of horse thieves and murderers) My father’s mother, Ethel Bentley, Born Sep 25 1900 Masstown, Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada, married into the Laudans in 1916 in Alberta. A mistake that led, eventually, to my existence. My line goes like this: Ethel Bentley, Emerson Davis Bentley, David William Bentley, David Webster Bentley, David Baldwin Bentley II, David Baldwin Bentley, David Bentley, William Bentley, William Bentley, William Bentley, William Bentley, John Bentley, Sir John De Shelf Bentley (married Lady Agnes Margaret Waterhouse in 1530 Halifax, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England) Their son, John Bentley, born in 1535 in Shudy Camps, Cambridgeshire, England. I’m relying on connexions I’ve found through MyHeritage. Originally inspired by my grandmother’s claim we had cousins in Nova Scotia, where I now reside, many thousands of kilometres away from Vancouver and the Laudans. I had no idea about Agnes and didn’t go looking for her. She just happens to be in my direct line.
Kate J Cole| 17th June 2026
Hello Carl,
Thank you for taking the time to reply. It is a pleasure to make your e-quaintance too! Firstly apologies for not being apply to use the âReplyâ option on my blog to directly reply to a comment. Not sure whatâs gone wrong there! Technology!
Your account certainly made me smile, particularly the part about the Laudans and the unintended consequences of your grandmother’s marriage in 1916. Genealogy often takes us down unexpected paths.
Thank you also for sharing your line of descent. It is always fascinating to see how people arrive at Agnes Waterhouse, especially when they were not actively searching for her and instead discover her while following another branch of their family tree.
However, I suspect that the Agnes Waterhouse in your tree is not the same Agnes Waterhouse who is the subject of this article. The Agnes I write about lived in Hatfield Peverel, Essex, and was executed for witchcraft in 1566. Despite many years of research, I have found no contemporary evidence that she was “Lady Agnes Margaret Waterhouse” or that she married Sir John de Shelf Bentley in Yorkshire.
In fact, one of the great frustrations for historians is that we know remarkably little about Agnes’s origins and family connections. Waterhouse was her married name, not her maiden name. Much of my recent research has focused on trying to untangle those very questions.
The marriage in your family tree may well involve a genuine Agnes Waterhouse, but at present I am not aware of any reliable evidence linking her to Agnes Waterhouse of Hatfield Peverel.
Thank you again for getting in touch and for sharing your family story. One of the unexpected pleasures of researching Agnes has been hearing from people around the world whose family histories have crossed paths with the name Waterhouse, even if they ultimately lead to a different Agnes.
Best wishes,
Kate