When you think of notorious witches, you probably picture cackling crones brewing potions in moonlit forests. The truth is far richer, darker, and sometimes oddly bureaucratic. Across centuries and continents, these ten figures—women and men alike—left a mark on folklore, law, and the very practice of magic. Below, we travel from 13th‑century Europe to 20th‑century America, meeting the characters who earned a place in the annals of witchcraft.
Exploring the World of Notorious Witches
10 Moll Dyer
Moll Dyer lived in the 1600s on Maryland’s St. Mary’s County, where she earned a reputation as a strange, solitary herbal healer. Surviving largely on the generosity of neighbors, she was eventually accused of witchcraft. One chilling night, villagers burned her hut, forcing her to flee into the freezing woods. Days later, a local boy discovered her frozen to a large stone, kneeling with one hand raised as if cursing her attackers. The stone bore deep impressions of her knees, a grim souvenir of her final moments.
Legend says her curse lingered for centuries, bringing harsh winters and epidemics to the area. Even today, hikers report sightings of her ghost accompanied by spectral animals. Her eerie story even inspired the cult classic The Blair Witch Project. Though historical evidence of her existence is thin, Moll Dyer remains a cornerstone of American witch folklore.
9 Laurie Cabot
Laurie Cabot, a California‑born dancer turned Salem witch, helped catapult modern witchcraft into the public eye. After years of study, she set up shop in the historic town of Salem, Massachusetts. Legend has it that when her familiar—a black cat—got stuck in a tree, the local fire brigade refused to rescue it unless she admitted she needed the cat for rituals. The cat was promptly saved, and Cabot’s “broom closet” opened wide.
Cabot’s coven and witchcraft shop quickly became tourist attractions, and she earned the flamboyant title of “Witch of Salem” from Governor Michael Dukakis. She claims curses return to haunt their caster and never practices evil magic. Her books blend magic, astrology, and environmentalism, influencing the Wiccan movement—though she insists she never formally practiced Wicca, having done so long before Gerald Gardner popularized it.
8 George Pickingill
George Pickingill, a 19th‑century “cunning man,” was a tall, sharp‑nail‑wielding folk‑magic practitioner who claimed a witchy lineage stretching back to the 11th century. He worked as a farm laborer, yet boasted a heritage linked to a witch named Julia Pickingill, a magical aide to a local lord.
While often terrorizing villagers for money and ale, Pickingill also earned respect as a healer and dispute‑settler. In occult circles, he was a superstar—dubbed the Aleister Crowley of his era—allegedly an acolyte of an ancient horned god and a favored advisor to other witches. Unfortunately, his bigoted stance on “pure witch lineage” and sexist practice of relegating women to the labor of his covens marred his legacy.
7 Angela de la Barthe
Angela de la Barthe, a 13th‑century noblewoman, met a fiery end at the stake after the Inquisition labeled her a witch. Accusations ranged from nightly trysts with an incubus to birthing a wolf‑snake demon blamed for child disappearances. In reality, Angela was likely an eccentric or mentally ill individual whose only real crime was supporting the Gnostic Christian sect—anathema to the Catholic Church.
Her unconventional behavior sparked witchcraft allegations, leading to a gruesome execution that was, sadly, all too common for the period.
6 Abramelin The Mage
The identity of the 15th‑century Abramelin the Mage remains a mystery, but his magical legacy endures. Described by the scholar Abraham of Würzburg, Abramelin taught a complex system of commanding both good and evil spirits through precise symbols, timings, and rituals. Abraham compiled these teachings into a manuscript that resurfaced in 1900 as The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin.
The book became a cornerstone for occultists, influencing notable figures like Aleister Crowley and spawning countless imitators.
5 Alice Kyteler
Alice Kyteler, a wealthy Irish moneylender of the early 14th century, became the first woman accused of witchcraft on Irish soil. Her husbands died under suspicious circumstances, each leaving their fortune to her. When husband No. 4 grew ill and his fingernails began to fall off, his children suspected foul play and pointed to Alice.
In 1324, church officials charged her with heading a secret society of heretical sorcerers and with consorting with an incubus. Despite multiple attempts to imprison her, Alice leveraged powerful allies to evade capture, eventually disappearing to England where she lived out her days in luxury. Whether she truly dabbled in dark arts remains debated, but her story cemented her as Ireland’s first notorious witch.
4 Tamsin Blight
Tamsin Blight, a 19th‑century Cornish healer and hedge witch, earned fame for both lifting curses and casting them. Hedge witches derived their name from the village hedges that symbolized the boundary between the mortal world and the spirit realm.
Blight could enter trance states to predict the future, but she also wielded a potent arsenal of “bad juju.” Her reputation suffered because of her husband, James Thomas, a fellow magician notorious for drunken bullying. After a tumultuous marriage and eventual reconciliation, Tamsin’s curses proved effective: when she cursed a cobbler who refused to mend her shoes, the townsfolk shunned his business, forcing him to leave the area.
3 Eliphas Levi
Alphonse Louis Constant, better known as Eliphas Levi, was the 19th‑century mastermind behind modern occultism. He fused Christianity, Judaism, Tarot, and alchemical traditions into a new hybrid that defined the era’s mystical arts.
Although trained as a theologian and nearly a priest, Levi leaned toward scholarship rather than hands‑on magic. Yet his charisma and extensive knowledge made him a seminal figure. He popularized the image of Baphomet—a goat‑headed, winged figure—presenting it as a representation of “the absolute.” This iconic illustration remains the first image many associate with occult symbolism.
2 Raymond Buckland
Raymond Buckland earned the moniker “Father of American Wicca.” Deeply impressed by Gerald Gardner’s modern Wicca, he transplanted those teachings to the United States and refined them into Seax‑Wicca. Active in covens since the 1960s, Buckland served as a leader, author, and the most recognizable spokesperson for the craft.
Retiring from active witchcraft in 1992, he now resides in rural Ohio, where he continues writing about magic and practices a solitary version of the tradition.
1 Agnes Waterhouse
Agnes Waterhouse, known as Mother Waterhouse, stands out as one of England’s most infamous witches. Tried alongside two other women for devil worship, curses, and causing bodily harm, she was the first English witch sentenced to death by a secular court.
In her testimony, Agnes openly admitted to dark arts and owned a cat she named Satan, claiming the feline could kill livestock and, on occasion, people. She foretold her own death by hanging or burning, stating there was little she could do to avoid it. On the way to the gallows, she confessed that a devout man had once resisted Satan’s touch, sparing him from death. She met her end praying for God’s forgiveness.
Agnes’s legacy endures as a cautionary tale of unapologetic witchcraft and the perilous line between accusation and execution.
These ten notorious witches and warlocks illustrate how magic, fear, and power have intertwined across centuries. Whether real or mythic, their stories continue to fascinate, warn, and inspire modern seekers of the occult.