Moll Dyer Day

What caused the wave of witch trials? Were the accused really believed to have supernatural powers? Who were the accused witches of Maryland? And who was Moll Dyer?

Between about 1580 and 1630, witchcraft trials swept across Europe in a wave of fear and suspicion. Although accusations occurred as early as the 1400s and continued into the 1700s, this fifty-year period saw the height of mass hysteria, accusations, and executions. Historians estimate that at least 60,000 people, most of them women, were put to death for the crime of witchcraft.

In Maryland, thankfully, such hysteria was far less common. Unlike Massachusetts, the colony saw relatively few accusations and even fewer executions. Yet Maryland was not entirely untouched. There were individuals accused of witchcraft here, and their stories are both fascinating and revealing, offering a window into the fears, beliefs, and everyday struggles of early colonial life.

What caused the wave of witch trials in Europe? Were the accused really believed to have supernatural powers, or were other forces at work? Who were the accused witches of Maryland, and what became of them? And who was Moll Dyer, the most famous figure in Maryland’s witch lore?

This presentation explores the history behind the legends, separating myth from documented fact, and examining what these stories tell us about the people and communities who lived here centuries ago.

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