There were all manner of superstitions and the like that were held across Victorian Britain.
Much like today, people were desperate to know what the future held for them, and, of course, this left them wide open to all manner of scams.
There was, for example, the Louisa Kingherst case of October, 1868; in which she took advantage of a love sick young man to obtain money from him by deception.
There were also numerous other cases where both men and women were duped by people who convinced them that they could look into the future and tell them what was coming down the line.
It is evident from browsing the court reports of the age that belief in witchcraft was still rife across the country, as is illustrated by the following case which appeared in The Langport and Somerton Herald on Saturday the 12th of October, 1867:-
GROSS SUPERSTITION
Jane Gillett, of Somerton, applied to know if people were allowed to come into her house at 12 o’clock at night.
She was, it appears, accused of being a “witch,” and was said to perform certain weird acts at midnight, in order to bewitch another.
An ignorant crowd demanded to search her house, as she was expected to be engaged in frying toads, in connection with her incantations.
Among the crowd were two policemen, who, the woman said, called her from her bed, and told her to open the door.
She wished the Bench to tell her if people could be allowed to disturb her in this disgraceful manner.
IT WAS AFFECTING HER
She added that she was losing her character and employment through those proceedings, and emphatically denied having any toads or frogs in her possession.
P. C. STRIDE’S TESTIMONY
P. C. Stride said that he called to the woman, and told her that the crowd was making a disturbance about her, and that she had better come down and talk to them.
On her opening the door several people went in, searched the room, poked out the ashes, and then went away.
He did what he could to quiet the row.
THE POLICE WERE NOT TO BLAME
The magistrates said that they did not consider the police in the least to blame, considering Stride had really taken her part.
She must therefore blame the crowd, and not the policeman.
Evidently the magistrates had little sympathy for the plight Jane found herself in, and hopefully the police afforded her sufficient protection from that point on.