16. You were aged 40 or over: Older women were treated with suspicion, especially if they loved alone
At times, witches were seen everywhere. Indeed, anyone could be a witch, man or woman, young or old. But nevertheless, the vast majority of accused were not only women, they were women of a certain age. In 1692, when America was gripped by the Salem Witch Trials, the vast majority of the 200 suspects were women in their late-40s or 50s. Some were older still. Mary Bradbury was believed to be 77 or 80-years-old when she was brought before the grand jury. She was acquitted but was viewed with suspicion by her neighbors for the rest of her life.
In Scotland, meanwhile, the last person to be executed on a charge of witchcraft was an elderly lady. Janet Horne was tried and killed in 1727, just six years before the crime of witchcraft was abolished in Britain. It’s almost certain that Horne was suffering from dementia. This would have explained her seemingly bizarre, even sinister behavior. So, when her neighbors accused Janet of riding her own daughter like a pony to go and meet the devil, the local magistrate believed them. While her daughter managed to escape, Janet was convicted. Despite her advanced years, she was stripped naked and forced to walk through the streets of her hometown. She was then covered in tar and burned alive.