There were no witches, there was no crime

Help Us Get a Royal Pardon for British "Witches"

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By order of the monarchy, an estimated 3,000 people were convicted under the British Witchcraft Acts between 1542 and 1735

Many were executed

The British Witch Trials were state-sanctioned violence - typically inflicted upon the most vulnerable members of society.

By 1735 Parliament were acutely aware that there was no credible proof of witchcraft, and the Witchcraft Acts were finally repealed

In secular courts people were usually tried for the make-believe crime of maleficium: using demonic magic to cause harm. 

13,157 of our supporters signed our petition calling for a posthumous pardon for the victims of this monumental miscarriage of British justice

The official government response so far is as follows: 

"The Government acknowledges the historic injustices of people accused between the 16th and 18th centuries. However, there are no plans to legislate to pardon those who were convicted." 

Fortunately, legislation is not our only option ...


We request the Royal Prerogative of Mercy be effected to pardon our historic British witches    

  • We request the RPM be effected to remove the following pain/consequence of the convictions: defamation of character. These innocent people should no longer be demonized.
  • We request the RPM be effected to acknowledge that the convictions should never have happened in the first place.

 Ask your representative in Parliament to support the pardon 

  • What is the RPM?

  • Criteria

  • steps

  • final outcome

What is the Royal Prerogative of Mercy?

  • The Prerogative of Mercy is the power of the monarch to show mercy towards an offender by mitigating or removing the consequences that follow conviction for an offence. Its purpose is not to overturn the conviction, but it can be a safeguard against miscarriages of justice.
  • This prerogative power is exercised by His Majesty The King on the advice of ministers. The Secretary of State for Justice is responsible for recommending the exercise of the prerogative of mercy in England and Wales. In Scotland, the privilege is held by the First Minister.
  • JfW request that the RPM for historic British witches be worded to acknowledge that the convictions should never have occurred. This pardon will be analogous to exoneration in this respect.
  • JfW request that the RPM be effected to remove the following pain/consequence of conviction: defamation of character.

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Thank You for Your Continued Support

To everyone who has helped us so far by signing our previous petition and completing our ongoing survey about why pardons for historic British witches matters to you, we want to say a massive thank you. All of this data demonstrates that there is public appetite for restorative justice and increases our chances of success. Please continue to help us by writing to your representative in Parliament today and sharing our campaign. 

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