> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Hold to host exhibition on Suffolk's witchcraft history - URL: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/the-hold-to-host-exhibition-on-suffolks-witchcraft-history/ - Published: 2026-09-14T06:18:21.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-14T06:18:21.000Z - Description: Suffolk Archives will host a new exhibition on the county's 17th-century witch trials, featuring rare loans from the British Library, V&A and Tate never seen in Suffolk before. - Author: Nicola Sebastian - Tags: News, Events & Things To Do, The Hold, Suffolk Archives, Art, Photography & Film, June Mummery, Suffolk County Council **Why it matters:** *Witches: Suffolk's Dark Legacy* brings together nationally significant objects and Suffolk's own records to tell the story of a dark chapter in the county's history, when nearly 200 people were accused of witchcraft. **The details:** The exhibition opens at The Hold Ipswich on 16 October 2026 and runs until 21 February 2027. It will feature infamous texts on loan from the British Library, including: - The Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) - King James I's Daemonologie - Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins' own A Discovery of Witch*es* Further loans come from the V&A, Tate, the Wellcome Collection, Bodleian Libraries and the National Archives, supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund, alongside backing from Suffolk-based logistics firm Debach Enterprises. **The big picture:** Between 1645 and 1647, the Suffolk witch trials were among the most brutal in England. The exhibition explores the civil war, religious upheaval and economic hardship that fuelled suspicion and persecution across close-knit communities, by drawing on original records, rare books and period objects. Using prints, books and paintings – including John William Waterhouse's *The Magic Circle*, on loan from Tate – the exhibition also traces how the image of the witch has evolved, from feared hag to modern symbol of independence and resistance, exploring contemporary perceptions of witchcraft and its links to women's rights, with support from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall and local practitioners. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/09/55521777095_ec9db5878d_w.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/09/55521498143_d08e0006d5_w-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/09/55520378047_b0c00d217f_w-1.jpg) Discover Suffolk’s dark legacy in landmark witchcraft exhibition (Photo: Suffolk County Council) **What's on:** The exhibition will be accompanied by a book, schools and community engagement, and a programme of talks, walks, workshops and family events. Suffolk Archives has also teamed up with Ipswich shop Mugwort and Mistletoe and others to mark Halloween, also known as Samhain, with a day of activities including tarot and bone reading, wellbeing sessions, straw plaiting, crafts, plant lore workshops and a talk. It is also working with the University of Suffolk's English Department on a series of related workshops and talks. **What they're saying:** Cllr June Mummery, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for coastal affairs, communities and public health, said: "The witch trials are one of the darkest chapters in Suffolk's history, and this exhibition gives people the chance to learn more about the events and people behind them. "It brings together some remarkable items from across the country alongside Suffolk's own records, making it a fascinating experience for anyone with an interest in our county's past." Sophia Weston, deputy chair of the Garfield Weston Foundation, said: "We are delighted that, through the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund, this exhibition will bring remarkable works from national collections to Suffolk, helping to explore and share an important aspect of local history." Bee Kemball, managing director of Debach Enterprises, said: "As a family business rooted in Suffolk, we're delighted to support this exhibition which transports people back in time to a fascinating and important part of the county's history. Visitors will be moved by the true stories and events of the time and the fantastic items on show." **The bottom line:** The exhibition brings together national treasures and a dark, often-overlooked, part of Suffolk's history into sharp focus, using rare national loans to show how its legacy continues to shape perceptions of witchcraft today. [Book your tickets](https://suffolkarchives.co.uk/pages/witches?ref=ipswich.co.uk) --- **Don't forget:** If you enjoy our content, please [add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) so you can easily find more of the content you value. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) --- ### This article cost us \~£14 to produce It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners. Please support us by supporting them.