WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — For more than 300 years, people living in Hampton Roads have heard the infamous stories of Grace Sherwood, also known as The Witch of Pungo.
In the 1700s, Sherwood, a Princess Anne County woman, was given a reputation of being a witch.
In Williamsburg, a play called 'Cry Witch,' based on the 1706 trial of Grace Sherwood, invites modern day audiences to decide for themselves.
While made to be theatrical, there are elements of Sherwood's real eight-year prosecution, according to director Katharine Pittman.
"One of the main testimonies we utilize in the current version of the production is as much verbatim as we can from the 1706 trial, where one of the witnesses named Elizabeth Barns is testifying," said Pittman.
During the play, Rachel Eiland-Hall, who plays Sherwood, pleads with the audience to think rationally about the accusation against her, telling them that Barns had a "bad dream" and wasn't "bewitched by her."
"A modern-day doctor or even historian might diagnose her as having sleep paralysis, but to Elizabeth Barns in 1706, she would have felt she would have been bewitched or had some sort of demon set upon her," explained Pittman
The stage for 'Cry Witch' is inside the Colonial Williamsburg Capitol Building, but the real trial didn't take place there.
However, it would have if Sherwood was found guilty of a felony, according to Pittman.
"It was on the English law books as far as what to do when someone is accused of being a witch," said Pittman. "Generally speaking, it would not come to the general court of Virginia unless it was a second offense or if the loss of life was involved," said Pittman.
Eiland-Hall says she spent hours researching Sherwood before taking on the role. It's been four years since first receiving the part, yet she says she still actively learns about her character.
"Grace was never actually accused of killing anyone. What Luke Hill said she had done was 'She bewitched my wife,' with no other details."
But According to Al Chewning, the president of the Princess Anne County Virginia Beach Historical Society, there is a little more to the story.
"At some point she got into an argument with Mrs. Hill who slapped her. It was her husband, Mr. Hill who still believed in witches. He was convinced Grace was a witch and had possessed his wife for her to have to act like that. He ended up going to court hellbent on the idea that Sherwood was a witch," said Chewning.
While accusations of Sherwood's wickedness consumed Princess Anne County, an accusation alone wasn't enough to try her in Williamsburg. Instead, she was tried again in Princess Anne County, receiving a trial by water.
This was where the rumor of her turning into a "duck" to escape punishment started.
Chewning says Sherwood was more than likely less of a witch duck and more of an odd duck in her community.
"In those days it was very segregated. Women and men both had their own duties but she crossed that line. It's even rumored that she wore men clothes just because they were more comfortable," explained Chewning.
Documentation from the Virginia Historical Society says it's possible some people did think Sherwood was a witch, but others may have used the law to punish an unlikable neighbor.
"It's not as though someone saw her conducting a spell out in her backyard and said verifiable you are a witch. It seemed to be more of a he said she said let me see how many times I can take you to court and call you a witch," explained Pittman.
Eiland-Hall says 'Cry Witch' allows present-day audience members to decide for themselves. While there are people who do find her guilty, there are others who think the accusations are personal attacks against an innocent person instead of Hocus Pocus.
"The more records I read the more convinced I am that Grace Sherwood was the only sane woman in Princess Anne County," said Eiland-Hall.
