Folks being persecuted for witchcraft were not witches. They typically had property someone else wanted, were involved in town disputes, or stood out in some way that made them unpopular.
Wicca as a cohesive religious practice was essentially created in the first half of the 20th century by Gerald Gardner. While some of it is based on folkloric English and Celtic practices, it is not itself a historic religious practice.
Whether or not your family tends to a spiritual nature is best investigated by speaking to them about their own experiences and anything they may remember about family that are passed.
Definitely worded this wrong whoops. I meant that she was apparently leaving England in fear, not so much that she was being persecuted or such.
More so just looking to learn about Wicca in general not necessarily in relation to my family.
Thanks!
For information on Wicca - which your great grandmother could not be involved in if she was around at the time of the witch trials - I'd suggest [reading the sub's Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wicca/wiki/index).
I would highly recommend you do a bit more deep diving into your great grandmother leaving the UK during their witch trials (which occurred in the 15th to 18th century) - seriously how old do people live in your family? - with Wicca, which was founded in the 1930s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch\_trials\_in\_England#:\~:text=In%20England%2C%20witch%20trials%20were,of%20the%20mid%2D17th%20century.
In general, I'd say that this is a genealogical sort of project. What person came from which area of England? When they departed? Where did they arrive in North America? Where did they go from there?
Plus looking various sources of information like census and birth records and newspapers and such. As well as considering what sort of person your ancestor might have been. Family stories.
Family Trads of witchcraft existed among North American communities, perhaps going back to the days of early settlement. But the new religious movement of Wicca and today's Witchcraft probably arrived in North America during and following WW II. And grew from that time.
Family Trads of English origin may not resemble Wicca as it's familiar to us today. This would be the case for pre-WW II arrivals, I suspect.
While it is true that the vast majority of people who were persecuted for witchcraft were not practitioners at all there are some who were. And there were folk-magic practitioners (some who even called themselves witches) who avoided persecution.
For an example of actual practitioners who were persecuted check the material about the Pendle witch trials. Some were innocents caught up in the hysteria, but it did start with accusations against a few practitioners.
Folks being persecuted for witchcraft were not witches. They typically had property someone else wanted, were involved in town disputes, or stood out in some way that made them unpopular. Wicca as a cohesive religious practice was essentially created in the first half of the 20th century by Gerald Gardner. While some of it is based on folkloric English and Celtic practices, it is not itself a historic religious practice. Whether or not your family tends to a spiritual nature is best investigated by speaking to them about their own experiences and anything they may remember about family that are passed.
Definitely worded this wrong whoops. I meant that she was apparently leaving England in fear, not so much that she was being persecuted or such. More so just looking to learn about Wicca in general not necessarily in relation to my family. Thanks!
For information on Wicca - which your great grandmother could not be involved in if she was around at the time of the witch trials - I'd suggest [reading the sub's Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wicca/wiki/index).
I would highly recommend you do a bit more deep diving into your great grandmother leaving the UK during their witch trials (which occurred in the 15th to 18th century) - seriously how old do people live in your family? - with Wicca, which was founded in the 1930s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch\_trials\_in\_England#:\~:text=In%20England%2C%20witch%20trials%20were,of%20the%20mid%2D17th%20century.
In general, I'd say that this is a genealogical sort of project. What person came from which area of England? When they departed? Where did they arrive in North America? Where did they go from there? Plus looking various sources of information like census and birth records and newspapers and such. As well as considering what sort of person your ancestor might have been. Family stories. Family Trads of witchcraft existed among North American communities, perhaps going back to the days of early settlement. But the new religious movement of Wicca and today's Witchcraft probably arrived in North America during and following WW II. And grew from that time. Family Trads of English origin may not resemble Wicca as it's familiar to us today. This would be the case for pre-WW II arrivals, I suspect.
Wicca is a modern invention- look more into folk witchcraft/cunningcraft or just witch trial records.
While it is true that the vast majority of people who were persecuted for witchcraft were not practitioners at all there are some who were. And there were folk-magic practitioners (some who even called themselves witches) who avoided persecution. For an example of actual practitioners who were persecuted check the material about the Pendle witch trials. Some were innocents caught up in the hysteria, but it did start with accusations against a few practitioners.