The Yorkshire Witch by Summer Strevens
Book Review by Dawn Thomas

256 Pages
Publisher: Pen & Sword
Release Date: January 30, 2017

History, Witchcraft, Deception

This is the true story behind Mary Harner Bateman, also known as the Yorkshire Witch. In all accounts, Mary was not a witch. She was accused of fraud and murder. In her last letter to her husband she admits to committing fraud but denies the charge of murder. It is possible Mary suffered from mental illness and/or multiple personalities.

The book is well researched, and the information is presented in an easy to follow narrative. This is a good reference book for anyone that likes historical non-fiction. There are many photos and drawings included in the book.

I enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Mary Bateman, an English criminal and alleged witch, the Yorkshire Witch. During the 1780s, she became a minor thief and con artist who often convinced many of her victims she possessed supernatural powers. A con-artist, she seems to have had little moral principles, always on the look out for a soft target.

In 1806 she created the hoax known as The Prophet Hen of Leeds, in which eggs laid by a hen were purported to predict the end times. She also became a prominent fortune-teller and gave potions to her "clients" to ward off evil spirits.

Her downfall came when she poisoned Rebecca Perigo...... But that's for you to read. ;)

A factual and genuinely interesting book, I had never heard of Mary Bateman, and the author managed to keep my interest up to the read.

This work of nonfiction reads more like a fiction story which makes it much more enjoyable as non-fiction usually tends to be a lot dryer. I found Mary Bateman to be a fascinating subject especially for someone who studied psychology. This was a well written and well researched very interesting read!