Grace sherwood ferry plantation charleston

Grace sherwood house

Grace White Sherwood — , called the Witch of Pungo , is the last person known to have been convicted of witchcraft in Virginia. A farmer, healer, and midwife, she was accused by her neighbors of transforming herself into a cat, damaging crops, and causing the death of livestock. She was charged with witchcraft several times. The court ordered that Sherwood's guilt or innocence be determined by ducking her in water.

If she sank, she was innocent; if she did not, she was guilty. Sherwood floated to the surface and may have spent almost eight years in jail before being released. The couple had three sons: John, James, and Richard. Her first case was in ; she was accused of casting a spell on a bull, resulting in its death, but the matter was dismissed by the agreement of both parties.

The following year she was accused of witchcraft by two neighbors; she supposedly bewitched the hogs and cotton crop of one of them. Sherwood sued for slander after each accusation, but her lawsuits were unsuccessful and her husband had to pay court costs. In she was convicted of witchcraft and was incarcerated.