The novel places the witch hunts of the 17th century within their sociological context. They are removed to Colchester jail to wait, powerless, for whatever lies ahead. The “witches” are mostly unmarried women or widows, automatic objects of suspicion. When a boy has a fit, and subsequently dies, after an altercation with a local woman, the accusations begin and Hopkins becomes involved.
Hopkins takes over the village tavern, and is soon established as one of the local worthies. It is the height of the Civil War and most of the men are away fighting. Told through the eyes of Rebecca, one of the women later accused of witchcraft, the story begins with the arrival of Hopkins in the remote Essex village of Manningtree. Set in England in 1643, The Manningtree Witches is based on the activities of Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled Witchfinder General.
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