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6 - Anna Trapnel: Prophet or Witch?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 November 2020
Summary
Abstract
Anna Trapnel came to prominence as a prophetess in England during the 1650s. One of hundreds of visionary women who identified as prophets during the turbulent English Civil Wars and Interregnum period, Trapnel gained a reputation and following for her compelling visionary trances and prophetic declarations. She published several works giving accounts of her visions and propounding God's warnings to all outward political and religious powers. Her controversial prophetic actions and utterances put her at risk and led her into dangerous territory, where some of her enemies would label her ‘mad’ and some would accuse her of witchcraft. This chapter explores the writings and actions of this independent and outspoken woman, analysing her shifting public identity from ‘prophet’ to ‘witch’, as she not only pushed boundaries of gender, but also challenged the dominant political and religious institutions and authority.
Keywords: prophecy; witchcraft; Fifth-Monarchists; visionary; Millenarianism
England's Rulers and Clergie do Judge the Lord's handmaid to be mad and under the administration of evil angels, and a witch, and many other evil terms they raise up to make me odious, and abhorred in the hearts of good and bad.
Anna Trapnel gained a reputation and following as a visionary prophet during the religious and political upheavals of the English Civil War and Interregnum (c.1640–1660). She was one of several women who claimed that God was speaking directly through them, and subsequently gained public notoriety for their prophetic utterances and activity. Trapnel constructed her identity as one of God's chosen saints and a prophetess, attracting a large following for her prophetic displays and spiritual messages. Filled with millenarian excitement, she experienced many visions of Christ's imminent return and rule, and drew audiences to witness her ecstatic trances and prophetic warnings. Relying heavily on scriptural references and apocalyptic imagery from the Books of Daniel and Revelation, she foretold the striking down of all political rulers and religious powers, as Christ would now return to rule through his saints. Although many were convinced of her visionary insights, her public acceptance as a prophet was never fixed or guaranteed. Trapnel’s prophetic actions and utterances also led her into dangerous territory, causing her to be accused of witchcraft, and to be labelled a witch.
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- Women on the Edge in Early Modern Europe , pp. 113 - 136Publisher: Amsterdam University PressPrint publication year: 2019