Alice Glaston ( – 13 April 1546) was an 11-year-old English girl from Little Wenlock who was hanged in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England, under the reign of Henry VIII. She is likely the youngest girl ever to be legally executed in England, though 8- or 9-year-old John Dean was hanged for arson in 1629. The crime for which she was hanged is unknown, but it is speculated that she was accused of either murder or witchcraft. Although it is unknown, witchcraft is the more likely of the two, owing to the introduction of the Witchcraft Acts just 4 years prior to her death. She was hanged with two other people. Sir Thomas Butler, vicar of Much Wenlock, records Glaston's burial at his church.
In October 2014, writer Paul Evans released The Spirit Child, a speculative supernatural radio play about the events leading to her execution.
In 2024, a new novella was completed and published called Dreams of an Eleven Year Old Witch, telling the story of Alice’s life in the lead up to her execution.
|
|