Matthew Hopkins in popular culture

Matthew Hopkins (ca. 1620–1647) was an English witchhunter whose career flourished during the time of the English Civil War. Between 1644 and 1645, Hopkins and his associates were responsible for the deaths of more accused witches than had been executed in the previous 100 years.^[1]

In fiction

Literature

• Witchfinder General, a 1966 novel by Ronald Bassett
• The Devil on the Road, a 1978 novel by Robert Westall in which Hopkins makes a late appearance
• The Minister's Daughter, a 2005 novel by Julie Hearn, in which Hopkins is called in to help "prove" that a teen girl has impregnated the minister's daughter with the devil's seed. The minister's daughter has created this story as an acceptable way of explaining her out of wedlock pregnancy, yet it is so outlandish that even Hopkins has difficulty in believing it.

Film

• Witchfinder General, (US: The Conqueror Worm) a 1968 film based on Bassett's novel starring Vincent Price as Matthew Hopkins

In music

• Hopkins (The Witchfinder General), a song by the doom metal band Cathedral, from the album The Carnival Bizarre.
• Witchfinder General, a Doom Metal band from England.
• Vocalist and bassist from the Finnish doom metal band Reverend Bizarre is known under a pseudonym Albert Witchfinder
• Witchfinder General, a song by the heavy metal band Saxon, from the album Lionheart.

In other media

• Matthew Hopkins was used to advertise Walkers Square Crisps. Several of his witch-hunting methods were parodied (notably ordeal by water). His catchphrase was "'Tis not normal".
• He made an appearance as a "mystery guest" on the BBC show Russell Howard's Good News. In Puritan garb, Hopkins accused Howard of being a follower of the Devil.
• The character of The Paedofinder General in the comedy series Monkey Dust is based on the modern film portrayal of the Witchfinder General.

References

Notes

Bibliography