Witchcraft
From the 16th and 17th centuries, Europe was in the grip of a witchcraft scare, leading to large numbers of women, often old and poverty-stricken, being executed for supposed witchcraft. Hertfordshire had many “witches” during that period, and the last person in England to be condemned to death for witchcraft (though not actually executed) was Jane Wenham of Walkern.
If you know of any specific cases of persecution of alleged witches in Hertfordshire, or have a family connection to any cases, we’d love to hear from you.