Explanation:
Agnes Waterhouse (c. 1503 - 29 July 1566), also known as Mother Waterhouse, was the first woman executed for witchcraft in England.[1]
Agnes Waterhouse was accused of bewitching to death William Fynne and was hanged at Chelmsford in England on 29 July 1566
In 1566, she was accused of witchcraft along with two other women: Elizabeth Francis and Joan Waterhouse.[2] All three women were from the same village, Hatfield Peverel.[2] She confessed to having been a witch and that her familiar was a cat (later turned into a toad) by the name of Satan, sometimes spelled Sathan, which originally belonged to Elizabeth Francis.[2][3] Agnes was put on trial in Chelmsford, Essex, England, in 1566 for using witchcraft to cause illness to William Fynne, who died on 1 November 1565. She was also charged with using sorcery to kill livestock, cause illness, as well as bring about the death of her husband. Her eighteen-year-old daughter Joan Waterhouse was also accused (but found not guilty) of the same crime. Joan Waterhouse's testimony ultimately helped to convict the two other women.[2] Agnes was hanged, and was the first woman executed for witchcraft in England.
