Cactus Gallery LA
GRACE AND HER FAMILIAR by artist Mavis Leahy
$ 168.00
Hand embroidered on vintage linen, 6" x 6", under glass, matted and framed in a vintage wood frame, 9.75” x 9.75”
Throughout history, those who were a bit “ different “ were misunderstood, labeled and persecuted, often paying the ultimate price with their lives.
The story of Grace touched my heartstrings-
Grace Sherwood was born in 1660 in Colonial Virginia. From descriptions in historical documents, she was tall, attractive, stubborn, and outspoken. Blessed with a loving husband and three sons, Grace was living her best life on their farm. With all her happiness and good fortune, the gossip began, and some became envious.
In 1697, the first accusation came: A local man accused Grace of using a spell to kill his bull -Grace sued for defamation, and it was settled. The following year, two more people accused Grace of witchcraft. First, a neighbor claimed his pigs and cotton were bewitched and destroyed. Another, Elizabeth Barnes, claimed that Grace transformed into a black cat and entered her home through a keyhole, then beat and whipped her, causing her to miscarry.
Over her lifetime, Grace would be accused over a dozen times.
After her husband passed away in 1701 and she inherited their farm, she would be accused again. Elizabeth Hill accused her of assault in 1705, then a year later, she claimed that Grace bewitched her and caused her to have a miscarriage. This final accusation and pressure from Elizabeth Hill and her husband caused The Princess Anne County court to seek a jury to search Graces’ body and her home for evidence of witchcraft.
An all-women jury was assembled to inspect Graces’ naked body, and several older women, including Elizabeth Barnes, who accused her of turning into a cat, investigated her body. They concluded she had two “witches’ marks” and declared her a witch. When the church asked her to repent for being a witch, instead of confessing, she stated, “I be not a witch. I be a healer” and was sentenced to a “trial by ducking.”
With her right thumb bound to her left big toe and her left thumb to her right big toe, covered in a sack with a 13-pound Bible strapped to her neck, she was thrown into the river. If she was innocent, she would sink, showing her soul was pure. If she floated, it was a sign that she was a witch, and the water rejected her. Grace was able to free herself and swim to shore. She was declared guilty and spent nearly eight years in prison.
When she was finally released, she returned to her farm and lived out her years, she died at 80 years old.
