Helen Duncan: The Last Witch Convicted in the UK

In 1944, during the final phase of the Second World War, Britain carried out one of the strangest prosecutions in its modern legal history. Helen Duncan, a Scottish spiritualist medium, became the last person in the United Kingdom to be convicted under the 1735 Witchcraft Act. Her case continues to fascinate many people today, not only because of its unusual charge, but also because of what it reveals about fear, secrecy, and the power of the state.

Duncan gained wide attention for her dramatic séances, where she claimed to summon spirits and produce a substance she called ectoplasm. For years the authorities monitored her without intervening. Everything changed after a séance in Portsmouth during which Duncan reportedly revealed the sinking of HMS Barham. The ship had been lost months earlier, but the government had kept the information secret in order to preserve morale during the war. Whether Duncan learned the news from local families, from gossip, or from a loose connection to the Navy, her apparent access to sensitive information alarmed officials.

Instead of charging her under a modern fraud statute or an offence related to secrecy, the government relied on the old Witchcraft Act. This required the prosecution to prove that Duncan was pretending to summon spirits. Her trial at the Old Bailey included seized séance materials, evidence from undercover police officers, and arguments about whether her performances were genuine belief or deliberate deception.

Many readers today view the case as a reflection of the government’s desire to control information during a time of national tension. The decision to use an eighteenth century law avoided direct questions about intelligence leaks while allowing officials to make an example of someone who unsettled wartime confidence.

Duncan was convicted and sentenced to nine months in prison.

Interest in her case has grown again in recent years, and it is currently being reinvestigated. The BBC also released a documentary this year that explores Duncan’s life, her trial, and the modern campaign to clear her name.

Helen Duncan’s story remains a striking reminder that law often reflects the anxieties of its era as much as its commitment to truth.