The Order to Stop Speaking of Witchcraft

The Order to Stop Speaking of Witchcraft is Edmund Jordan’s command to end discussion of magic and sorcery. Spoken while the accused are still in custody, it does not establish their innocence; instead, it signals that witchcraft has ceased to serve Jordan’s purposes as the estate’s future takes precedence over the accusations.

The Command

Edmund Jordan gives the order during a conversation with Walter Thirsk. After the question of what the accused are charged with is answered with unclean magic, Jordan presses his thumb into Walter’s bruised forearm and comments on the injury. He then says, “We should not mention them again.” The gesture and the instruction belong to the same exchange: Jordan addresses the visible mark of violence while closing off further talk of sorcery.

The order is framed as a prohibition on speaking, not as a declaration that the accusations are false. Walter understands its immediate implication as an end to trials and executions by burning. The distinction matters: the command stops witchcraft from remaining the governing issue, but it does not undo the punishments already imposed or explain what the accused have suffered.

From Accusation to Estate Business

The change in emphasis becomes clear when the villagers have dispersed. Edmund Jordan’s interest in the captives and in sorcery wanes once the village has been cleared. At the manor, mention of Philip Earle earns a yawn, while Mistress Beldam no longer matters to the new direction of events. Alchemy and sorcery are treated as trifles beside the promised “Land of Progress.” The order thus belongs to a larger shift in attention: away from investigating alleged magic and toward reshaping the land and its economy.

That shift also explains why silence about witchcraft is not the same as justice for those accused. The issue falls from view as Jordan’s plans advance, rather than being resolved through a public finding about guilt or innocence. The language of progress displaces the language of sorcery without accounting for the people caught in the earlier proceedings.

Consequences for the Captives

Charles Kent uses the change in priorities to intercede for Lizzie Carr and the women. He argues that if their supposed sins are a minor concern to Edmund Jordan, ending their punishments would be kind, wise, and honorable. Jordan responds with a taunt that evokes burning, but Kent clarifies that he is asking for them to be released to go their own way, not to be put to death. Jordan’s order therefore forms part of the circumstances in which their suffering can be ended, although the appeal and decision about their release are distinct from the command itself.

The order’s consequence is less a vindication than a withdrawal of attention. Witchcraft ceases to be spoken of because another project has become more important to the people in power. In that transition, the accused may be allowed to leave their punishments behind, but the command itself leaves the truth of the allegations unpronounced.