The Witch of Pungo: Grace Sherwood in Virginia History and Legend

By Scott O. Moore

The authoritative cultural history of Virginia’s most famous accused witch

In 1706, Grace Sherwood was “ducked” after her neighbors in Princess Anne County accused her of witchcraft. Binding and throwing her into the Lynnhaven River, they waited to see whether she would float to the top (evidence of her guilt) or sink (proof of her innocence). Incredibly, she survived. This bizarre spectacle became an early piece of Virginia folklore as stories about Sherwood, the “Witch of Pungo,” spread. Her legend still looms large in Tidewater. In 2006, Governor Tim Kaine even issued an informal pardon of Sherwood, read aloud by the mayor of Virginia Beach before the annual reenactment of Sherwood’s ducking.

This is the first book to explore Grace Sherwood’s life and cultural impact in depth. Anyone interested in colonial Virginia, American folklore, and the history and legacy of witch trials will find much to enjoy in this spellbinding book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press
• Release date: May 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9780813951317

Book preview

Cover Page for The Witch of Pungo

The Witch of Pungo

The Witch of Pungo

Grace Sherwood in Virginia History and Legend

Scott O. Moore

Rivanna Books

University of Virginia Press

Charlottesville and London

The University of Virginia Press is situated on the traditional lands of the Monacan Nation, and the Commonwealth of Virginia was and is home to many other Indigenous people. We pay our respect to all of them, past and present. We also honor the enslaved African and African American people who built the University of Virginia, and we recognize their descendants. We commit to fostering voices from these communities through our publications and to deepening our collective understanding of their histories and contributions.

RIVANNA BOOKS

An imprint of the University of Virginia Press

© 2024 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

First published 2024

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Names: Moore, Scott O., author.

Title: The Witch of Pungo : Grace Sherwood in Virginia history and legend / Scott O. Moore.

Description: Charlottesville : Rivanna Books, University of Virginia Press, 2024. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2023052298 (print) | LCCN 2023052299 (ebook) | ISBN 9780813951300 (paperback) | ISBN 9780813951317 (ebook)

Subjects: LCHS: Sherwood, Grace, –1740 | Witch hunting—Virginia—Princess Anne County—History—18th century. | Sherwood, Grace, –1740—Legends. | Folklore and history—Virginia—Tidewater (Region) | BISAC: HISTORY / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV) | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology Classification: LCC BF1578.S54 M66 2024 (print) | LCC BF1578.S54 (ebook) | DDC 133.4/30975551—dc23/eng/20240129

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023052298

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023052299

Cover art: Bat, 10165189/rawpixel.com; rosemary, 567894/rawpixel.com; shackles, 8229760/rawpixel.com; water, berkahjayamaterial/Adobe Stock images

Cover design: David Fassett

To my mother, Marie, who loved legends and stories,

and

my grandmother, Bertie, a proud daughter of the county

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note

Introduction

PART I Historical Developments

1 | Early Life

2 | Under Suspicion

3 | Ducked

PART II Legends Take Shape

4 | Rediscovering Witchduck’s Witch

5 | Fantastical Legends

6 | True Stories

PART III From Legend to Cultural Icon

7 | Making the Witch of Pungo

8 | Cry Witch and Other Reenactments

9 | Witch Houses and Memorials

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Illustrations

1. Highway marker describing Grace Sherwood’s trial by water in Virginia Beach

2. Map of Norfolk and Princess Anne Counties, ca. 1700

3. Depiction of a witch riding a victim

4. Depiction of witches presenting wax dolls to the devil

5. Depiction of witches with their familiars

6. Depiction of a trial by water

7. Cover page of the Virginia Historical Society’s printing of John Burroughs’s transcript of Grace Sherwood’s trial records

8. Front page of Grace Sherwood, The Virginia Witch

9. Sketch of Grace Sherwood with her eggshell boat

10. Portrait of Grace Sherwood

11. Sketch of Grace Sherwood’s ducking

12. Elizabeth White in front of the fence rumored to have belonged to Grace Sherwood

13. Louisa Venable Kyle presenting her books to Lambuth Clarke, president of Virginia Wesleyan College

14. A 2006 advertisement for Cry Witch

15. Scene from Cry Witch

16. The Muddy Creek Road house rumored to have belonged to Grace Sherwood

17. Ferry Plantation House

18. Ferry Plantation House’s reenactment of the ducking of Grace Sherwood

19. Belinda Nash at the unveiling of the statue of Grace Sherwood, 2007

Acknowledgments

I owe a debt of gratitude to the people who not only helped make this book possible, but who made working on it such a rewarding experience. I would like to begin by thanking my editor, Nadine Zimmerli, for her help and collaboration. Her encouragement turned this project from an idea into a reality, and she has been a constant source of support and insight. I could not have asked for a better partner in this endeavor. I am equally grateful to Susan Murray for her skillful copyediting, and to Clayton Butler, Fernando Campos, J. Andrew Edwards, Mark Mones, and everyone else at the University of Virginia Press for making the publishing process such a great experience.

Historians will always acknowledge that their work depends on the expertise of librarians and archivists, and while researching this book, I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the best there are. I am grateful to the staff of Virginia Beach’s Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library and Pungo-Blackwater Library for their assistance. I would especially like to thank Dorothy Williams for helping me navigate the Central Library’s archives. Regardless of how obscure the question, she was always able to find an answer, including those to questions I did not even know to ask. Brittany Foshay was crucial in helping me identify William Cecil Elam as the author of a piece anonymously published in Putnam’s Magazine, and Amanda Wade has been essential in helping me find materials and secure permissions. At Colonial Williamsburg’s John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, Sarah Nerney was invaluable not only in helping me find archival material but in finding information about the institution itself. I was able to uncover additional documents and images at the Rockefeller Library with the assistance of Melissa Schutt, Tracey Gulden, and Marianne Martin. I would also like to thank Kenneth Schwarz and Robert Currie of Colonial Williamsburg. When I first reached out to Ferry Planation House looking for information about their connection to legends about Grace Sherwood, I could not have imagined how vital Kristen Ellis, its Director of Research and Development, would become to this project. Not only did she generously share information from the house’s archives, but she has been a constant source of encouragement and support. The staff of WHRO, Hampton Road’s public television station, managed to achieve the impossible and uncover a copy of an episode of Our Place, Our Time that aired more than thirty years ago. I am similarly grateful to Troy Valos at the Norfolk Public Library’s Sargeant Memorial Collection; Graham Dozier, Matthew Guillen, and Carly Tarne at the Virginia Museum for History and Culture; Kevin Shupe at the Library of Virginia; Jason Kramer and Ivy Tan at Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources; Meghan Bryant and Anne Johnson at the College of William and Mary’s Swem Library; Stephen Mansfield and Gregory Snyder at Virginia Wesleyan University’s Hofheimer Library; and the staff of Old Dominion University’s Perry library for helping me find books, documents, and images.

Collecting legends about Grace Sherwood and information about her cultural impact would not have been possible without the people who generously shared their experiences. In particular, I would like to thank Anne Bright, Tiffany Bright, Alpheus Chewning Jr., Jan Dool, Al Henley, Ann Henley, Carson Hudson Jr., Sheila Marie Khan, Molly Kratt, Caroline Leibowitz, Hylin McAndrews, Dave McIntosh, Jay Nixon, Robert Randall Jr., Mark Reed, Gerry Richter, Abigail Schumann, Barbette Spaeth, Jim Waterfield, and Nancy White. I am equally grateful to Annmarie Riley, Madeline Laing, and Miriam Jackson at the Virginia Beach History Museums, Kendal Bazemore at the Hampton History Museums, and Crystal Parker at Virginia Beach’s Princess Anne Area Library for inviting me to public events that allowed me to share my research and to hear from such a wide audience. I would also like to thank Gary Kline, Kathy Hessmer, and the members of Old Donation Episcopal Church’s Historic Traditions Committee for inviting me to share what I had learned about their parish’s connection to Grace Sherwood. My research trips were generously supported by the John Fox Slater Fund for Historical Research at Eastern Connecticut State University and an AAUP-CSU Faculty Research Grant. Eastern Connecticut State University provided additional support by giving me a sabbatical that allowed me to write this book.

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I would have been lost without the amazing administrative support given by Alicia Chandler, Beth Leslie, and Brenda Schiavetti. I am also fortunate to have the support of my wonderful colleagues at Eastern. Thomas Balcerski, Courtney Broscious, Caitlin Carenen, J. J. Cobb, James Diller, David Frye, Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann, and Jamel Ostwald have been an endless source of encouragement. Jamel was also kind enough to supervise an independent study with Andrew Raymond, who created chapter 1’s map using our department’s digital history lab. I still do not know how Andrew did such phenomenal work based off the few vague descriptions I gave him, and I cannot wait to see what he accomplishes in the future. Furthermore, I am lucky to be part of a department that includes Stacey Close, Bradley Davis, and Barbara Tucker. I am equally lucky to have the support of amazing friends and family. I appreciate Patrick Cooney and Frederic Tate taking time to read the chapters of this book as I wrote them and finding ways to gently point out when I was sounding too much like a college professor. Ben and Anna Matchett were among the first people I mentioned this project to, and they immediately saw its potential. Not only have all four of them helped make this book come to fruition, but I have been fortunate enough to have them as friends for more than twenty years. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Kenney Cobb, Laura Diller, Adam Goetz, Michael and Susan Matchett, Derek Morrissey, and Marion Waggoner for their support. Shannon and Robert Bunch never hesitated to provide a place to stay during last-minute research trips, and I benefited enormously from Nancy McEwen’s friendships in Pungo. My father, Victor, and my sister, Mandie, have provided a lifetime of encouragement. Lastly, I would like to thank my spouse, Michael, for his unwavering support. I am lucky to have you in my life.

Author’s Note

Piecing together the history of Grace Sherwood has been an interesting puzzle to solve. Historians generally rely on two types of sources for their research: documents and artifacts from the period they are studying, and the work of other historians. This second group not only makes it possible to see what ground has already been covered, but it also provides essential context that may not be in the primary sources. When looking for information about Grace Sherwood, books about colonial Virginia and the history of witch trials offer important background information, but they do not provide much about her or her trial. For these details, interested readers usually turn to local authors. Over the decades there have been countless newspaper articles, book chapters, and story collections written about Virginia’s most famous witch. But the history of Grace Sherwood is so intertwined with her legend that it can be difficult for writers to see the line between the two. It is not uncommon for them to incorporate details, quotations, and descriptions that have long been taken as fact but do not have a clear point of origin. As a result, I have relied almost exclusively on colonial documents when discussing Sherwood’s history. I have only used information from secondary sources when the author provides clear citations or to help situate Sherwood’s life within its historical context.

While looking through historical records, I have tried to uncover every piece of information I can about Sherwood, her family, her accusers, and anyone else connected to the trial. In doing so, I have been able to partially reconstruct the family and community ties that were so influential to the course of events that led to her ducking. I have also used these documents to provide a glimpse into the lives of Sherwood and her neighbors. I am the first to admit that the sources we have are an imperfect lens into this world. For the most part, the only documents we have from Virginia’s earliest English communities are government records, like land grants and deeds, tax records, and court transcripts. This information can tell us an enormous amount of information about someone, but it does not tell us much about who he or she was as a person. Imagine if, three hundred years from now, historians were writing about our lives and could only use IRS records and court transcripts. There would be many blank spaces left behind.

Whenever possible, I have directly quoted these documents. When doing so, I have modernized the language and grammar to make the quotations easier to understand. I have used the current spelling of words, spelled out abbreviations, and replaced archaic pronouns like ye with their modern equivalents. I have also standardized the spelling of names. It was not unusual for clerks to spell names differently (even in the same document), or for the spelling of family names to change over time. To avoid confusion, I have stuck to a single spelling. On a related note, unless I am directly quoting an author who has used a different variation, I have standardized the name of Witchduck and used its modern spelling. Similarly, I have used the term Pungo/Back Bay to refer to the southern section of Virginia Beach where Grace Sherwood once lived. Having grown up taking frequent trips to the county, I know settling on a name for this area is the topic of frequent debate, and I beg the forgiveness of anyone who would have used something different.

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When I began working on this book, I knew that the history of Grace Sherwood was only part of the story. Her legend and cultural impact are just as significant as the history of her life. Tracing the evolution of her legend has been as interesting of a puzzle to solve as uncovering her past. I began by reading modern versions of her legend and talking with longtime residents of Virginia Beach to collect stories firsthand. This process allowed me to see how they are currently being told, but it could not help me see the ways in which they have changed over time. In a perfect world, folklorists would have been collecting and recording these tales for generations, but since this did not happen, I had to rely on written versions. As with colonial records, I have tried to find every published version of Sherwood’s story possible. In doing so, I have relied heavily on the amazing work of countless librarians, archivists, and scholars who have done the painstaking task of digitizing books, magazines, newspapers, and other printed materials. The second and third part of this book would have been impossible without these advances in the digital humanities. They have allowed me to find long-hidden, obscure references to Grace Sherwood that appear in books written more than a century ago. They have also made it possible to examine hundreds of articles from newspapers across the country. These searches have not only allowed me to uncover countless versions of Sherwood’s legend that might have otherwise been overlooked, but they have helped me to discover community events, public performances, and other programs that demonstrate Sherwood’s cultural impact on the area. Putting together the pieces of these puzzles has been a rewarding experience, and I am excited to share what I have found.

The Witch of Pungo

Introduction

Soon after crossing into Virginia Beach on Interstate 264, drivers see exit signs for Witchduck Road. While more than one confused traveler has imagined a duck wearing a witch’s hat flying on a broomstick, for most, the name evokes the grim scenario of innocent women being thrown into the nearby waters to drown. Unjustly accused of witchcraft, they were the apparent victims of a backward and superstitious time. In 2008, this mental image was horrific enough to prompt Midge Wilson to write a letter to the Virginian-Pilot, the area’s local newspaper. The Chicago native often came to Virginia Beach on vacation and could not comprehend why the city would commemorate such barbarity. Nor could she understand why others were not shocked by the road’s incredibly offensive name when she could not help but cringe . . . every time [she] drove the road. She was stunned that a spot where innocent women were drowned for, well, for being innocent (the guilty ones floated and then were burned alive at the stake) continues to be seen as quaint. It was time for the city to reject a name that commemorated a spot where women were needlessly tortured.¹

Locals rushed to defend Witchduck by writing letters of their own. One pointed out that in fact only one witch, Grace Sherwood, was ducked at Witchduck, and she was well worth remembering. She was probably one of the first feminists in the New World. She forswore dresses for her husband’s trousers; she was independent, feisty, and beautiful. Her rejection of the status quo caused her to be accused of witchcraft, but even ducking could not break her. Not only did she survive, she swam away and lived her life on her own terms to a ripe old age.² Witchduck commemorated this sensational woman. The swift defense of the road’s name is not surprising. Even though Grace Sherwood has been dead for almost three hundred years, her fame still resonates throughout the area.

Visitors wanting to see where Sherwood was ducked only need to exit the interstate at Witchduck Road. Pushing past the seemingly endless construction and snarled traffic, they will eventually reach the Witch Duck Point neighborhood about a mile before the road ends at the banks of the Lynnhaven River. If they talk to locals, these visitors will hear that in 1706, when the city of Virginia Beach was still Princess Anne County, Sherwood was brought to that spot, had her hands tied to her feet, was rowed into the water, and was thrown overboard. As she flailed, dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of onlookers eagerly watched to see if Sherwood would float, which would confirm her guilt, or if she would have to be pulled from the water before she drowned. Even though no one knows exactly where along the Lynnhaven River Sherwood was ducked, almost every homeowner living along the riverfront will swear it happened on his or her property.³

Locals have referred to the area as Witchduck for generations, and in the 1960s, savvy developers, eager to capitalize on the name, began peppering it with roads like Sherwood Lane and Shaman Crescent.⁴ Memorials to Grace Sherwood stand along these roads, permanent reminders of her significance to the city. The first is a highway marker installed by Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources in 2002 near a busy intersection along Witchduck Road. Titled The Testing of Grace Sherwood, the metal sign succinctly reads:

The witchcraft case of Grace Sherwood is one of the best known in Virginia. She was accused of bewitching a neighbor’s crop in 1698. Allegations grew over time until the Princess Anne County government and her accusers decided she would be tested by ducking, since water was considered pure and would not permit a witch to sink into its depths. Sherwood’s accusers on 10 July 1706 tied her hands to her feet and dropped her into the Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River near what is now known as Witch Duck Point. Sherwood floated, a sign of guilt. She was imprisoned, but was eventually released. Sherwood lived the rest of her life quietly and died by 1740.⁵

A statue of Grace Sherwood stands directly behind this marker on land owned by Sentara Bayside Hospital. Since there is nothing from the time to suggest what Grace Sherwood looked like, the artist drew from local tradition when sculpting it. According to long-standing belief, Sherwood was strikingly beautiful, and recently she has developed a reputation for being a healer and a friend to animals. As a result, her statue depicts a kind and attractive woman holding a basket of herbs with a racoon as her companion. A plaque describing her ducking is mounted on the statue’s base, along with a bronze replica of the 2006 letter from Governor Tim Kaine restoring the good name of Grace Sherwood.

The way this statue blends legend and history is a fitting tribute to Sherwood. She has been an essential part of the cultural fabric of Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County, always blurring the line between fact and fiction. Grace Sherwood was undoubtedly a real woman who was the only suspected witch in Virginia known to have endured a trial by water. This strange event left an immediate impact on the area, generating tales about the ducking and Sherwood herself. These stories became a vital part of local folklore, passed down over generations and changing with the times in which they were told. As is often the case with folktales, some elements of these stories might have kernels of truth, but it is impossible to tell which ones. Over time, even these pieces of fact faded into legend. As Grace Sherwood drifted into local lore, these tales kept her memory alive. As a result, when historians began sifting through the county’s colonial records in the nineteenth century, they knew to look for information about her. They were eager to see what they could discover about the legendary witch of Witchduck.

Figure 1. Highway marker describing Grace Sherwood’s trial by water in Virginia Beach. (Author’s photograph)

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From these documents it is possible to piece together information about the actual Grace Sherwood and to separate history from folklore. They reveal a woman who, by all accounts, lived the typical life of a Virginia farmer before she became embroiled in a series of conflicts with her neighbors. When these disputes led to allegations that Sherwood was a witch, she and her husband sued those neighbors for defamation and slander. These actions did not quell the rumors; instead, they only intensified until Sherwood was formally accused of bewitching Elizabeth Hill in 1706. Formal witch trials were rare in Princess Anne County, making Sherwood’s case an anomaly. After a few halting starts, the county justices failed to resolve the matter in a timely manner. When Virginia’s attorney general encouraged them to redouble their efforts and find evidence that could determine Sherwood’s guilt or innocence, they resorted to the unorthodox decision to use a trial by water. After she was bound and cast into the Lynnhaven River, the justices determined that she floated contrary to custom.⁶ This outcome put Sherwood in a precarious position, but it was not a formal conviction. It was only additional evidence that could be used in a future trial, and it is not clear if this trial ever took place. While there is nothing to indicate that the county court held an additional hearing, the matter could have been referred to the General Court in Williamsburg. Because those records were destroyed, the ultimate outcome of Sherwood’s witch trial will always be a mystery. All that can be said for certain is that she was back on her farm soon after her ducking and lived until 1740.

The outcome of Sherwood’s trial is only one of the many gaps left by surviving documents. While the transcripts for her slander trials give some indication of what neighbors believed Sherwood could do with witchcraft, it is not clear why Elizabeth Hill thought Grace Sherwood had bewitched her. These missing details pale in comparison to the information lacking about Sherwood herself. While wills, deeds, and court documents can explain her socioeconomic status, they reveal nothing about who she was as a person. They also do not explain why so many neighbors suspected her of witchcraft. As a result, the real Grace Sherwood remains hidden. Contextualizing her story within the broader history of witch trials in Europe and North America can suggest potential answers to these questions, however. Even though every case and jurisdiction is unique, the work of researchers studying these trials reveals certain commonalities that help to explain what sort of people were typically accused of performing witchcraft. This research also shows how disputes among neighbors could escalate into these allegations. Furthermore, it makes it possible to understand how English belief in witches shaped the way Sherwood and her neighbors saw their world.

While folding Sherwood’s case into this wider historical context can fill some of the holes left by surviving records, it also makes this context richer. Because witch trials in Virginia were so rare, they have largely been overshadowed by the more numerous and better-documented trials that occurred in New England and in Europe. Sherwood’s ducking provides the perfect opportunity to broaden this focus, folding a region that is generally overlooked into the conversation. At the same time, it also deepens our understanding of life in colonial Virginia. For the most part, cases like Sherwood’s have been treated like strange curiosities rather than a reflection of seventeenth-century society. Understanding this trial and its connection to Virginia’s social, political, and cultural development creates a more nuanced picture of that world.

For the most part, these are benefits to historians and people interested in history. For people interested in Grace Sherwood, thoroughly examining the surviving records and incorporating them into their historical context has an additional value. These documents offer a more complete picture of who Sherwood and her accusers were and provide information that has been missing from the story. Even though copies of Sherwood’s trial records, will, and land deeds have been available since the 1890s, other important documents have been hiding in plain sight, waiting to be found. Previous researchers have almost completely overlooked documents about Sherwood’s accusers and others involved in the trial. These sources offer a wealth of information, revealing important family and community ties that undoubtedly influenced the course of events. From these records it is possible to see which parts of the Sherwood story that have become so essential to local tradition are grounded in verifiable fact and which are the product of legends.

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Because Grace Sherwood has been such an important part of Princess Anne County’s and Virginia Beach’s culture, the scope of these legends is immense. A rich collection of tales has emerged about Sherwood and her ducking, adding the texture missing from known facts. Many of these stories developed well before Sherwood’s trial records were uncovered in the nineteenth century, meaning that for generations, they were the only source of information locals had about the strange events that occurred at Witchduck. Once the facts revealed by the historical record became widely known, legends adapted to incorporate these details into the story. The result has been the creation of tales that are a hybrid blend of folklore and history. In some cases, it is easy to separate fact from fiction. Some of the oldest and most popular legends about Sherwood are obviously fantastical. Few telling them would believe that she had the power to sail to England in a single night using nothing more than an eggshell. Nor do they consider stories of Sherwood flying with the assistance of enchanted pewter plates or dancing with the devil to be true. These tales are accepted as entertaining pieces of local tradition.

The distinction between legend and history is less clear when considering details that are grounded in reality. Was Sherwood an attractive yet unconventional woman who evoked both jealousy and contempt from her neighbors? Was she an herbalist who served her community as a midwife, only to be rejected and persecuted by the same people she healed? Was she left to languish in jail for more than seven years before finally being released once Virginia’s governor realized the injustice she endured? Is she the only Virginian convicted of performing witchcraft? According to long-standing belief, the answer to each of these questions is yes. Since these details are intertwined with information gleaned from surviving records, they are accepted as truth even though they cannot be proven. The fact that these legends have been shared for decades by family and friends, the media, local historians, and community leaders has given them even more credence. While each of these legends