Helen Duncan: Silencing the Spiritualists – The Last Witch Trial in Britain (1944)
For centuries, those with spiritual gifts—psychics, mediums, healers—have faced persecution. The suppression of spiritual wisdom, particularly when practiced by women, has been a recurring theme throughout history. While witch trials are often associated with the distant past, one of the last convictions under Britain’s Witchcraft Act of 1735 occurred not in medieval times, but as recently as 1944. The woman at the center of it? Helen Duncan, a Scottish spiritual medium whose trial was less about justice and more about silencing spiritualists and women whose power was seen as inconvenient.
Who Was Helen Duncan?
Helen Duncan was known as a gifted medium, famous for her ability to conduct séances and communicate with spirits. Born in Scotland in 1897, she gained a reputation for her séances, in which she allegedly manifested ectoplasm and received messages from the deceased. Her work, however, challenged the status quo—particularly during World War II, when secrecy and control were paramount to the British government.
The Séance That Led to Her Arrest
In 1941, during a séance in Portsmouth, Duncan revealed the sinking of HMS Barham, a British battleship. At the time, this information was classified, and the British government had not yet publicly announced the ship’s fate. Rather than acknowledging the possibility that she had genuine psychic abilities, authorities feared the influence of spiritualists and sought to discredit and suppress her gifts.
Despite no evidence that she was a spy or had obtained information through unlawful means, she was arrested in 1944 and charged under the Witchcraft Act—a desperate attempt to control and diminish the power of spiritual women.
A Trial Rooted in Fear and Suppression
Helen Duncan’s trial was not just about her séances; it was about erasing spiritual authority from those who challenged traditional structures of power. The government, still entrenched in wartime secrecy, saw her abilities as a threat to their control. Instead of recognizing her spiritual practice, they weaponized an outdated Witchcraft Act to discredit her. She was sentenced to nine months in prison, not because she had done anything truly criminal, but because her abilities—and the rising influence of spiritual women—were inconvenient to those in power.
The Lasting Impact
Duncan’s conviction fueled resistance to these oppressive laws, and in 1951, Britain repealed the Witchcraft Act, replacing it with the Fraudulent Mediums Act—a reluctant acknowledgment that mediumship was not witchcraft, but a practice that could no longer be criminalized.
Her case serves as a reminder that spiritual practitioners—especially women—have long been silenced, ridiculed, and persecuted when their power threatened societal control. Even in modern history, authorities sought to erase the influence of those who dared to connect with the unseen.
She Wasn’t a Threat—She Was a Force They Feared
Helen Duncan wasn’t a fraud or a criminal—she was a woman standing in her power, and that was enough to make her a target. Whether she truly communicated with spirits or not, her story represents the ongoing struggle of spiritualists to reclaim their rightful place in the world.
🔮 What do you think? Was Helen Duncan unjustly prosecuted to suppress spiritual women, or was there more at play? Let’s discuss in the comments!
