Alice Kyteler and the Kilkenny Witch Trials

Oct 1, 2025

Delve into the tumultuous tale of Alice Kyteler, a 14th-century Irish figure embroiled in a witchcraft trial marked by personal vendettas. Discover her intriguing background, including multiple marriages and inherited wealth. Uncover how Bishop Ledred leveraged demonic pacts to escalate accusations against her, influenced by medieval heresy notions. Explore the chaotic legal battle that ensued, featuring forced confessions and stark class-based disparities in punishment. Reflect on Alice's fate after the trial and modern commemorations of these historical events.

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INSIGHT

Heresy Became The Legal Frame For Witchcraft

Church authorities in the 14th century conflated heresy with witchcraft, making occult accusations matters of faith rather than just civil crimes.
Ecclesiastical law treated witchcraft as heresy before secular witchcraft laws existed in Ireland.

ANECDOTE

Alice's Wealth And Multiple Widower Marriages

Alice Kyteler married multiple wealthy men and repeatedly inherited sudden fortunes after their unexpected deaths.
Her rising wealth included lending money to King Edward II and owning an inn still operating today.

INSIGHT

Imported Demonology Fueled Local Accusations

Bishop Richard de Ledrede brought continental demonology motifs into Irish prosecutions, intensifying allegations of diabolical pacts.
His actions mirror papal concerns under John XXII about supposed magical attacks on church figures.

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Alice Kyteler's witchcraft trial shocked 14th century Ireland. Today, the charges against her are seen largely as nonsense, and more about personal vendettas and struggles for power.

Research:

Bailey, Michael D. “HISTORICAL DICTIONARY of WITCHCRAFT.” Scarecrow Press. 2003.
Callan, Maeve Brigid. “The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish: Vengeance and Heresy in Medieval Ireland.” Cornell University Press. 2015.
“Dame Alice Kyteler.” Historic Kilkenny. https://www.historickilkenny.com/alice-kyteler
Iribarren, Isabel. “Black Magic to Heresy: A Doctrinal Leap in the Pontificate of John XXII.” Church History , Mar., 2007, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Mar., 2007), pp. 32-60. Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Society of Church History. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27644923
“Kilkenny Witch Trials.” Kilkenny Heritage Forum and Kilkenny Heritage Plan. https://kilkennyheritage.ie/2024/12/kilkenny-witch-trials/#:~:text=On%203rd%20November%201324%2C%20Petronilla,world%20for%20centuries%20to%20come.
Pavlic, Brian A. “Lady Alice Kyteler Is Found Guilty of Witchcraft.” EBSCO. 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/lady-alice-kyteler-found-guilty-witchcraft
Ledrede, Richard. “A contemporary narrative of the proceedings against Dame Alice Kyteler, prosecuted for sorcery in 1324.” London. Printed for the Camden Society, by John Bowyer Nichols and Son. 1843. https://archive.org/details/b33096831/page/n11/mode/2up
“A Medieval History.” Kyteler’s Inn. https://www.kytelersinn.com/history-of-the-inn/
Murphy, Mrs. C.J. “Alice Kyteler.” Old Kilkenny Review. 1953. https://kilkennyarchaeologicalsociety.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/OKR1953-09-Claire-Murphy-Alice-Kyteler.pdf
Neary, Anne. “The Origins and Character of the Kilkenny Witchcraft Case of 1324.” Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature , 1983, Vol. 83C (1983), pp. 333-350. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25506106
Riddell, William Renwick. “First Execution for Witchcraft in Ireland.” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. Vol. 7, Issue 6. 1917. https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/jclc/article/1500/&path_info=83_7JAmInstCrimL_Criminology828_May1916toMarch1917_.pdf
Seymour, John Drelincourt. “Dame Alice Kyteler the Sorceress of Kilkenny A.D. 1324 (Folklore History Series).” Read Books. 2011.
Walsh, James. “The Popes and Science: THE HISTORY OF THE PAPAL RELATIONS TO SCIENCE DURING THE MIDDLE AGES AND DOWN TO OUR OWN TIME.” NEW YORK
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY PRESS. 1915. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34019/34019-h/34019-h.htm
Williams, Bernadette. “The Sorcery Trial of Alice Kyteler.” History Ireland, vol. 2, no. 4, 1994, pp. 20–24. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27724208

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