Britain has a long and bloody history of burning people accused of witchcraft at the stake.
About 4,000 were sent to their death in Scotland and 1,000 in England, but curiously just five were killed in Wales.
In his new book, author and historian Phil Carradice tries to unpack this anomaly and finds several explanations.
He believes it is at least in part down to the Welsh language.
"Very few examiners or judges spoke Welsh," said Phil, from Eglwys-Brewis, Vale of Glamorgan.
He also believes it could be explained by many of Wales' small, rural communities being so reliant on their local wise women.
This is an extract from: "Witch hunts: Why were so few 'witches' killed in Wales?" by Nicola Bryan and published by BBC News on March 17th 2024.
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