Maidstone Women's Pardon

The Maidstone Borough Council in England is campaigning for a general pardon for women executed under the Witchcraft Act of 1562, including those hanged at Penenden Heath in 1652. This follows similar efforts in Scotland and other parts of the UK to acknowledge and rectify historical injustices against vulnerable individuals, particularly women, who were persecuted and executed for witchcraft. The council argues that these convictions, stemming from a period of intense fear and violence against women, represent a significant injustice that continues to resonate and demands recognition and redress. They cite precedents of posthumous pardons, such as those granted to Alan Turing and other individuals convicted under discriminatory laws, as justification for seeking a similar outcome for the women of Maidstone.