Time Capsule: 1649

January 30, 1649 - "Of the Witch-Finder, and the Troubles He Brought" reads the chapter title of a moldy manuscript tucked away within Barnavelt Manor, near Dinsdale in Sussex. Lewis Barnavelt learns of his magical ancestry: Puritans of olde believed strongly against witches and warlocks, leading some people to go into business as witch-finders - drifting through duchies and traipsing through towns, exposing men and women for practicing their evil sorcery.

Malachiah Pruitt was one such witch-finder. Before taking Lewis' distant relative, Martin, to trial, Pruitt assisted with the capture and execution of King Charles I.

Now, whether a Royalist or a Roundhead ye be, today is the 358th anniversary of the execution of Charles I, which lead to English Interregnum and the rise of power of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell.

Enough with the English history lesson – read about Lewis's run-ins with Pruitt in The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder.