In Fortean Times 359, Dr Jacob Middleton discusses the lingering impact of belief in witchcraft into the 19th century. In particular, he discusses witch-bleeding: “This practice involved drawing the blood of a supposed witch as a means of dispelling her magical power”.  In the Isle of Man before the first Criminal Code of 1817, this belief had legal potency.

Manx customary law had the doctrine of “bloodwipe” (earlier bloodwite), where drawing blood from a victim was punished by a set fine. The Bystander’s Case of 1581 is recorded in Liber Placitorum (one of the sets of court records of the Manx courts). In that case it was found that bloodwipe was to be excused if the victim had used witchcraft against the defendant, and had spilt their blood in order to cancel the enchantment.

Bloodwipe, and its witch bleeding defence, survived until the first Manx Criminal Code of 1817.