Daniel Gardner | The Three Witches from Macbeth, 1775

The notion of a witch, formerly a symbol of pagan ritual and spirituality, became synonymous with the persecuted brewers. The title describes self-sufficient female brewers who became prevalent following the Black Death — as people died, families collapsed and women had to fill traditionally male roles — but were soon seen as scourges of society by the establishment because they earned their own money, wielded power and had no need to marry.