In 1589 Joan Cunny and her two daughters, Avice and Margaret, all from Stisted, Essex, were charged with witchcraft. Undoubtedly for the two daughters, it was because they both had illegitimate children and lived outside the “norms” of Elizabethan society: a society where it has been estimated that only one to four percent of the population were illegitimate. Joan and Avice were sentenced to hang and Margaret sentenced to one year (and six appearances in the stocks). While Joan was hanged immediately after her trial, Avice had pleaded pregnancy and, as she was found to be pregnant by a jury of matrons, her execution was put off until she had her child. (Dumycz 1)
Overall, since the rich and the powerful sections of Elizabethan society in general were untouchable, the minorities of society were targeted as witches. Similar to the Salem witch trials, these were mostly the old, poor, unprotected, or unchristian women. Only a few men and rich women were targeted during these trials. Out of 270 trials, 247 were women and only 23 were men! Single, or widowed women were the easiest to target. At least any woman who had a man, had some measure of protection (Biles).