The 17th-century London suburb once haunted by witches and wizards
In short: Long before it became a bustling London shopping hub, Edmonton was a rural landscape defined by the supernatural. From theatrical tales of wizards to the real-life execution of a woman accused of witchcraft, the town's history is far more mysterious than its modern urban skyline suggests.
In the 1600s, Edmonton held a reputation for the supernatural. Around 1600, a play titled *The Merry Devil of Edmonton* was performed in London, centered on a wizard residing in the area. The era's darker side was captured in 1621 with the story of Elizabeth Sawyer. Accused of witchcraft by local villagers, Sawyer was executed at Tyburn, a tragedy immortalized in Henry Goodcole's pamphlet and the play *The Witch of Edmonton].
The town's identity has shifted dramatically through centuries of structural change. Originally recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as 'Adelmetone'—an estate belonging to a man named Ēadhelm—it transitioned from a rural village to an industrial center. The arrival of the railway in 1840 and the 1872 expansion of the high-level station at Edmonton Green triggered rapid growth, bringing a working-class population and a raucous market culture characterized by costermongers and traveling circuses.
This evolution continued through the 20th century, marked by massive redevelopment and shifting demographics. Following the 1965 local government reforms, Edmonton was absorbed into the London Borough of Enfield. While the mid-century saw the construction of large-scale council housing and tower blocks, recent decades have seen a profound demographic transformation. Driven by increased immigration, the town has transitioned from a predominantly white area to one of the most ethnimentally diverse in England, with the 2011 census showing a significant shift in the ethnic makeup of its wards.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Edmonton, London
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