The Witch of Pungo: The True Story of Grace Sherwood
More than three centuries ago, a Virginia woman was bound, placed in the Lynnhaven River and subjected to a test with an impossible outcome.
If she sank, she was innocent.
If she floated, she was a witch.
Her name was Grace Sherwood, and what happened to her in 1706 became one of Virginia's most enduring legends.
Today she's remembered as the Witch of Pungo. But behind the nickname is the story of a real woman, a real trial and a chapter of Virginia history that's strange enough without adding anything to it.
Before She Became the Witch of Pungo
Grace Sherwood was born around 1660 and lived with her husband, James, and their three sons in Pungo, then part of Princess Anne County.
By 1698, neighbors were already accusing Grace of witchcraft. Among the claims were that she had bewitched pigs and crops and even transformed herself into a black cat. Grace and her husband fought back by suing their accusers for defamation and slander—but they lost.
After James died, the accusations didn't disappear.
In January 1706, neighbor Luke Hill formally accused Grace of witchcraft, setting in motion the case that would make her famous.
The Trial by Water
Colonial authorities struggled with what to do with Grace. Her case moved through the courts, and she was even examined by a jury of women searching her body for supposed signs of witchcraft.
Eventually, the court ordered an extraordinary test.
On July 10, 1706, Grace was taken onto a branch of the Lynnhaven River. Her hands and feet were bound, and she was put into the water to see whether she would sink or float.
The belief behind the test was chillingly simple: pure water would reject a witch.
Grace floated.
What Happened to Grace?
Grace survived the ordeal but was jailed afterward. The court ordered that she remain in custody pending another trial, although surviving records don't reveal whether that second trial ever occurred.
What we do know is that Grace eventually regained her freedom. By 1714, her land had been restored to her, and she returned to her farm.
She lived for many more years and died around 1740, approximately eighty years old.
Where History Became Legend
Over the centuries, the facts surrounding Grace Sherwood became intertwined with folklore.
Stories portrayed her as a healer, an herbalist and a woman with an unusual connection to animals and nature. Those details helped create the popular image of the Witch of Pungo—but historians caution that the surviving records don't actually establish them.
What is documented is remarkable enough: Grace was accused of witchcraft, subjected to a water test, imprisoned and ultimately survived it all.
Even today, her story remains embedded in Virginia Beach. Names such as Witchduck Road and Witchduck Point preserve the memory of the infamous trial.
Three Hundred Years Later
On July 10, 2006—exactly 300 years after Grace's trial by water—Virginia Governor Tim Kaine formally restored her good name. Virginia Beach also declared July 10 Grace Sherwood Day.
A bronze statue honoring Grace was unveiled in Virginia Beach the following year.
Three centuries after neighbors called her a witch, Grace Sherwood is remembered very differently.
Not simply as the Witch of Pungo.
But as the woman behind the legend.
