the witch hunts were long gone and yes it was against the law to hang witches so they took a few liberties here!
jennifer
Actually, although most witch hysteria had died down by the early to mid 1700's, persecution and execution of witches continued well into the 19th century - and in some countries, into the 20th! I believe the last known execution in the U.S. was around 1775, and it's not inconceivable that in some remote, isolated villages (like Collinsport) persecution of witches was still going on.
The industrial revolution ended most witch hunts in the modern world, so the 1840 witchcraft trial of Quentin was the
real stretch of the show.