This was by far the most morbid and sadistic tradition that could be considered as a form of “entertainment” for Medieval brits. You might already be familiar with the association of cats with witches, but are you aware of how far back this association actually goes? Naturally, the concept of witches in ye olde times was no trifling matter: to be accused of witchcraft was a potentially and most often life-ruining occurrence that would often result in imprisonment or execution. Unfortunately, cats were often associated with witches and the devil. As such, felines were often the subject of poor treatment from humans, which gave birth to the tradition of ‘Cat Burning’. The custom typically involved placing cats into a barrel, which would then be strung up from a tree and set alight as a crowd of peasants gathered around and cheered.
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