Matthew Hopkins (c. 1620 – 12 August 1647) was a witch-hunter. His 3-year career began in 1645 during the time of the English Civil War and ended in 1647. Matthew and his colleague John Stearne were responsible for the rising number of witch hunts during that time. At the end, more people were hanged for being witches because of Hopkins and Stearnes accusations than in the previous 100 years. It is believed the number of deaths due to them was about 300 women. His witchhunts mainly took place in the eastern counties of Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk, and occasionally in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and Huntingdonshire. 