Witch's balls were hung in cottage windows in 17th and 18th century England and France to ward away evil spirits and witches and also to eliminate bad fortune. It was believed that the witches would see their reflection in these balls and be scared away. There is also the theory that the name may be derived from ‘Watch Ball’ as their mirrored convex shape creates a reflection of the whole room or the view out of the window which would be useful for spying approaching evil spirits. The last executions for witchcraft in England took place at the Bideford witch trials in Devon, where three women were convicted of sorcery and were then hanged at Exeter on August 25th 1682.