Belinda Nash

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Belinda Jacqueline Nash (October 27, 1946 – February 16, 2016) was an American historian, author, and activist. She moved from Stratford, Ontario, Canada to Virginia Beach in the 1980s and became fascinated with the name Witchduck Road near her home. Nash spent about 20 years researching Grace Sherwood, the woman who was accused of witchcraft by ducking in Virginia.

With her daughter, Danielle Sheets, she co-wrote the biography A Place in Time: The Age of the Witch of Pungo. Sherwood’s story had earlier appeared in Louisa Venable Kyle’s 1973 children’s book The Witch of Pungo and Other Historical Stories of the Early Colonies.

Nash served on the board of the Ferry Plantation House in Virginia Beach starting in 1996 and became its director in 1999. She often shared Sherwood’s story with visitors in period costume. The annual ducking reenactment continues to take place.

In 2006, Governor Tim Kaine pardoned Grace Sherwood three centuries after the trial, noting progress in women’s rights. The ceremony at the Ferry Plantation House coincided with the re-enactment. Nash also helped raise funds for a bronze statue of Sherwood, which was installed in 2007 at the Sentara Independence outpatient care center on Witchduck Road. In 2014, a memorial marker was placed at the Old Donation Episcopal Church’s herb garden, where Sherwood once worshipped. Nash welcomed the marker and called it a relief to see it honored.

Belinda Nash died on February 16, 2016, after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 69.