Anybody know much about the history of the Witch Hunters? How long have they been around? Any idea if any organizations/groups predated them?
jh
History of the Witch Hunters: who predated them?
There's quite a bit of text (couple of pages worth). Check out Tome of Blessings starting on page 28 sections titled 'Witch Hunters', 'Agents of the Empire' and 'Judge Jury and Excecutioner'. Its neat to note that the same year Magnus the Pious ratified the Wizard colleges of Altdorf, is the year he built the institution of the Witch Hunters.
In "The Witch Hunters Handbook" is chapter with Chronology of the Empire. And there we can fnd out that 30 years before Sigmar was crowed as the Emperor lived Wolfgart Krieger. Wolfgart helped Sigmar it the battle with Nagash and for that he was rewarded. Sigmar initiated him as the head of a new secret order called Order Of The Silver Hammer. Wolfgart also recieved some secret items of power and mystery to keep them secret. This was the founding of the Order. Some time after that the order changed his name for The Holy Order of the Templars of Sigmar but for many those are just Witch Hunters. The man who changed the secret order into a arm of state was Magnus the Pious in the year 2304 by the Empire Calendar.
So even at the time of Sigmar the order existed and was originaly found by Sigmar. 
ffgfan said:
In "The Witch Hunters Handbook" is chapter with Chronology of the Empire. And ther we can fnd out that 30 years before Sigmar was crowed as the Emperor lived Wolfgart Krieger. Wolfgart helped Sogmar it the battle with Nagash and for that he was rewarded. Sigmar initiated his as the head of a new secret order called Order Of The Silver Hammer. Wolfgart also recieved some secret items of power and mystery to keep them secret. This was the founding of the Order. Some time after that the order changed his name for The Holy Order of the Templars of Sigmar but for many those are just Witch Hunters. So even at the time of Sigmar the order existed and was originaly found by Sigmar.
Yep, the name change came about when Magnus the Pious made them public knowledge in 2304 following the great war against chaos, which is why for the general empire citizen Magnus the Pious "Created" the witch hunters. Politically, i guess Magnus wanted a way to temper the newly founded colleges but also wanted overall control, and hence made the witchhunters a secular order of state.