Nowell was a fervent Protestant, and likely knew that incriminating Catholics for witchcraft would score him some valuable favour with the king and those in London. Since 1612 shes often been remembered as an evil child who turned on her own family which seems like a particularly unfair accusation when so many members of her family had already accused each other of the crimes that led to the trials in the first place and its true that there didnt appear to be any closeness or affection within the Device household. The Pendle Witches: 12 Disturbing Details About the Notorious 17th Anna Whitelock explains how the 17th century saw the birth of the modern world and how vital a role the Stuart dynasty played in forging it. The accusations on the Chattox family seem to have been an act of revenge. James had tried to kill himself in prison and was insensible and unable to stand at the time of his trial. Chattox was alleged to have desecrated graves in this churchyard to collect skulls and teeth. While . Where previously children were not trusted to give evidence, they could now be called upon in the courts of law and taken as serious witnesses. In 1601 a member of Chattoxs family broke into Malkin Tower, the home of the Devices, and stole goods worth around 117 in the modern-day the grudge this most likely fostered would prove deadly. She lived with her daughter, Elizabeth Device, and Elizabeths children James, Alizon, and Jennet, and it was not considered unusual that the whole family believed in magic and that they could use it. However, the overwhelming impression these descriptions give to the modern eye is rather more pitiable. On March 30, 1612, he paid a visit to Pendles local magistrate, Roger Nowell, at his home Read Hall on the edge of Pendle Forest. To keep her fellow Catholics safe, Alice said nothing at all aside from pleading not guilty at her trial. The pedlar collapsed and his son reported it to an ambitious local magistrate, Roger Nowell. From a modern perspective, the so-called 'witch crazes' can be difficult to understand. The meeting was in all probability entirely innocent: a gathering of friends and neighbors comforting the distraught Elizabeth Device about the imprisonment of her mother and eldest daughter. Yep, sadly, Cavill's time as Geralt will end after this last batch of season 3 episodes. 9 Weird Welsh Mythical Creatures that will blow your mind. In the case of Elizabeth and James Device, the final nail in their coffins was dealt by their daughter and sister. Bell Witch Cave. The king himself had been raised to suspect the wicked ways of Catholics such as his mother Mary, Queen of Scots, and when the Catholic-led Gunpowder Plot was discovered in 1605 James assimilation of Catholicism with untrustworthiness only intensified. Jennet gave evidence against those who attended the meeting at Malkin Tower but also against her mother, sister and brother! Subscribe to get Spooky Isles' free newsletter in your inbox every Friday! RICK HALE tells the terrifying spectre of a grinning floating head haunts the Ye Olde Cock Tavern on Fleet Street, London. Wigington, Patti. Courtesy of Laura Hill. The Witch House. A constable finds human bones and teeth stolen from graveyard at St Marys and a clay image. Elizabeth Device is similarly pitiful. On a cold lonely road to Colne on a March day in 1612 a man collapsed to the ground paralysed. King James survived two conspiracies against him in the first year of his reign alone. The Witches in Well Tower During these revelations, James Device admitted that, like his sister Alison, he had been initiated into witchcraft by his grandmother. Read about our approach to external linking. Get time period newsletters, special offers and weekly programme release emails. "The Pendle Witches." Alongside the Pendle witches, the trials encompassed a host of other accused witches, including the Samlesbury witches and the Padiham witch, indicating just how severe the witchcraft hysteria was at the time. It is important to understand the background to the events of these trials. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The Incredible Story of William J. Bankes - Adventurer, Collector, Spy, A Tudor Discovery Thomas Cromwells Prayer Book, The Lost Sailors - Solving a World War II Mystery, Castles That Made Britain Ludlow Castle, 10 Facts About the Battle of Normandy Following D-Day. The remaining nine were hanged on 20 August 1612. I have seen her spirit in the likeness of a brown dog, which she calls Ball. Why Was Charlie Chaplin Investigated by the FBI? A local constable heard rumours of a meeting of witches, so arrested everyone present. It was rebuilt in 1740, with the incorporation of an evil eye in its turret to protect the area from the influence of witches and still visible to this day. All the accused swung from the gallows, except for Demdike, who died as a prisoner before the trial. Jennet Device was calm and convincing in her testimony against her mother, brother and neighbours. Did a Mysterious Ghost Lady Foretell Tragic Fate? James Device explained the purpose of the meeting. He regularly writes short stories for the Lancashire Evening Post and was recently included in the anthology His Red Eyes Again, published by The Dracula Society (and available on Amazon.) Villagers dubbed Demdike a "cunning woman". To understand why the case of the Pendle witches took place as well as other trials of the era its important to understand the political and social environment of the time. Should big tech be able to read people's messages? Elizabeth Device also pleaded not guilty, to the deaths of James and John Robinson, who she was said to have killed because they insulted her. In the case of Lancaster that was just twice a year. The dog did ask what she would have him do, and she answered that she would have him help her to kill.. Shed died in the horrid conditions at Lancaster Castle while awaiting the assizes. Twenty years after the trial she too was accused of witchcraft along with 16 others by 10-year-old Edmund Robinson. There's also a short trail in Nelson Park called the Vicky Witch Trail. Anna Whitelock explains how the 17th century saw the birth of the modern world and how vital a role the Stuart dynasty played in forging it.Listen Now. On April 3rd 1612 Demdike, Chattox, Device, and Redfearn are committed for trial for witchcraft at Lancaster Castle. He would not give her the pins that her grandmother wanted for a spell. Alice Nutter, from a respectable land-owning family, her sister-in-law, nephew and friend were among those arrested. Jennet lived with her mother Elizabeth, her grandmother Demdike, older sister Alizon and brother James in the shadow of the Pendle hill. The first The court transcript of the witch trial are available on line. Some of the Pendle witches seemed to be genuinely convinced of their guilt whereas others fought to clear their names. She said her familiar, a black dog had appeared to her after Law rebuffed her. Jennet's evidence in the 1612 Pendle witch trial in Lancashire led to the execution of 10 people, including all of her own family. W hen he climbed to the top of Pendle Hill in 1652, dissenter George Fox had a life-altering vision of the world calling for "a great people to be gathered". The families had been feuding for years, perhaps since one of the Chattox family broke into Malkin Tower (the home of the Demdikes) and stole goods to the value of 1 (approximately the equivalent of 100 now). Edmund eventually admitted lying because of the stories he had heard about the Pendle witch trial. When John entered the court, it is documented that Alizon fell to her knees, confessed and burst into tears. Who was accused in the Pendle witch trials? - Wise-Answer Here Alizon confessed to have sold her soul to the Devil, with James also claiming she had bewitched a local child. "The Pendle Witches." Anne Redferne and her mother Chattox were two of those accused of being Pendle witches, The Salem witch trials allowed evidence from children after Jennet Device set the precedent, Pendle now trades on its infamous past with witch tours and the image of witches appear on the local bus service and beer, See inside Jenin refugee camp after Israeli assault. Her life and death are commemorated by a statue in the village of Roughlee in the Pendle district of Lancashire. They were the result of the mysterious murders of ten people. In The Wonderful Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster, Potts recounted how Jennet's mother Elizabeth screamed out when her daughter entered the court. You can retrace their steps on our Pendle Witches Walking Trail, or the Pendle Witches Road Trail, as well as the Pendle Sculpture Trail, where you have to find our witches dotted through the woodland. With three admittances of guilt, its no surprise that Nowell sent all four women Demdike and her granddaughter Alizon, and Chattox and her daughter Anne to Lancaster Castle to await an official trial at the next assizes. "It was a mandate for the British to fight witches," explains Prof Ronald Hutton from the University of Bristol. The hamlet contains the Nutter family grave where Alice may have been secretly interned. Alizon continued to admit her guilt, and old Demdike did not appear at the trial. While there have also been reportings of the so-called witches at St Mary's Parish Church in Pendle. Early Modern witch trials - The National Archives The same was to prove true for most of the Lancashire witches. Of these 12 people, 9 were sentenced to death after being found guilty of performing witchcraft. This one series of trials in the summer of 1612 therefore accounts for 2% of all witches executed. She repeated her story: she had met John Law on the Colne Road, she had asked him for some pins, and he had refused. See answer (1) Best Answer Copy Yes, ten of the eleven accused were hung. Although there were certainly other witchcraft trials taking place in England during the fifteenth to eighteenth century, it was rare for so many people to be accused and tried at once, and even more unusual for so many people to be sentenced to execution. Alizon Device was one of those who believed in her own powers and was also the only one on trial who was faced with one of their victims, John Law. It was good Friday, the day of Christs crucifixion, a day when all good Christians were supposed to be in church. Lancaster has a long and dark history for a relatively small city it wasnt granted city status until the 1930s and Lancaster Castle was still being used as a prison until 2011, 399 years after its most famous occupants were there. The key witness in the case was a nine year old girl, and three of the people executed as a result of her testimony were her own mother, sister and brother. Perhaps this would have been the end of it, to have rooted four witches out of his town would be a success for Nowell, but on Good Friday 10 April 1612 Elizabeth Device organised a meeting at Malkin Tower. With little concrete evidence for some of the accusations, one key witness was called who would change the face of witchcraft proceedings forever: the youngest member of the Device family, 9 year old Jennet. He arrested Alizon, granny Demdike, as well as their neighbours Anne Whittle (also known as Chattox) and her daughter Anne Redferne. Sabden itself is a quaint little east Lancashire town with a couple of pubs and large antique centre. What Led to George, Duke of Clarences Execution by Wine? Find out morehere. The Witcher Season 3, Volume 1 is now streaming on Netflix, which means that Henry Cavill's tenure as Geralt of Rivia is officially coming to an end. James himself advocated for the importance of only punishing those who were guilty, but by torturing and killing so many himself he had already spread fear throughout his country and set an example of what a witch hunt looked like. By James Is rule in 1603, Protestantism was largely the status quo. KELLIE HAULOTTE looks at some British and Irish vampires over the centuries. Beneath the hill lie pretty villages which tell a story of intrigue and witchcraft nearly 400 years old. The protestant king, James I, had just survived the catholic gunpowder plot. Elizabeth, known as Mother Demdike, was in her eighties at the time, and her daughter Elizabeth Device were at the forefront of the investigation. On Good Friday the Demdike and Device families meet at Malkin Tower and feast on stolen mutton. It is not surprising that Pendle Hill is known as the roof of Lancashire. The Pendle Witches: 12 Disturbing Details About the Notorious 17th There are accusations that they were plotting to free the imprisoned women and blow up the castle. After hearing this evidence, the judge detained Alizon, Anne, Old Demdike and Old Chattox and waited for trial. It is said that she and Roger Nowell had a boundary dispute at the time, so her arrest and conviction removed a little problem for him. James supplied the names of the witches in attendance at Malkin Tower that Good Friday. In early modern society there was a genuine fear of witchcraft and those suspected of consorting with the Devil could be put on trial and executed, occasionally in large numbers. On August 17th the trial began. Lancashire had been regarded as a wild and lawless society, possibly related to the general sympathy with the Catholic Church. Twelve women were accused of being a group of witches whose magic spells caused the deaths. This channel is part of the History Hit Network. He described Chattox as very old withered spent & decrepit, her sight almost gone: a dangerous witchher lips ever chattering and walking: but no man knew what. He mocked Elizabeth Device in her turn, saying she was branded with a preposterous mark in nature, her left eye, standing lower than the other; the one looking up, the other looking down, so strangely deformed, as the best that were present did affirm they had not often seen the like.. Colin Weston / Britain on View / Getty Images By Patti Wigington Updated on August 20, 2019 In 1612, a dozen people were accused of using witchcraft to murder ten of their neighbors. This proved to be deadly during the Salem witch trials of 1692 in colonial Massachusetts. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Elizabeth Device soon found her youngest daughter giving evidence against her and her other children, Alizon and James. Although we have such history with the pendle witches and the surrounding ares, very little gets mentioned of where they were hung at Lancaster. Twelve people were accused of witchcraft; one died while held in custody, eleven went to trial. Photographs courtesy of the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board, A Whiter Shade of Fey plant-based myths, flowers and shrubs with white flowers associated with witchcraft, Mother Ludlam was a white witch who kindly lent objects to people with the proviso that the item should be. The witch hunts of the early modern period represent a time fraught with hysteria, borne out of ingrained gender stereotypes, religious discord, and the deep mistrust these fostered. All three were found guilty: Chattoxs own words damned her. Location of Pendle Hill on a map of England The trials of the Pendle witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. Villagers dubbed Demdike a "cunning woman". The king had a reputation as an avid witch-hunter and wrote a book called Demonology. In the case of Lancaster that was just twice a year. Updated: Nov 10, 2022 Lancaster Castle where the Pendle Witches were imprisoned & tried. . The Pendle Witches: 12 Disturbing Details About the Notorious 17th Ultimate Guide To Pendle Hill - Photos, Location, Pendle Witches As Historic U.K. notes " . Haunted Towneley Hall: Every Room Has A Ghost! T he Salem witch trials occurred at the end of the 17th century and are the most famous of all witch trials, but for those who know a little about Britain's dark history, it's clear that the Pendle witch trials were just as devastating and disturbing. The story would have ended there had it not been for a meeting held at Malkin Tower by James Device (Alizons brother), for which he stole a neighbours sheep. Long since widowed their existence depended on exaggerating the cures they offered to local villagers. Furthermore, John Device (father of Alizon) blamed the illness that led to his death on Old Chattox, who had threatened to harm his family if they did not pay annually for their protection. From the so-called super-hunts in Germany to the devilish possessions in French convents, the witch craze took on forms of all kinds across the continent, eventually spreading to the colonies of the New World. 5621230. This was not a family that stuck together in times of crisis; Alizons brother, James, told Nowell that his sister had also confessed to bewitching a local child, and while there is no record of Elizabeth trying to defend her children she did tell Nowell that her mother, Demdike, had a mark on her body that resembled a witches mark proof that the Devil himself had made a pact with the old woman. Arranged by Elizabeth Device, friends and family of the accused Devices gathered to commiserate their misfortune, feasting on a neighbours stolen sheep. The accused were denied witnesses to plead their innocence, and in a remarkable turn of events the key witness for the prosecution was Elizabeth Devices youngest child, nine year old Jennet Device. Englands Civil War Queen: Who Was Henrietta Maria? Why Did the British Want to Divide the Ottoman Empire in Two after World War One? Jennet Device, a 9-year-old beggar girl from Pendle in Lancashire, gives testimony in 1612 accusing her mother, brother, sister and many of her neighbors of . Lancashire, the area where the Pendle witches lived, had . In March 1612, Alizon cursed a pedlar who would not give her any pins. Quakers, radicals and witches: a walk back in time on Pendle Hill In small pockets of the country however, Catholic communities continued to thrive. However, Mary died and was replaced by her sister Elizabeth, who was Protestant like their father. In 1612 the witch hunting frenzy reached Lancashire in what would become the most infamous witch trials in English history: The Pendle Witch Trials. Of Whittle, court clerk Thomas Potts wrote, This Anne Whittle, alias Chattox, was a very old withered spent and decrepit creature, her sight almost gone: A dangerous witch, of very long continuance; always opposite to old Demdike: For whom the one favoured, the other hated deadly: and how they envy and accuse one another, in their examinations, may appear.. The significance of Alice Nutter lies in the fact that, unlike the other accused, she was not a peasant but landowner. Read about our approach to external linking. Exploring folklore, The Pendle Witches, the mystery of Malkin Tower and Following the general pattern in the other witches' accounts, he too had initially resisted before succumbing to the temptation to take revenge on those who wronged him. Nine year old Jennet Device was a key supplier of evidence for the Pendle witches trial which was allowed under the system from King James; all normal rules of evidence could be suspended for witch trials, someone so young would not have been able to supply key evidence normally. An 1876 illustration of the Salem witch trials. The other was given a years' hard labour. The region of Lancashire was thought of as where the church was honoured without much understanding of its doctrines by the common people. Remarkably there was no initial accusation against Alizon for having caused John Laws illness, in fact it was Alizon herself who was convinced of her own powers and felt immense guilt for what had transpired so much so that she accompanied Abraham Law to his fathers bedside to beg his forgiveness and to attempt to reverse the curse she believed she had placedupon him. On the Trail of the Pendle Witches - Visit Lancashire DEBORAH CONTESSA looks at the history of Ouija boards and her own experiences with the mysterious communication tool, BARRY McCANN goes behind the scenes of Doctor Who classic The Daemon's and visits the real Devil's End - Aldbourne, Wiltshire. A member of her own family had guided her to it. Usually a child of nine would not have been used as a key witness in a case such as this, but in Daemonologie James I made a case that, when trying to punish witches for their crimes, it was acceptable to bend the normal rules of providing evidence at a witch trial. Ultimately though, Jennet fell victim to the very precedent she set herself in 1633. What Were the Pendle Witch Trials? | History Hit It was upon further questioning that Alizon accused her grandmother, Old Demdike, and also members of the Chattox family, of witchcraft. In conclusion, it seemed to be a range of exceptional circumstances that led to the extent of these witch trials. I can lame him, the dog replied. So too do the locations they were reported to frequent; a key example being Malkin Tower: believed to be the home of Demdike (Elizabeth Southerns). There may be a bargain or two to be grabbed. He was so severely injured that he had to be held up throughout the proceedings. The Pendle Witches lived in the early 1600's at a time of religious persecution and superstition. He has also hosted two Ingrid Pitt - Queen of Horror Festivals in Hastings, having previously worked for the legendary actress as her researcher. Today it is thought likely that she was spotted at Malkin Tower on her way to another meeting with a group of local Catholics, for the Nutter family were known to be loyal to the Catholic faith. If John Law had recovered from his stroke, it is probable that the Pendle Witch trials would never have occurred. The protestant king, James I, had just survived the catholic gunpowder plot. On 30 March 1612, Alizon, her brother James, and their mother Elizabeth were called before the local Justice of the Peace, Roger Nowell. Pendle Hill (Image: Colin Lane) Many paranormal investigators have claimed to have contacted them on the hillside with reports of a tooth once landing on a Ouija Board at the foundations of Malkin Tower. Believing that she had inflicted this, when Alizon went to visit Law at his family home a few days later she openly confessed her crime, begging for forgiveness. James l was on the throne, living in fear of a Catholic rebellion in the aftermath of Guy Fawkes' gun powder plot. The trials of the Pendle witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. One of the most famous witch trials in British history is that of the Pendle witches in 1612, where 12 'witches' who lived around Pendle Hill, mostly women, were charged with the murders of 10 people using witchcraft. How the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Unfolded. Indeed, Lancashire was exceptional in the number of witch trials that were held, in comparison to other regions who experienced the same degree of social depravity. Learn the natural and supernatural powers and benefits of Garlic. They were found guilty by a jury but the judges were not happy and it was referred to the Privy Council. So, taking the A59 near Clitheroe as a starting point, take the turn off for Sabden and and the road to the right of the hill. Why Did the Allies Invade the South of Italy in 1943? Elizabeth was so distraught at her daughters damning testimony that she became incoherent with rage and had to be removed so the child could testify. With witchcrafts association with Catholicism, a successful set of witch trials and executions would make Nowell incredibly popular in the eyes of the king, so when a guilt-ridden Alizon Device admitted that she had sold her soul to the Devil and ordered him to lame John Law, Nowell had the juiciest case of his career on his hands. The witch-hunting craze swept across Europe during the 17th century, with James I of England and VI of Scotland bringing the craze with him fromthe Danish courtafter his marriage to Anne of Denmark in 1589. Old Demdike had been known as a witch for fifty years; it was an accepted part of village life in the 16th century that there were village healers who practised magic and dealt in herbs and medicines. Scholars believe that from the 15th to the 18th century in England, fewer than 500 witchcraft executions occurred, making this group an anomaly. In 2012 Lancashire commemorated 400 years since the trials, a time when belief and hysteria led to one of the darkest periods in Lancasters history; a statue of Alice Nutter by local artist David Palmer was unveiled in Roughlee. Jennet, however, could only identify by name six of the witches present at Malkin Tower. Wigington, Patti. The suspected witch's children, Dalton suggested, should be called as witnesses to state whether their parent had shown evidence of having a 'familiar', cursing, having teats, or of threatening harm on anyone. Learn Religions. Furthermore, Alison had not just chanced upon this spirit. Agnes became Jamess first victim, and the king insisted on being present to witness the torture Agnes underwent before she was finally found guilty and executed in Edinburgh on 28 January 1591, her body broken. What canst thou do at him? Alison asked. Demdike and Chattox, both blind and in their eighties, gave damning confessions, claiming to also have sold their souls to the Devil. Just moments before Demdikes grand-daughter, Alison Device, had cursed him. The Pendle witches In August 1612 ten people were charged with witchcraft and sentenced to death. What is a Caulbearer and Why is it Spooky? ( Public Domain ) The Power of Gossip The trials took place near Pendle Hill in Lancashire. England was no different. One was tried and found guilty at York and the other ten were tried at Lancaster. James Demdike confesses to using the image to cause the death of Anne Townley. Who were the Pendle witches? | Homework.Study.com None of her names matched her brothers list. There are witchcraft shops and even guided tours, as well as a brewery that makes a beer called Pendle Witches Brew. This would be the beginning of the end for Alizon. Introduction. Many novels have been written about the world famous Pendle Witches but reality in this case turns out to be stranger than fiction. On 20 August 1612, they were all hanged at Gallows Hill in Lancaster. The Witcher season 3 part 1: What happened at the ending's - Polygon So she cursed him. On 21 March 1612, Demdikes teenage granddaughter Alizon Device was walking through the woods when she came across a pedlar named John Law. It is unclear whether she meant to purchase them or begged them from him, but Alizon requested some pins from John; metal pins were often associated with witchcraft in the 17th century, particularly with love magic which is perhaps why Alizon wanted them. Two men and nine women, from the Pendle Hill area of Lancashire, eventually went to trial, and of these eleven, ten were eventually found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. Jennet proceeded to tell the court that her mother had been a witch for 3 or 4 years, and that both she and her brother used familiars to help with their murders. Witchcraft - The Elizabeth Files Jennet Preston lived across the border in Yorkshire, and was therefore sent to the York Assizes for her trial. We have no way of knowing if John refused to give them to her because he believed her to be a witch or because he didnt want to reach into the bottom of his pack for such a small transaction, but either way, Alizon asked for pins and John Law said no. Whether 'The Pendle Witches' were dedicated to the cult of witchcraft, local healers misinterpreted over time or victims of an suspicious society, remains a point of exploration. Today witches are green-skinned, wart-nosed creatures we dress up as for Halloween. Chattox seems more like an infirm elderly lady, rendered decrepit by her age and experiences in the dungeon- not a dangerous witch. Dr Hannah Worthen, University of Hull. Witchcraft, economy and society in the forest of Pendle
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