fraudulent cases

Question 1

when was the Boy of Burton case?

Answer 1

1597

Question 2

when was the Pendle Swindle case?

Answer 2

1634

Question 3

when was the Demon Drummer case?

Answer 3

1662

Question 4

when was the Jane Wenham case?

Answer 4

1712

Question 5

what was the story of the Boy of Burton?

Answer 5

• Thomas Darling (14 years old) accused Alice Goodridge of causing hallucinations and fits - a doctor confirms Darling was bewitched.
• Goodridge was arrested and he accused 13 other women of witchcraft
• John Darrel was bought in to exorcise (removal of the demon) Darling using fasting and prayer
• Darling later confessed in 1599 that the case was fraudulent - Darling and Darrel were imprisoned for a year

Question 6

what limited the impact/no change of scepticism in the Boy of Burton case?

Answer 6

• it didn’t lead to an overall disbelief in witchcraft, the case was viewed more as a one-off discovery of fraudulence, and overall belief in witches and exorcism continued.
• the Witchcraft Act of 1604 is after this case - showed an increase in the legal severity of witchcraft.
• The key debate over the case was more about the validity of exorcism, rather than of witchcraft - as can be seen in the pamphlet war created by the publication of Samuel Harsnett’s ‘A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practises of John Darrel.’

Question 7

why was there an increase in scepticism because of the Boy of Burton case?

Answer 7

• The exposure of Darling’s lie was also evidence of the unreliability of witness testimonies, and proved that children, were capable of lying - This was an early dent in the thought surrounding how wise it was to accept the testimony of children.
• A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practises of John Darrel (1599) made knowledge of the case more widespread and lead to the pamphlet war - a theological debate which centred around the power of the Devil and the reliability of exorcisms.
• The case did provoke change within the church - a canon was drawn up in 1604 forbidding the practice of exorcism without a licence - although this change is not in itself evidence of scepticism, it is more likely the Church was simply taking steps to protect its reputation.

Question 8

what was the story of the Pendle Swindle case?

Answer 8

• Edmund Robinson accused Jennett Device of participating in a sabbat in the woods.
• Robinson and three local magistrates organised a local hunt and accused 17 more women.
• the magistrate was sceptical and referred to the Privy Council in London.
• the evidence is questioned (the use of sleep deprivation) and Robinson admits to freud

Question 9

what the the Pendle Swindle case connected too?

Answer 9

the Lancashire Witch Trials in 1612

Question 10

what was the limited impact/no change of scepticism in the Pendle Swindle case?

Answer 10

• The Pendle Swindle case provoked little change - there was no justice for the accused women, with many of them still held in custody three years after the trial.
• There were no significant publications of this case at the time so its impact on the opinions of those outside of the trial was very limited.
• major witch hunts began to happen during the Civil War in East Anglia after this hunt

Question 11

why was there an increase of scepticism because of the Pendle Swindle case?

Answer 11

• The involvement of the Privy Council and King Charles shows the case gained relevance amongst the powerful elites - may have influenced the scepticism of the King.
• The evidence-based approach, through further questioning and the involvement of surgeons, does reveal a more careful, sceptical approach to witchcraft trials was developing.
• There were relatively few witchcraft prosecutions in the 30s.

Question 12

what was the story of the Demon Drummer case?

Answer 12

• A local landowner, John Mompesson JP, accused Drury of casting a spell over his house, having confiscated his drum, which he was banging to draw attention to himself for raising alms for the poor - with a forged pass.
• supernatural events started to occur at Mopesson’s house - Joseph Glanvill investigated and claimed that there was evidence that Drury had cast a spell.
• Glanvil wrote that when Dury was sentenced to deportation, the events stopped, but when he escaped (using supernatural powers) and was subsequently acquitted of witchcraft, the disturbances started again.

Question 13

why was Joseph Glanvill significant?

Answer 13

He encouraged the Royal Society, which he was a member of, to explore the scientific foundations of witchcraft.

His account sparked sceptical responses - Bekker and Beaumont

Question 14

why was there limited impact/no change of scepticism in the Demon Drummer case?

Answer 14

• Witchcraft Acts not repealed until 1736

- Still a widespread popular belief in witchcraft (highlighted in the newspaper interest and witch hunts occuring after)

Question 15

why was there increasing scepticism because of the Demon Drummer case?

Answer 15

• There was numerous publications that highlight a significant change in thinking (Webster, BEKKER, Beaumont)
• involvement of the Royal Society
• A logical, empirical approach was taken towards the case, with sceptics investigating Mompesson and looking for other causes of the disturbances.

Question 16

What was the story of the Jane Wenham case?

Answer 16

• Jane Wenham held a reputation of being a witch
• She had been accused of bewitching Matthew Gilson, his employees daughter and their livestock.
• later Anne Thorne, a 16 yr old servant, her of bewitching her and forcing her to vomit pins.
• A vicars wife accused her of shifting into a cat and 16 locals came forward to corroborate the story.
• At the trial, Sir John Powell - the judge - was sceptical and recommended that Jane was found innocent - The jury found her guilty so Powell secured a royal pardon for Wenham.

Question 17

why was there limited impact/no change because of the Jane Wenham case?

Answer 17

• .Witchcraft prosecutions had already been in decline since 1660. Therefore, it is arguable that the case should not be seen as a turning point but as part of a changing attitude that changed more rapidly in recent years.
• Several writers after 1712 still wrote showing support for a belief in witchcraft, e.g. John Wesley.
• The fact that the jury still condemned Wenham shows that the scepticism of the Intelligentsia had not yet been adopted by small, rural communities like Wenham’s - ordinary, illiterate people still believed in witchcraft even if the educated elites were willing to challenge it.

Question 18

why was there an increase in scepticism because of the Jane Wenham case?

Answer 18

• The case led to a celebrated sceptical book by Francis Hutchinson in 1718: An Historical Essay Concerning Witchcraft.
• It was the last guilty verdict on a charge of witchcraft in England.
• The presiding judge ridiculed most of the evidence from neighbours, thus creating a well-publicised, serious clash between the law and popular belief, as well as the opinions of the educated class and the popular masses.