Fraudulent cases Flashcards
1
Q
Year - Boy of Burton Fraudulent case
A
1597
2
Q
Year - Demon Drummer of Tedworth Case
A
1662
3
Q
Year - The Jane Wenham Case
A
1712
4
Q
Year - Pendle Swindle case
A
1634
5
Q
what was the impact of the Boy of Burton fraudulent case?
A
- Darrells reputation shown to be fraudulent.
- 1604 - Canon forbidding exorcisms without a licence.
- Showed unreliability of witness testimonies eg. children
- However - Pendle Trial 1612 - 9 yo Jennet Device used
- Publish - ‘Discovery of the fraudulent practices of John Darrel’ 1599 - more widespread knowledge and lead to pamphlet war.
- Theological debate over the power of the devil and reliability of exorcisms
- Viewed as 1 off discovery - 1604 - 3rd Witchcraft Act - increased legal severity
6
Q
What was the impact of the Pendle swindle fraudulent case?
A
- Privy council and king involved - gained relevance
- evidence-based approach shows more sceptical - involve surgeons
- However - East Anglia used sleep deprivation - walking
- John Webster met Robinson and published sceptical 1677
- Robinson went on to be professional witch hunter
- 11 years later - role and significance of Hopkins in East Anglia
7
Q
What was the impact of the demon drummer of Tedworth Fraudulent case?
A
- Continually revisted and used as argument for scepticism
- Webster and Bekker publication based on case
- Royal Society elevated case
- Provoked debate on reality of supernatural forces
- Empirical approach - Francis Bacon - used case as example
- Overall consensus was to blame supernatural forces - 74 years until Witchcraft Act repealed
8
Q
What was the impact of the fraudulent case of Jane Wenham?
A
- Dispite guilty verdict Judge released her - reason in the face of mob hysteria
- Publication - Francis Hutchinson 1718 - Historical Essay Concerning Witchcraft
- The jury still condemned Wenham
- Several writers still showing support for witchcraft
- Prosecutions have already been declining since 1660 - case not turning point
9
Q
What did the Boy of Burton Case in 1597 result in?
A
- Resulted in the accused dying in prison before the accusers: Darling & Darrel confessed that the case was fraudulent and were imprisoned.
- This happened again in 1662, during the Demon Drummer of Tedworth case and the last ever witchcraft case: Jane Wenham in 1712.
10
Q
Boy of Burton
What happened to Thomas Darling - the accuser?
A
- 17 year old with a career of lying
- After hunting he felt ill
- Next dau experienced fits
- Said to hallucinate and see green angels and a green cat
- Said he had met a witch when he had lost his Uncle in the forest.
11
Q
Boy of Burton
Why was Alice Goodridge an easy target? (Accused)
A
- 60 year old neighbour
- With a reputation of white magic
- When she came to confront Darling he started to fit
- She admitted to meeting him in the woods.
- Found a witch-mark
- Admitted in prison under sleep deprivation and starvation
12
Q
Boy of Burton
What was the role of John Darrell?
A
- Exocist - seemly successfully
- History of false accusations
- Recommended prayer, fasting and reading the Bible
- Later his accomplice William Somers admitted to fraudulence
- Darrell never admitted to fraudulence - he was imprisoned and after release, he disappeared
- Samuel Harsnett wrote Pamplet ‘A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’ in 1599
13
Q
Pendle Swindle
What did Edmund Robinson claim? (Accuser)
A
- 10 year old
- Aware of Jennett Device’s reputation
- Blamed after he neglected to look after his fathers cattle
- To detract from punishment he claimed he was in the woods and was approached by 2 Greyhounds who turned into Frances Dickinson and an unknown boy
- Dickinson offered a shilling to keep quite but he refused
- The boy turned into a horse and rode Robinson to a feast of witches where he was able to escape.
- Later at trial he accused 25 - 17 found guilty.
14
Q
Pendle Swindle
What was suspicious about the case?
A
- Edmund went to Local Magistrates 3 months after event
- Magistrate sceptical and sent the trial to Privy Council in London.
- Doubted written evidence and spoken testimony.
- Edmund had become a witchfinder
- Edmund to London where father and son were interrogated - Edmund confessed
- 4 accused were searched and even questioned by King Charles - no devil marks found
15
Q
Demon Drummer of Tedworth
Explain the haunting of Tedworth
A
- Mompesson intervened of a case of a drummer and ex-solider (William Drury) who were fraudulently raising alms for the poor with a forged pass.
- Drummer arrested then freed drum eventually sent to mompesson house which experienced a series of disturbances
- Thumping heard, drum playing military marches, scratching and dog panting sounds
- Happened for months even representatives of King Charles 2 sent to investigate.
16
Q
Demon Drummer of Tedworth
How was Joseph Glanvill involved?
A
- Case in newspapers eg. Mercurius Publicus and The Kingdom’s Intelligencer.
- Glanvill visited the house, heard noises and spoke to eyewitnesses - who claimed Drury was responsible
- Wrote that when Drury was deported for theft the disturbances stopped - Drury escaped the book by raising storms - recaptured and trialled but was acquitted.
- Disturbances restarted
- All written about in ‘A blow at modern sadducism, in some philosophical considerations about witchcraft’
17
Q
Demon Drummer of Tedworth
Why was there scepticism about the Glanwills account?
A
- Glanvill attempted to convince Royal Society that the study of witchcraft should be carried out - to prove cases in a rational and scientific way.
- John Webster sceptical and wrote about in The Discovery of supposed witchcraft 1677. - said he had been informed the whole case was fraudulent.
- Attacked again by Balthasar Bekker in The world bewitched
18
Q
Jane Wenham 1712
Why was Jane accused and what was she accused of?
A
- Long-term reputation as wise women/witch
- Bewitch Matthew Gilson - refused to give her straw
- Gilson ran down the road begging everyone for straw and stuffing manure down his shirt.
- Wenham reported him and GIlson find a shilling - Jane promised to get justice - Farmers daughter, livestock ill
- Also bewitching Anne Thorne (16 years) - suffered fits, hallucinations of demons with cat face and vomiting pins
- No mark found but full confession made
- Stumbled over some words in Lords Prayer
- 16 witnesses called - inc 3 clergymen
- Judge Powell secured Royal pardon
19
Q
Jane Wenham 1712
Why was Wenham found guilty and then acquitted?
A
- Judge Sir John Powell Sceptical and an outsider able to approach in ration and objective way - secured her a Royal Pardon
- Attitudes had already shifted and convictions were uncommon
- She was a dissenter so CofE power needed to be shown
- Very poor - Town of Walkern unable to provide for poor
- Witness’ (16) personal grudges
- The case mentioned in Hutchinsons‘A historical essay concerning witchcraft’ reporting she was not guilty
