Pendle Flashcards
What were the consequences of the gunpowder plot?
Harsher on Catholics, laws to celebrate bonfire night.
Plotters hanged, drawn and quartered
James even more paranoid than before
Who wrote an account of the case and who was it dedicated to?
Thomas Potts- Thomas Knyvet who caught Guy Fawkes.
Why is the setting of this case significant?
It was in Lancashire which was an area seen as more Catholic than other areas of the country.
What were the Assizes courts?
Courts held in main county towns, presided over by visiting judges.
What kind of crime did the Assizes deal with?
Dealt with capital crime. Verdicts returned by locally picked juries of 12.
What happened to the population of Pendle between 1443 and 1650?
It grew hugely from only around 50 to 1,620 in 1650.
What negative effects had the reformation had on Pendle?
Clergy would sometimes come to blows with superiors over marrying without a license. Catholics had to live in secret.
What were the effects of the closing down of Whalley Abbey?
It removed income, cloth, grain and money for the poor. A Puritan clergy was set up in the area and had some influence over the trials.
What did the 1604 witchcraft act do?
Made it no longer required that you needed tangible evidence of maleficium to convict and suspects became more treated like robbers or murderers. Conjuring of spirits became a capital offence.
Who was the JP of he area?
Roger Nowell
Who were the heads of the rival families?
Old Demdike and Old Chattox
Who were the 4 people detained by April 1612?
Alizon Device, Old Demdike, Old Chattox, Anne Redferne
What was significant about the Malkin Tower meeting?
Fit the ideas of continental witchcraft, led to the denunciations of others including higher status individuals like Alice Nutter. Played on people’s fears of Catholics, linked to gunpowder plot.
Who was present at the trial?
Thomas Potts, Roger Nowell, Defendants, General public, Judges Bromley and Altham.
What was the acquittal rate in England at the time for witchcraft?
75%
What was significant about the conduct and nature of the trial?
Thomas Potts wrote everything down. ALizon Device did not try to defend herself. Roger Nowell used Jennet Device to denounce. 10 of the 19 accused were found guilty.
What were the two main industries people were in?
Cattle rearing and cloth, this was due to cattle rearing being to unstable.
What kind of inflation was there in the 16th century?
Rents increased by 39%
What new buildings were built in order to accommodate the growing population of Pendle?
Corn mill in 1546, corn mill in 1598, Church of Newchurch was built in 1544
What event highlighted the poverty of copyholders and what were the consequences of this?
They clashed with the Duchy of Lancaster, copyholders petitioned him due to having limited resources to pay fees. They were forced to sell their land and this made them less likely to give charity.
How did the closing down of Whalley abbey cause a power shift?
Gentry had control over the abbey and its lands. They could exercise more power than they had before. Most were anti-Catholic or Puritan.
What caused Old Demdike and Chattox to have a rivalry?
There was a case of supposed stealing which John Device had to settle through grain donations. They competed for a market as wise women. Old Chattox was accused of bewitching old Demdike’s cattle.
What did Alizon device accuse Old Demdike and Old Chattox of doing?
Old Demdike- Bewitching a cow, turning milk into butter, cursing Richard Baldwin’s daughter
Old Chattox- Murder through witchcraft, cursing Anne Nutter, killing John Moore’s son, killing Hugh More,
Who did Roger Nowell arrest after Alizon Device?
Old Chattox, Old Demdike, Anne redferne
What did Demdike confess to doing?
Making and effigy to bewitch someone, suckling of a familiar, unable to invoke the name of Jesus.
What did Chattox confess to?
15 years earlier she gave her soul to a man, was promised that was promised she would want for nothing and could take revenge on all people she wanted to.
What caused the witch hunt to continue on beyond the four initial women?
The meeting at Malkin Tower caused others to be brough under suspicion.
What supposedly took place during the Malkin Tower meeting?
Planning to secure release of four women impriosned in Lancaster Castle, carrying out a ritual in order to name Alizon Device’s spirit, to provide protection to Jennet Preston, the woman identified as a witch by James Device.
Why was much of the evidence of the Malkin Tower meeting questionable?
Most of it came from a young girl, Jennet Device and a lot of it came from the deceitful brother James.
What is the likely reality of the Malkin tower meeting?
It was between neighbours and friends worried they would be arrested rather than what had been described.
How many were detained as a result of Nowell’s investigations after the Malkin Tower meeting?
11
What was the main consequence of the death of Old Demdike?
Old Chattox used her far more to cover for herself, claimed she had hold Demdike confess to several murders, said she had a conversation at Malkin tower Demdike’s home as opposed to hers.
What is the relevance of James Altham’s background?
He was n MP and was Baron of the exchequer, was a well respected orthodox Protestant. Held similar views on witch hunting as the King and had a copy of Daemonolgie with him. Concerned with gaining the King’s favour.
What is the relevance of Bromley’s background?
Was educated in the Calvinist tradition, was a mediator with the house of lords over unions over England and Scotland. Wanted a promotion to a circuit closer to London. Concerned with gaining King’s favour.
What was unfair about the trials?
The defendants were not allowed to prepare for their defence and many didn’t know the exact charges against them. Judges were happy to accept dubious evidence
Who acted as prosecutor?
Roger Nowell.
What was the fate of Old Chattox?
She was found guilty of the murder 18 years earlier of Robert Nutter. She broke down, acknowledge that the evidence was true and asked for God’s forgiveness in front of the court. She was hanged.
What was the fate of Anne Redferne?
She was the only one of the original four women found not guilty, she did not confess to witchcraft. However she was eventually found guilty by the jury.
Why was Alice Nutter an unusual suspect?
She was much wealthier and better conncted than her counterparts however her wealthy family did not intervene.
Why may Pott’s account be unreliable?
It was made to improve Potts, Bromley and Altham’s reputation. It was not a word for word transcript but was an overview.
Who was Potts’ account dedicated to?
Thomas Knyvet, the man credited with apprehending Guy Fawkes.
What was the aim of Potts’ account?
TO hold the trials as an example, to justify the trials with a scholarly air and to protect his Altham’s and Bromley’s reputation.
How many of the witches on trial were from the two main families?
6 of the 11
Who were the first three girls to be possessed?
Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Parris, Ann Putnam
