Pendle overview (from slides) Flashcards
When was the Pendle Witch Hunt?
1604-1613
How many people were found guilty at the trial?
11- Old Demdike died before
What were the names of the families involved?
The Device Family
The Referne Family
Who succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603?
King James VI of Scotland
He became King James I of England
How would the Gunpowder Plot have impacted religious tension in England?
The gunpowder plot was Catholic attempt to kill the King
It would have heightened animosity between Protestants and Catholics
How did religion vary across England?
Protestantism was the main religion of England but there remained strong Catholic support in the North
Being further from London it was difficult to manage
How would the economy of Pendle be described?
It was mainly a pastoral economy (sheep and cattle) with limited arable farming.
There was also a strong cloth industry (70% owned tools for this)
Why were residents at constant risk of eviction in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?
Rent increased by 39% and inflation grew.
Enclosure took land away from tenants and sold/ rented it out to other people
How did the population of Pendle change?
It increased all over the country, by the 1500s the population had grown to half of pre-Black Death levels
In Pendle, there were 24 tenants in 1443 by 1650 it had increased to around 1620
How did the relationship between the Duchy of Lancaster and the copyholders change?
They were expected to pay a lump sum of 12 years rent to confirm their rights.
Many couldn’t afford this and either evicted or increased rent prices for their tenants
How did London view Lancashire in terms of religion?
An ‘ignorant corner’ where Catholicism was still active, Lancashire historically had looked after Recusant Catholics
Why had Whalley Abbey been a valuable resource for Pendle?
It provided cloth, grain and money for the local residents
What impact did the dissolution of Whalley Abbey have on Pendle and the surrounding area?
It took away a valuable source of income and support
Without Catholic influence, a group of Puritan ministers had more and more influence
The new parish had a population of 10,000 people and they couldn’t be cared for effectively
What happened on 18th March 1612?
Alison Device
John Law, a pedlar, was travelling with his wares when Alison asked him for some pins- John Law refused.
Alison muttered a curse and he presumably suffered a stroke and encountered her familiar (a black dog)
How did Alison Device respond to the events on the 18th of march 1612?
She believed she was a witch and confessed to using a curse and familiar
What was the family rivalry between Alison Device’s and Anne Redferne family?
Old Demdike - Alison’s grandmother
Old Chattox- Anne’s grandmother
Accused each other of stealing and theft, particularly grain and a cap
Alison’s father had promised to pay some grain yearly but this ended when he died - the accusations returned
Who was Roger Nowell?
An experienced JP and local landowner, he had been High Sheriff of Lancashire and had strong connections with high profile Protestants
What was Nowell’s involvement?
He led the investigation into Alison Device, it is unclear whether he went in knowing he was going to convict
He was familiar with the Pact with the Devil from the work of William Perkins
What did Alison Device confess after an interrogation with Nowell?
She accused Old Chattox of murder through witchcraft along with other examples of magic
Accused Old Demdike of being a witch
Old Chattox, Old Demdike and Anne Redferne are taken in for questioning
What did Old Demdike confess to?
- Inability to evoke the name of Jesus
- Having a familiar named Tibb, and suckling him
- Making an effigy of a person to bewitch them
(She was potentially tortured by Nowell)
What were Old Demdike’s accusations?
Old Chattox and Anne made figures out of clay- Tibb told her these were effigies of Christopher Nutter, Robert Nutter and Marie Nutter
Christopher Nutter hd accused Old Chattox on his deathbed in 1595
Alison was searched by Nowell for something- what was it?
The Devil’s mark
Her mother Elizabeth was also searched, she admitted to having one for 40 years but was released
What does Nowell investigate at Malkin Tower?
A sabbat at a graveyard in Newchurch- Elizabeth, James and Jennet Device are questioned Jennet becomes the star witness at 9 years old
What did Jennet state had happened at Malkin Tower?
That at least 20 witches were present at the meeting at her house and that James had stolen a sheep to be eaten
James also revealed more names and named the meeting “Great Assembly and Feast”
What were the objectives of the meeting at Malkin Tower?
To free the women imprisoned at Lancashire castle by blowing it up
To perform a ritual to name Alison Device’s spirit
To provide protection to Jennet Preston, a women identified as a witch
What happened after the evidence from Jennet and James?
11 people were imprisoned, including the original suspects
Old Demdike dies shortly after arriving at the Castle- Old Chattox then tries to lay more blame on her
Who were the judges?
Sir James Altham- one of the most senior judges in England, strongly Protestant
Sir Edward Bromley- another senior judge, highly trusted by the King
Both wanted the King’s favour, Bromley had just been knighted and wanted to be closer to London
When did the trial take place?
18th-19th August in Lancaster
All but one pleaded not guilty
How were the judges perceived?
As being rational and wise men but they were prepared to accept dubious evidence probably acquired under torture
(James Altham had recently sent a an innocent women to the gallows in Yorkshire based on the evidence of Jennet)
Who acted as prosecutor?
Roger Nowell, all JPs and witness involved had to be present at the trial
What was the evidence for
Old Chattox
and what was the outcome?
- Previous accusations from Old Demdike
- Personal confession in court
Found guilty and hung
.
.
What was the evidence for
Elizabeth Device
and what was the outcome?
Witness statement from her daughter Jennet Device
Found guilty and hung
What was the evidence for
James Device
and what was the outcome?
Witness statement from his sister Jennet Device
Found guilty and hung
What was the evidence for
Anne Redferne
and what was the outcome?
Previous accusations from Old Demdike
- Old Chattox, pleaded for her to be saved
Found guilty and hung
What was the evidence for
Alice Nutter
and what was the outcome?
- Selected in a line up by Jennet Device
- Witness statement from Jennet Device
Found guilty and hung
What was the evidence for
Katherine Hewitt
and what was the outcome?
- Selected in a line up by Jennet Device
- Witness statement from Jennet Device
Found guilty and hung
What was the evidence for
John and Jane Bulcock
and what was the outcome?
dentified by Jennet Device, despite not knowing them previously
Found guilty and hung
What was the evidence for
Alison Device
and what was the outcome?
Her own confession and pleas for forgiveness
Found guilty and hung
What was the evidence for
Margaret Pearson
and what was the outcome?
4 days public humiliation
The Production of Potts’ account
Potts was Clerk of the Court -> unique insight
Ordered to write it by the two judges so an account could go public
Potts was told which evidence to use closely monitored while writing
Potts’ Background
Brought up in the home of Thomas Knyvett, strong Protestant who apprehended Guy Fawkes
Had wanted to be a lawyer but didn’t go to university
A well regarded civil servant
The Objectives of Wonderfull Discoverie
Provided an account that justified the trials
Protected the reputation of Potts, Bromley and Altham to advance their careers
Can we trust Potts’ book?
Can’t say it’s totally unreliable because Potts had motive/ judges were involved
He was a well informed observer who sat through the trials, checked by Bromley
Large number had attended, trials weren’t secret
Written in the immediate aftermath
