Pendle Witch Hunt Flashcards
When was the Pendle Witch Hunt?
1604-1613
How many people were found guilty at the trial?
11- Old Chattox 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
What did courts need in a trial as evidence?
Tangible proof of Maleficium such as death or injury
What did the 1604 Witchcraft Act declare?
Conjuring of spirits was now a capital offence, the most damaging aspect of witchcraft was the pact with the Devil
The trial of of witches was transferred to ordinary courts from the Church courts
What impact does this have on trials?
Now that tangible evidence is no longer needed, more people could be accused and executed
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?
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?
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
