www.pendlewitchproject.co.uk ~ The Story Of The Pendle Witches

INTRODUCTION

It was a time when superstition was rife, with many people of all classes quick to attribute illness, ill fate or anything which they did not understand to demons, evil spirits and witchcraft. King James's zelous witch-hunting gave opportunity for local magistrates and judges to earn favour with showpiece trials which played on the fears and beliefs of simple, peasant people and were more concerned with obtaining convictions than finding out the truth. This almost certainly seems to have been the case in the story of the Pendle Witches...

The case mainly involved two local families: the Demdikes(Devices) and the Chattox's.

Elizabeth Southern(alias Old Demdike) | her daughter-in-law Elizabeth Davies(Device) | her children Alizon, James & Jenet Device

Anne Whittle(alias Old Chattox) | her daughter Anne Redfearne

THE CRIMES

Sometime in early March of 1612, Bessie Chattox broke into the Demdike home at Malkin Tower, Newchurch-in-Pendle and stole a few items of clothing. The following Sunday, Bessie was seen wearing an item of the stolen clothing at church by Alizon Device. The incident was reported, and on March 13th, after an enquiry at Read hall by the local Magistrate Roger Nowell, Bessie Chattox was sent to Lancaster gaol.

Seeking revenge, Bessie made accusations of witchcraft at the enquiry involving Old Demdike. The only member of Demdike's family present was her Grandaughter Alizon Device, and, probably under interrogation from Nowell, Alizon implicated her Grandmother.

Five days later, on March 18th, fate dealt a cruel blow. Alizon was making her way through Colne when she tried to beg from a pedlar, John Law of Halifax. Receiving nothing, she allegedly cursed him for his lack of charity. Law almost immediately collapsed (the symptoms being reminiscent of having suffered a stroke), and was taken to a local inn.

On March 29th, Alizon Device was taken to the inn to see John Law by his son Abraham. He accused Alizon of having caused the illness to his father by witchcraft, and Alizon, no doubt in ignorance and wracked with fear, confessed.

Alizon was called before the magistrate Roger Nowell the very next day at Read Hall, appearing with her Mother Elizabeth and brother James. She again confessed to bewitching the pedlar with a curse, and also that she had met with the Devil in the shape of a black dog. Her brother, an uneducated and possibly backward man who also eked out a living as a beggar, was called to the stand. Under probable provocation from Nowell, James said that he had known Alizon to perform acts of witchcraft. Elizabeth then implicated her own mother, saying that Demdike had a witchmark on her left side, regarded at the time as sure proof of a witch. Alizon also made many accusations against Old Chattox, including the murder of four men, one of them being Alizon's father.

On April 2nd, Demdike, Chattox and her daughter Anne Redfearne were brought before the magistrate at Fence. The two old women, both 80 years of age, blind and quite possibly of unsound mind, made damning confessions. Redfearne, even when faced with several people giving evidence against her, denied all charges. However, all three, along with Alizon Device, were sent to Lancaster gaol to await the judges at the August assize.

Within a week of their imprisonment, on Good Friday April 6th, a meeting took place of the Demdike and Chattox families and friends at Malking Tower. There is no record of what actually took place, but Nowell the magistrate believed it to be a witches coven, and ordered the arrest of those present. Several of them were brought before an enquiry in Altham on April 27th, the rest having fled. James Device was again asked to give evidence, along with his sister Jenet, a girl of nine. They said that the meeting had indeed been one of witches, reciting many old rumours about those present and making numerous wild and conflicting reports about what had taken place, including that the witches had planned to release the prisoners by blowing up the gaol and killing the governor.

As a result of the evidence a further seven people, including James Device himself, were sent to Lancaster gaol, the others being Elizabeth Device, Alice Nutter, Katherine Hewitt, Alice Gray and John and Jane Bulcock, with one Jenet Preston going instead to York gaol.

THE TRIAL

The trial opened at Lancaster Assize court with Judges Bromley and Altham in attendance, supported by several local dignitaries. The prosecution was led by Roger Nowell the magistrate. The accused had no representation, and were not allowed to defend themselves or call any witnesses on their behalf. Old Demdike had mercifully died in prison before the trial.

The first of to be brought before the court was Old Chattox. She was charged with the killing of Robert Nutter of Greenhead, to which she pleaded not guilty. When her earlier "voluntary" confessions were read to the court she broke down, pleading mercy not for herself which she must have realised was futile, but for her daughter Anne Redfearne.

Elizabeth Device was then brought forward and charged with the murder of three men, to which she too pleaded not guilty. Her daughter Jenet(9) was called to give evidence and declared her mother to be a witch. Elizabeth must have been deeply shocked and confused, but confessed nothing.

Then James Device was charged with two murders, with his sister Jenet again making damning accusations against him.

At the close of the first day all three were found guilty.

Tuesday August 18th

Anne Redfearne was accused of the murder of Robert Nutter, but the jury found the evidence unsatisfactory and acquitted her.

Wednesday August 19th

Anne Redfearne was called back to face charges of killing Christopher Nutter, father of Robert. She pleaded not guilty, but was confronted with her own confessions and the evidence of several people, including Old Demdike.

Next up was Alice Nutter, charged with the murder of Henry Mitton. She had little in common with the rest of the accused, being a wealthy landowner, and could quite possibly have visited the Good Friday meeting at Malkin Tower merely to offer charity to the family. She steadily refused to confess anything, but was accused of being involved in the murder by both James and Elizabeth Device.

The Device's depositions also implicated Katherine Hewitt (known as 'Mouldheels'), the next defendant, in the murder of Anne Foulds, with Jenet again giving evidence for the prosecution, as if revelling in the limelight.

At the end of the morning, Redfearne, Nutter and Hewitt were all found guilty

On Wednesday afternoon, Jane and John Bulcock (mother and son) of Newchurch were charged with bewitching Jenet Dean of Newfield Edge. They both pleaded not guilty, insisting that they had never even been at the Good Friday meeting, although the star witness Jenet said that they were.

Alizon Device was then called to face the charge of crippling the peddlar John Law of Halifax, in the incident in Colne which brought abuot the whole case. Frightened and bewildered, she sensationally broke down and confessed to the court.

The jury again found all three guilty, Alizon by her own confession.

Alice Gray, also of the Pendle area, was aquitted as were the so called 'Salmesbury witches' who were on trial at the same time.

Also charged was Margaret Pearson ('the Padiham witch'). She was charged with bewitching a horse, pleading not guilty. She had however been to court on witchcraft charges twice before, and was found guilty, with Old Chattox giving evidence against her. She was spared the gallows and sentenced to pillory plus one year in prison.

The other guilty parties from Pendle, plus Isobel Robey from the village of Windle nr. St Helens, were all sentenced to death, and were hanged in a public execution at Lancaster Gaol, probably on the following day Thursday August 20th, 1612.

Jenet Preston, who is often assocoated with this trial, had actually been hanged at York a month earlier.

CONCLUSION

So ended the story of the Pendle Witches. Although it is impossible to know the real truth of these events, it seems quite certain that they were merely victims of circumstance in an era when superstition was rife. Rumours and stories were presented in court as evidence, much of it by a girl of nine years of age. Demdike and Chattox were women of 80, withered by a life of poverty and hardship, and quite possibly mentally unbalanced. It may be that they used their reputations as witches to supplement their main income from begging; for local people to beleive them to be witches and blame them for all manner of misfortune is understandable. The trial evidence was riddled with inaccuracies, conflictions and based partly on "confessions" gained in dubious circumstances. Alison Devices unfortunate incident with the pedlar escalated through wild accusations and recriminations, and sadly nine unfortunate Pendle souls ended their days on the gallows.

As a footnote, witch-hunting continued for many years and Jenet Device was herself returned to Lancaster Castle 21 years later to face charges of witchcraft.

© 2004 Advantage Web Services. All rights reserved.

Top / Home