Since the 16 th century especially, the Pendle area had gathered a reputation of notoriety and disturbance – the abbey at Whalley lost in 1537 as part of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, much of the surrounding landscape wild and harsh. When James I came to the English throne in 1603 (he was James VI of Scotlandfrom 24 July 1567), a witch-hunting craze was gripping Europe, and the king himself was deeply suspicious: having already written Daemonologie in 1597 and warning that witchcraft was a sinful practice punishable by death. Perhaps this would have been the end of it, to have rooted four witches out of his town would be a success for Nowell, but on Good Friday – 10 April 1612 – Elizabeth Device organised a meeting at Malkin Tower. Those who were sympathetic to the family’s plight attended, and to feed them James Device stole a neighbour’s sheep. When word reached Nowell and an inquiry was carried out, eight more people who had attended the meeting were accused of witchcraft and seven of them were sent to join the others in Lancaster Castle. I am currently investigating the Neolithic passage tomb known as Bryn Celli Ddu (The mound in the dark grove) on the Isle of Anglesey as part of my PhD research project. Geophysical surveys have revealed an Iron Age settlement and possible stone circle alongside several previoulsy undiscovered Bronze Age burials in the landscape surrounding the tomb. The remnants of strange ritual can be found all across Anglesey with many of the Neolithic and Bronze Age tombs having a deposit of human ear bones in the centre of the monuments and mysterious symbols such as spirals, cups and rings are often etched into the stones from which these tombs are constructed. I am about to start surveys near the village of Llanfechell which is home to a number of standing monoliths, a Neolithic tomb and a stone triangle. (Pictured above:Llanfechell Triangle) For many years before the trials, Elizabeth Southerns, more commonly known as ‘Demdike’, was considered a witch by many in her local area. She lived with her daughter, Elizabeth Device, and Elizabeth’s children James, Alizon, and Jennet, and it was not considered unusual that the whole family believed in magic and that they could use it. For a long time ‘witch’ hadn’t necessarily meant ‘evil’, and could often be used interchangeably as a term for a healer or wise woman, and though Demdike and her family had received accusations of casting curses from their neighbours before, it was an event in March 1612 that caught the attention of Pendle’s justice of the peace, Robert Nowell, and sealed the family’s fate. century St Mary’s Church at Newchurch in Pendle where the tombstone known as the Witches’ Grave and the “Eye of God” are to be found. Chattox was alleged to have desecrated graves in this churchyard to collect skulls and teeth.

Chattox was the matriarch of another Pendle family associated with witchcraft, and the two families despised each other. Alizon may have believed that Chattox and Anne were really witches, or she simply saw the chance for revenge; she accused Chattox of murdering five men, including her father John Device, perhaps as recompense for an instance in 1601 when a member of Chattox’s family broke into the Device’s home, Malkin Tower, and stole some goods. Jennet Device disappeared from history until 24 March 1634, when a woman named Jennet Device became one of 20 tried at Lancaster for the crime of witchcraft, accused of the murder of a woman named Isabel Nutter by a ten year old boy named Edmund Robinson. Though Robinson later admitted to fabricating his evidence and the 20 weren’t executed, it is thought likely that Jennet ended her days the same way that Demdike did, dying in Lancaster Castle despite being pardoned. There is no official record of Jennet’s death, but according to a record from 22 August 1636, she was still incarcerated.

Comments

Demdike, Chattox and Anne Redferne were summoned to appear before Nowell on 2 April 1612. Though vulnerable, both Demdike and Chattox were blind and in their 80s at this time, they both admitted to selling their souls to the devil. Anne refused to admit such a thing but, like the Devices, this was another family that believed in all or nothing, for her own mother accused her of making clay figures which she used to practice witchcraft. With three admittances of guilt, it’s no surprise that Nowell sent all four women – Demdike and her granddaughter Alizon, and Chattox and her daughter Anne – to Lancaster Castle to await an official trial at the next assizes. This is Wilma, she is a Pendle witch and one of the witches from the Pendle Trial. The only true account of what actually occurred is written in a book titled ‘The Wonderful Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster'(sic) by Thomas Potts and was written just 3 months after their execution. In terms of the Pendle case, many of the accused witches were seen as recusants – those who failed to go to church – heightening suspicion. Of the twelve individuals that were accused, Demdike died in prison, leaving nine women and two men left – one who was tried at York and the rest at Lancaster Assizes on 18 and 19 August 1612. It was ruled that ten were guilty, and the punishment to be execution by hanging. [1] Alizon continued to admit her guilt, and old Demdike did not appear at the trial. She’d died in the horrid conditions at Lancaster Castle while awaiting the assizes. By the end of the trial, the only person found not guilty was Alice Grey. The remaining nine were hanged on 20 August 1612.

A powerful and handy witches ally, she is a great muse for a witch looking for magical inspiration and guidance should you seek to connect with her and give her a loving home or even just a great addition, bringing warmth to any home or workspace. The story would have ended there had it not been for a meeting held at Malkin Tower by James Device (Alizon’s brother), for which he stole a neighbour’s sheep. Those sympathetic to the family attended but word reached the judge who felt compelled to investigate. As a result, a further eight people were summoned for questioning and then trial. Aiming to unearth a former haunt of The Pendle Witches, uncovering the history of Neolithic and Bronze Age tombs, and exploring ritual landscapes – all are fascinating projects pursued by Mike Woods, an Archaeologist and Geophysicist currently in the 3rd year of an Archaeology PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University. His PhD research focuses on the Neolithic passage tombs on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, and he is involved in multiple other projects.Though perhaps less brutal than the Malleus Maleficarum, also known as the Hammer of Witches, published in Germany 110 years before, it was still a dangerous book that led some, such as the man who would later be known as the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, to believe that they had the right to accuse and torture their neighbours until they were forced to admit to the charges against them. James himself advocated for the importance of only punishing those who were guilty, but by torturing and killing so many himself he had already spread fear throughout his country and set an example of what a witch hunt looked like. Of those accused, Alice Nutter was set apart from the rest on account of her class. While the majority of the people caught up in the Pendle trials were peasantry, Alice was from a fairly wealthy family in Roughlee and, now a widow, owned her own land. Today it is thought likely that she was spotted at Malkin Tower on her way to another meeting with a group of local Catholics, for the Nutter family were known to be loyal to the Catholic faith. To keep her fellow Catholics safe, Alice said nothing at all aside from pleading not guilty at her trial.