Remembering the Witches of Pendle Forest.....

Greetings from Cornwall and welcome to all who have stopped by to visit here. No doubt you may notice that it’s been a while since I visited here myself but life has been busy in more ways than one....But I did not want to miss noting an important date in history, August 20 1612. For it was on this day 400 years ago that the Witches of Pendle Forest were hanged for witchcraft.....

It is hard for us in the 21st century to imagine that such an event could occur but ignorance and fear can create such hysteria which can lead to events such as those in 1612...

Pendle Hill by Charles Rawding

In the wild and beautiful county of Lancashire, England, lies the area of Pendle. Overlooking this landscape is Pendle Hill, which is famous for its links to three events which took place in the 17th century: The Pendle Witch Trials, (1612), Richard Towneley’s barometer experiment (1661), and George Fox (1652), who was reported to have visited Pendle and was involved with the foundation of the Quaker movement. A Bronze Age burial site has also been discovered at the summit of the hill....

But it is to 1612 that we will visit today....

As the people of Pendle went about their daily lives on the 21 March 1612 they were unaware that an incident was occurring that would result in men and women ending their lives on the gallows....




Alison Device was a member of a local family who had for some time been suspected of witchcraft. Her parents were John & Elizabeth Device and her grandmother was Elizabeth Southerns, who was known locally as Old Demdike... On March 21 1612 Alison was on her way to Trawden Forest when she met a pedlar, John Law, from Halifax. During this chance encounter she asked for some pins from him but he refused to give her any. As he walked away he stumbled and fell but managed to regain his feet and reached a nearby inn. He made no accusations at this time but Alison believing she had powers was taken to see him some days later by his son Abraham Law. She apparently asked for forgiveness and confessed.....

Due to the religious upheaval at the time every Justice of the Peace in Lancashire was ordered to compile a list of recusants in their area. The JP for Pendle was Roger Nowell of Read Hall and following a complaint from the Law family he conducted an investigation.... And so began the false allegations of witchcraft which resulted in the witch trials at Lancashire Assizes....

On March 30 1612 Alison, her mother Elizabeth and brother James were summoned to appear before Roger Nowell. Alison confessed to selling her soul to the Devil and James stated that she had confessed to bewitching a local child. Their mother Elizabeth stated that her mother, Old Demdike, had a mark on her body....When asked about Anne Whittle, known locally as Chattox, who was the matriarch of the other family reputedly involved in witchcraft, for whatever reason Alison saw it as a chance for revenge. She accused Chattox of murdering four men by witchcraft and for killing her father John Device in 1601....

On April 2 1612 Demdike, Chattox and Anne Redferne, daughter of Chattox, were summoned to appear before Roger Nowell. Both Chattox and Demdike were blind and in their eighties and made confessions to having given their souls to the Devil. Anne Redferne made no confession but Demdike stated that she had seen her making clay figures...Based on evidence from witnesses and the accused confessions he committed the four women to Lancaster Gaol, to be tried for maleficium – causing harm by witchcraft – at the next assizes....

An illustration of Ann Redferne and Chattox, two of the Pendle witches, from Ainsworth's novel The Lancashire Witches, published in 1849

Before August 1612 more people would be accused of witchcraft and join the women at Lancaster, which may not have happen but for a meeting at Malkin Tower on Good Friday, 6 April 1612.....

On this day friends and others sympathetic to the families attended this meeting. To feed those present James Device stole a sheep. When Roger Nowell heard about the meeting he decided to investigate the reason why and who had attended... As a result of the inquiry, eight more people were accused of witchcraft and committed for trial: Elizabeth Device, James Device, Alice Nutter, Katherine Hewitt, John Bulcock, Jane Bulcock, Alice Gray and Jennet Preston. Jennet Preston game from Gisburn, which at that time was in Yorkshire, so she was sent to York Assizes for trail, found guilty and was hanged on 29 July on the Knavesmire, the present site of York Racecourse....

Knavesmire, York Racecourse

The remaining seven people were sent to Lancaster to await trial. The eleven people from Pendle shared the dungeon below Well Tower at Lancaster Castle with the three women from Samlesbury who were also accused of witchcraft....

Lancaster Castle

A Witch Trial

Over the 18 and 19 August 1612 the witch trials began and ten of the accused people from Pendle appeared before the judge Sir Edward Bromley. Elizabeth Southerns, Old Demdike, had died while awaiting trial. Of the ten people seen that day only one was found not guilty, Alice Grey. The remaining nine were found guilty and were hanged on 20 August 1612 at Lancashire Gallows....

The most surprising person to be accused of witchcraft was Alice Nutter, a gentlewoman of Roughlee, Pendle. It is reported that she remained calm with dignity throughout her ordeal.....

'Almost everything that is known about the trials comes from a report of the proceedings written by Thomas Potts, the clerk to the Lancaster Assizes. Potts was instructed to write his account by the trial judges, and had completed the work by 16 November 1612, when he submitted it for review. Bromley revised and corrected the manuscript before its publication in 1613, declaring it to be "truly reported" and "fit and worthie to be published’’ ~ wikipedia ~'


In memory of the Witches of Pendle Forest and all other innocent people who were sent to their deaths because of ignorance, fear and hysteria at that time....

Until next time, take care... Hugs Chrissy xx