Pendle Hill overlooks an ancient hunting ground where wolves and boars once roamed,a truelly mysterious place. The villages below Pendle tell stories of witchcraft almost 100 years old.

The famous Pendle witches lived in the 1600s at the time when religious persecution and superstition was high, those suspected of witchcraft came under more scrutiny than ever before,and King James I brought in the death penalty for those found guilty of witchcraft.

It was a very dangerous time for two families led by Demdike and Chattox who were long since widowed, their existence depended on exaggerating the cures that they offered to the local villagers. This would prove to be their demise.

In March 1612 on a road in Colne,Lancashire a man named John Law collapsed to the ground paralysed. Just moments before Demdike's grandaughter, Alison Device, had cursed him because he would not give her the pins that her grandmother wanted for spells.

John Law's son, Abraham Law, brought Alison in front of the local magistrate, Roger Nowell. Alison was truelly affraid and confessed, also incriminating both her grandmother, Demdike, and her local rival Chattox.

The two are then interrogated at Ashlar House where they try to outdo each other with their stories, including a story of meeting the devil in a quarry.

On April 3rd 1612 Demdike, Chattox and Device, are sent to trial for witchcraft at Lancaster Castle.

On Good Friday the families of Demdike and Device meet at Malkin Tower, the local magistrate Roger Nowell is told of the meeting and sends his local constable, Henry Hargreaves to Malkin Tower. There was accusations that they were planning to free Demdike and Device and blow up the castle.Once there, the constable finds a clay image and the remains of human bones and teeth which were stolen from a graveyard at St Mary's in Newchurch. James Demdike confesses to using the image to cause the death of Anne Townley. The others at the alleged ''Witches Sabbath'' meeting were all imprisoned in Lancaster Castle.

The trial began on August 17th, the prosecution's star witness was nine year old Jennet Device who when in court identified those who attended the Good Friday meeting at Malkin Tower, including her mother Elizabeth and Alice Nutter. The trial was over in just 3 days and all of the accused swung from the gallows, except for Demdike, she died as a prisoner before the trial. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PENDLE WITCHES FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW.

www.pendlewitches.co.uk

                Did You Know ! 

         The word Witch comes from the Anglo Saxon ''Wicca'' or 

                                               ''Wise One''.

                                               Wicca used their ''magic'' in pagan rites to bring good 

                                               harvests.

                                               By the 14th Century people saw a sinister side to 

                                               witchcraft.  

                                               .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .

                       Unmarried or widowed woman would use their

                                               reputation as healers to earn a living.

                                               In the 15th Century witches were portrayed flying,

                                               astride wolves, goats and even a shovel, before the

                                               broomstick became a common image.

                                               It was thought that the sound of a church bells could

                                               bring down flying witches.

                                               .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .

                         One technique, to prove whether a person was a witch

                                               was ''ducking''. Holding them under water for a lengthy

                                               time. If they came up still breathing they would be 

                                               declaired a witch, if they drowned they were innocent.

                                               It was also recommended to look for the devil's mark on

                                               suspected witches. Marks such as birthmarks could be

                                               seen as the devil sealing his covenant or compact with

                                               the suspect.

                                               .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .

                                               The witch's hat was an exaggeration of the 17th Century

                                               Puritan hats. Points were associated with the horns of

                                               the devil.

                                               Mathew Hopkins was dubbed the English ''Witchfinder -

                                               General'' after starting his work in 1645. He was

                                               responsible for the hanging of 68 witches.