There's a lot of witchcraft in Blackenrock; white magic, black magic, divination and curses, for example. There's also a hidden history, something that Saxton is none too proud of. You see the Witch Trails of Saxton started early and ended horribly late, whether legal or not. And what, exactly, was 'legal' anyway?
I took a brilliant trip to Pendle Hill, the land of the
famous Witch Trails of 1612, a couple of years ago for research purposes. It
happened to coincide with an important anniversary, too. It was exactly 400
years since the Witches of Pendle were tried and then executed.
So, come with me, and Matt Clark, on a trip into the past of Lancashire,
to discover more…
It was quite a trip to Lancashire, passing through a
multitude of enticing historical locations, but we were set on a destination,
and determined to make it there with no-stops, before night fall. The landscape
changed dramatically, as we passed through the Midlands of Great Britain. Up,
down, across, under, and then up again, as we arrived in 'The North'. It was
getting dark.
A B&B had been booked (http://www.angramgreenfarm.co.uk/), in the shadow of Pendle Hill,
so it was important to arrive before night fall. Partly out of courtesy, but
mostly because we both knew driving around a strange rural landscape, in the
middle of the night, was never wise. I write ghost-stories for pity's sake!
There could be anything hiding in the hedgerows and fields!
But, we arrived safely, with no confusion, and no supernatural
traumas. The B&B was near the beautifully preserved village of Downham,
which we immediately nicknamed Downton, as it reeked of conservative preservation
and committee meetings, the ultimate Village Green Preservation Society ruled
over by the 2nd Lord Clitheroe, who, according to Wikipedia 'does not allow
overhead electricity lines, aerials or satellite dishes, making the village a
popular location for filming period dramas'. It's very likely that you may have
seen Downham on the telly or in a film. It has featured in Secret of Crickley Hall,
Whistle Down the Wind and Born and Bred. It was certainly pretty, the village, and
the pub served us well, during our stay.
But what of the witches…?!
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| The Pendle Inn, Barley, hub of activity during the Pendle Witch Walk |
There was a buzz in the area, the weekend of our stay, as
there was an attempt to create/break the Guinness Book of Records entry for
'Most Witches in One Place', as part of the 400 year recognition of the Witch Trials.
We had come prepared for the event, which would also include a 'run' across
Pendle Hill, to make money for a local Children's Hospice.
To qualify as a witch, and enter the event, you had to wear
certain attire, 'witches clothes':
Black Cloak.
Pointy Black Hat.
Broomstick.
Nice one, Pendle, you really rocked those witch stereotypes.
It was kind of ironic that a four hundred year old injustice would be marked by
hundreds of walking clichés! But, what else could they do? If REAL witches
turned up in their civvies it was likely to look like a Goth concert, or something.
Or maybe Lordi? Or The Mediaeval Baebes??
But anyway, we had purchased our 'witch' outfits from a
costumier in Bristol. £40 for the hat, cloak and broom! Each. In the words of
Dolly Parton, 'it costs a lot of money to look this cheap'.
Thankfully, when it came to Wiccan High Fashion, everyone
seemed to have visited the same costumier, as there was little variation
between one witch to the next. We added a couple of 'familiars' to our party,
in the form of Tawny the Owl and Patsy the Bear. Neither were particularly
chuffed with the idea of trampling over a rainy, muddy Pendle Hill, in the AM,
but it was for a good cause, which I mentioned mercilessly until the big event
arrived!
So, did we do it? Did we break the World Record? Watch the video to find out.
Hurrah!! Yes! World Record Smashed with nearly 500 witches
waving their broomsticks in triumph!
Next up, the big run! The hill had been marked, very
effectively, with the number 1612. The all important date! It was huge too, the
hill. It dominates the area, like a big green whale, resting atop farming
fields, dotted with sheep, and small honey coloured villages, made of local
stone. Basically, Pendle Hill is as majestic and charismatic as you would hope.
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| The walk took its toll on some, who reverted back to familiars and just died there. So sad. |
The terrain was not dissimilar to the moors and hill-fields
of Cornwall, but the land in the North of England has a distinctly different
quality. Dunno what. It's hard to say. But, I certainly felt something, along
with the drizzle dripping down my neck.
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| Me, Jonathan Boakes, coming down Pendle Hill, with my witch's familar 'Tawny'. |
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| Matt Clark, with Patsy the Bear, his faithful familiar. |
After a quick, free, mineral water pit stop, we trudged to
the finish line, with our damp witches familiars. A couple of press pics (they
liked the owl) and a pint in the local pub, and the big event was over. It was
a brilliant day, a really cool way to experience a new place, and do something
good too!
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| All in a good cause, but a medal is always nice! |
But, still no real witches! As a fascinated fan, I wanted to
find the locations from the old stories. Demdike (the head of the Pendle coven)
held meetings in Malkin Tower. Where was it? Plus, where was Pendle? I always
presumed it was a village. There's a Pendleton, and the weirdly named Sabden,
plus there's was a place called Barrow, which is thought to be near the
Geographical Centre of the United Kingdom. What was significant and what
wasn't? A trip to Clitheroe was planned for that afternoon. It was the nearest
town, with the Museum and Castle at its centre, offering a chance to dig a bit
deeper. There's got to be more to this than Fun Runs, no?
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| Clitheroe Castle, with it's big hole. |
Clitheroe Castle and Museum are excellent, and the town
boasts about a zillion bakeries too. My kind of place! There was a ton of info regarding
the Pendle Witches, plus other esoteric items, mostly donated, revealing the
Lancashire landscape of old was steeped in folklore, superstition and fear.
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| Charms and oddments at Clitheroe Museum |
Charms to protect against the Dark Arts, stories of the
Devil hiding under bridges, dark meetings on the Sabbath and whole villages
afraid of the 'beautiful folk', who wandered amongst the norms, dishing out
wisdom and curses alike. I was right, the landscape around Pendle is different!
It is steeped in all sorts of zany and spooky stuff. A lot to take in!
Thankfully, we had all day, and the Museum was quiet.
There's nothing like old places, filled with vaguely random stuff, that gets me
quite excited. I guess I always think back to Steel (Sapphire & Steel,
1980, Tv Series), and that junk shop, full of 'triggers'. He believed all old
items had a kind of time residue, that they could cause harm to the 'present',
damage to time itself. In other words, he was talking about 'cursed' objects,
pseudo-scientifically. There were a lot of objects that whispered 'curse' to
me, but sadly there was little to show of the actual Pendle Witches, apart from
the same info you could glean online. It's an interesting story, historically,
but there's no mention of anything particularly spooky or devilish.
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| Tales from Clitheroe, indeed! |
You may
already know the facts, that led to the arrest of the Pendle Coven, but just in
case, this is how the story goes…
In the land around Pendle Hill, two families were known to
dabble in Witchcraft. This would have included healing, consultation, love
spells and…umm…supernatural murder via curse dolls. Each family was led by a matriarchal
figure, the Mother. The two families were poor, very poor, and relied on their
'craft' to get by. Oh, they hated each other as well. Nearly forgot to mention
that! They were, supposedly, in a supernatural war.
The Whittle Family were led by Anne, her Wiccan Codename:
Chattox.
Description: Living in what was pretty much a stony, manmade
cave, Anne Whittle could be seen as the archetypal witch. She was a crone, bent
and twisted, with one manky eye. Her children, Elizabeth and Anne, lived with
her, along with Anne's husband, Thomas. Cosy! Imagine the cauldron-side chats,
about curses, gammy eyes and Satan. Lovely.
The Southerns Family were led by Elizabeth, her Wiccan
Codename: Demdike.
Description: Demdike was about 80 in 1612, blind and notoriously
nasty and spiteful. She lived at Malkin Tower, with her daughter, said to be a
grotesque, twisted crone, with one squinty eye (again?!). She too had a daughter,
Alizon Device, described as wild and emotional.
It is Alizon Device who kicks things off, when she (rather
stupidly) thought she had cursed a passing pedlar (mobile trader) and bragged
about it in the local pub. She had asked John Law for some silver pins, after
meeting him at a crossroads, while travelling to Trawden Forest. But, for
whatever reason, he didn't want to do business with Alizon. Perhaps he couldn't
be bothered, or just didn't like the look of her? Who knows.
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| Two of the accused witches, Anne Whittle (Chattox) and her daughter Anne Redferne. Illustration from William Harrison Ainsworth's 1849 novel, The Lancashire Witches. |
But, anyway, a few
moments later he's struck down by forces unknown (stroke, being the likely
cause, after his run-in and argument). Why pins? It is known that silver pins
are used in love spells, curses, and the curing of warts, I'll have you know! Alizon
obviously believed in the 'craft' as she became quite convinced she had struck
the man down with her supernatural powers. He lived, John Law, by the way.
There's no exciting wiccan murders, in this story, so before I bore you, I'll
move on to the Trials.
The son of John Law, the sinister sounding Abraham Law, made
official complaint to the, err, LAW. Alizon was questioned, in Lancaster Gaol, along
with her Mother and brother. But, instead of hiding the facts, Alizon saw an opportunity
to throw blame onto the rival family: Chattox and the Whittle kids. Alizon also
thought she'd mention having her blood sucked by the devil in the form of a monstrous
black dog called Tibb, who also changed into a boy now and then.
Oh silly silly Alizon, what have you gone and done? 1612 was
a miserable time, in the Lancaster area; the last remaining Catholics were
still hiding in priest holes and King James the 1st had published
his ' Daemonologie' some
15 years previous. He was madly obsessed with witchcraft, and passed a law allowing
the execution of anyone thought to practise 'magic'. It's all a bit weird
really, given how he thought himself the highest academic authority on the
issue, more informed than the actual witches he was seeking out, to kill!
At the time of the
Pendle incident, his Demon Hunter Guide was well used, for identifying witches
and bad sorts throughout Europe. By this time, of course, James was busy
copying and pasting bits and bobs he liked to create his next book; The King
James Bible. It was actually completed and printed in 1612. What a coincidence.
Anyway, long story
short, before you can say 'eye of newt', the Chattox and Demdike kith and kin
were rounded up, taken to Lancaster Castle (Goal) and thrown in a hole, awaiting trail.
Which, has it happened, was our next stop.
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| Lancaster Castle, or Jail, it served until 10 years ago. |
Rain. Heavy rain. Is there any other way to
explore creepy old jails in the North? I don't think so. The gates of the
prison are as foreboding as you would expect, as are the towers within. Prisons
are supposed to be gloomy and oppressive. But, we shall not dwell above ground.
For on that rainy day we had a date, underground, with the ghost witches.
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| Descending the old stone steps to the Witches Dungeon |
As part of the
recognition of the Pendle Witch Trails, parts of the prison had been opened to
the public. It presented a rare opportunity to see where the Pendle Witches
would have been incarcerated awaiting trial. To reveal the subterranean cells
had taken some doing. The excellent tour guide (very dramatic, arms waving, r's
rolling) was keen to point out that the old cells and tunnels had been flooded,
for decades. Now, anyone who knows my writing, will know I have a bit of a
fascination for water and ghosts.
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| Water floods the old cells. |
If 'water' can have 'memory', can it act as a
conduit for paranormal forces. My fictional town of Saxton (The Lost Crown 2007,
Blackenrock 2015) is constantly swirling with fog, the idea being that the
spirits exist within the mist. Thinking back to that cold, wet afternoon, and
the Witches Dungeon (as it was promoted at the time) has brought me out in
goose bumps, the hairs on my arm pricked, and a chill ran down my back. In
fact, I've taken a bit of a pause.
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| The cells beneath Lancaster. The Pendle Witches were imprisoned here. |
It was a HORRIBLE
place.
I don’t know why, but I always imagined a tower, with slit
windows and gloomy Lancashire grey skies. Wrong! They were underground. At the time, in 1612,
it contained quite a collection of local raggedy men, crones and… one Alice Nutter, who
was quite well-to-do, in comparison to the others. There is debateable evidence
that suggests Nutter was dragged into all this chicanery because of her
steadfast Catholic religion, so damning her would likely please the King. A
promotion sir? Oh yes!
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| Chained in the dark. |
The numbers had swelled after wiccan conspirators had been
sought out. There was talk, after the arrest of Alizon, her Mother and brother,
of a daring rescue! Or, depending on what you read, they planned the
destruction of Lancaster Gaol using paranormal powers, as revenge!
Awaiting trial, in the cells, were:
Elizabeth Southerns,
alias Demdike
Elizabeth Device
daughter of Demdike
James Device son of
Elizabeth Device
Alizon Device
daughter of Elizabeth Device
Anne Whittle alias
Chattox
Anne Redferne
daughter of Chattox
Alice Nutter
Jane Bulcock
John Bulcock son of
Jane Bulcock
Katherine Hewitt
alias Mould-heels
Isabel Robey
Margaret Pearson
Old Demdike did not survive the wait. She died in the cell, but
the others stood trial along with the (less famous now) Samlesbury witches. The trial did not happen,
straight away, as by an unfortunate twist, the Justice (Sir James Altham and
Sir Edward Bromley) were rather tied up for a few months. It must have been a
long, long wait in that dark, damp cell. But, the big day arrived.
The Trial of
the Pendle Witches!
The evidence, the main evidence I should say, came from the
confessions and testimony of Jennet Device (grand-daughter of Demdike) who was
nine years old. Nine!! King James own words made this possible, when he wrote 'Children,
women and liars can be witnesses over high treason against God.' This
influenced the justice system and led to Jennet as a key witness. Oh what a big
shambles! She condemned pretty much all of the accused, citing Devil Worship,
murder, fornicating with beasts, communing with familiars, curses, black magic
and…ummm… theft.
Not helping matters at all, is the small matter of the confessions
given by the accused. Demdike, before her death, claimed she had sold her soul to the Devil some 20 years past.
Chattox, too, made a similar claim. But, I do wonder if this was two old broads
trying to out-do each other. But, at the end of three long wretched days, it
was a child's evidence that condemned the Pendle Witches.
Jennet's evidence in
the 1612 Pendle Witch Trial in Lancashire led to the execution of 10 people,
including all of her own family. Her convincing evidence was believed by the
jury and after a two-day trial all her family and most of her neighbours were
found guilty of causing death or harm by witchcraft.
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| Back into the light... towards death. |
Leaving the cells (still with us? I wouldn't want to loose
you down there), there was one last stop, on our Pendle Witch Tour: Gallows
Hill, the place of execution. The area is a park, with fine views across the
landscape. The witches and their conspirators were all hung by the neck until
dead, such was the practise. The bodies were removed, and likely buried nearby,
on non-consecrated ground. Old lore tells us that large boulders or heaps of
stones were placed upon the burial, to stop the witches from rising and seeking
revenge. There are no signs of anything at old Gallows Hill, which for me, was
more disturbing. The bodies could be anywhere!
That night we talked about our witchy experience. The Record
Breaker run and the cells were a highlight, and the landscape around Pendle
Hill. A nocturnal drive around the old lanes was a fun, final experience. I was
looking for a crossroads, (quite common in Kent and Cornwall, imbued with
superstition), to say a few pretentious words (or call up an Imp). It was a
chilly night, with an owl hooting somewhere in the dark fields, and I did get a
little spooked. No matter what you think, whether you believe Chattox and
Demdike raised a brood of witches, or whether it was a dark time for clear
thinking, it makes a cracking story, and lives on in people's minds to this
day.
The famous Witch Hunter, Mathew Hopkins, had yet to be born
(1620), The Salem Witch Trials (1692-1693) could be argued as a continuation of
the Pendle Trials, or at least spurned on by them, thanks to the publication of
' The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster ', a lively account
of the Pendle Trials, by the Thomas Potts, the clerk to the Lancaster Assizes. He,
and the big wigs probably did quite well from the publication. The King would
have been most pleased.
If any of this has piqued your interest, I strongly suggest
looking into the history. There are loads of websites, some more reliable than
others, which explore the story from different perspectives. It rattles some,
all this talk of witchcraft. There was an appeal, in 1998, to Jack Straw (Home
Secretary at the time) to officially pardon the 'witches', but he decided their
convictions should stand. So, there you have it. They were rightfully tried and
executed, according to modern law. There is talk that the Pendle lot were
thieves, too, so any conviction is a righteous one? No? Not really. They were
tried and executed as witches, not thieves, so it's a load of old crystal
balls.
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| A haunting reminder. |
In 2012, during our visit, the Bishop of Burnley was making
a lot of noise about his discomfort with the big '1612' on the side of Pendle
Hill. I guess he thought celebrating the witches or remembering the injustice
of 1612 was unhealthy, or even anti-Christian. So, in some respects, the story
of Demdike, Chattox and the others is never going away.
Good.
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Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy my wiccan wanderings in Blackenrock!
Jonathan