Pendle Hill, situated between Burnley and Clitheroe in eastern Lancashire, rises 557 metres above sea level. The area is forever associated with one of the most notorious witch trials in English history.
Though England’s most notorious witch-hunter was Matthew Hopkins in the 1640s, the Pendle case came three decades earlier. Local magistrate Roger Nowell played the central role in sending the accused for trial in 1612.
Twelve people from around Pendle became caught up in the accusations. One died in prison before trial, one was acquitted and 10 were found guilty and hanged; other Lancashire defendants were tried at the same assizes.
Lancaster Castle’s account of the trials records how rumour, accusations and confessions drew the families of Demdike and Chattox, along with others from the area, into the case.
Names of the Pendle Witches
Two of the best-known figures were Elizabeth Southerns, known as Demdike, and Anne Whittle, known as Chattox. Both women were at the centre of families drawn into the accusations.
The Device family was also deeply involved, including Elizabeth Device and her children James and Alison.
In her confession, Demdike described how she believed she had encountered a spirit years earlier while returning home from begging. Other confessions and accusations followed from members of the Device and Chattox families.
Demdike died in Lancaster Castle before the trial. Of the Pendle accused who reached court, one was acquitted and 10 were found guilty and hanged.
Accusations, trial and executions
The accusations included claims that witchcraft had caused numerous deaths around Pendle. One of the best-known episodes involved pedlar John Law, who suffered what is now generally thought to have been a stroke after refusing Alison Device’s request for pins.
The Pendle defendants were tried alongside other people accused of witchcraft in Lancashire. Some of those other defendants were acquitted, while the Pendle case ended with 10 executions.
The evidence would be regarded very differently today. Much of it rested on accusations, confessions and testimony given in a period when belief in witchcraft was widespread and the accused had few protections in court.
Read more: Andrew Garvey looks back at the 400th anniversary of the Pendle Witch Trials and the play Sabbat.
Read more: Artist Joe Hesketh explores the Pendle Witch Trials through her work.
