The story of the Pendle Witches is the most known example of alleged witchcraft in the history of England.
On August 20, 1612, 10 men and women were hanged at Lancaster Castle for the alleged murder by witchcraft of 17 people in the Pendle Forest area of Lancashire.
Those hanged were Jane Bulcock, John Bulcock, Alizon Device, Elizabeth Device, James Device, Katherine Hewitt, Alice Nutter, Anne Redferne, Isobel Robey, and Anne Whittle (aka Chattox). Additionally, Margaret Pearson was found guilty of witchcraft but not murder, Jennet Preston was hanged at York (she lived over the county border), and Elizabeth Southerns (aka Demdike) died before her trial.
Pendle Hill, which dominates the landscape of the area, continues to be associated with witchcraft, and every Halloween large numbers of visitors climb it.
Fiction
These events formed the inspiration for the following novels:
- Mist over Pendle by Robert Neill , ISBN 0099067803
- A Cry of Innocence: A Novel of the Pendle Witches by Kate Mulholland , ISBN 0860671291
- Lancashire Witches: A Romance of Pendle Forest by W Harrison Ainsworth , ISBN 1872226558
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