2.2 the origins of the case Flashcards
(29 cards)
Alizon Device and John Law
what was the initial encounter between Alizon Device and John Law
- John Law, was a Pedlar from Halifax refused to give Alizon Device any pins after she begged for them outside Pendle FOrest
- when he did so, he suffered great pain and became paralysed
- he then encountered her familiar (black dog)
accounts of the confrontation
what did Alizon say she told her familiar to do?
-
- harm law
- she was suprised the curse worked immediately
accounts of the confrontation
what are the contradictions in the account of the initial interaction: what did Alizon later admit to? What did Abraham say?
- she later confessed to blaming Law because he wouldn’t sell her any pins
- at her trial she stated she begged for pins and as a result became ill
- Abraham, Law’s son, said John actually had given her some pins despite the fact she had no money
the role of abraham law
what was the role of Abraham Law? where did he go? what did he do despite his father’s forgiveness?
- Abraham recieved a letter informing him of his father’s condition and came to see him at Colne
- he found and brought Alizon to his father on the 29th march
- John forgave Alizon but Abraham reported it to the local magistrate Robert Nowell anyway
- end of April: 19 people in Lancaster Castle.
Demdike and Chattox and their witchcraft families: family rivalry
Old Demdike and Old Chattox real names
Elizabeth Southerns and Anne Whittle - senior members of 2 rival families, fell out in 1601
Demdike and Chattox and their witchcraft families: family rivalry
How did the falling out occur?
Key characters: Alizon + John Device, Anne + Thomas Redferne, Old Chattox
- clothing and grain was stollen from Alizon Device worth 20 shillings
- next sunday, Alizon claimed she saw Anne Redferne, daughter of Old Chattox and wife of Thomas Redferne, wearing a stolen cap and band
- Old Chattox was offered a settlement from John Device, Alizon’s father, which settled the situation until John’s death a few years later
Earlier reputation
1595 events: What did the Nutter family believe about Chattox and the Redfernes?
- 1595 Christopher Nutter was travelling home from Burnely with his sons, Robert and John
- Chattox lived as a tenant on their land with Anne and Thomas Redferne
- Robert became ill, and insisted Chattox and her daughter had bewitched him
earlier reputation
1595 Events (2) what happened after Robert claimed he had been bewitched?
- Christoher Nutter then threatneed Thomas Redferne that he would have him removed from his house
- Robert left for Chester, and died on his return
- Christopher Nutter became ill and died after 3 months
- Christopher insisted on his death bed that he had been bewitched.
- John (survivng nutter) gave evidence against Old Chattox
The investigations of Rodger Nowell: Nowell’s background
Who was Robert Nowell?
magistrate, protestant connections
- local magistrate central to the conduction of the hunt
- he had been a high sherriff of Lancashire and had strong connections with high-profile protestants
The investigations of Rodger Nowell: Nowell’s background
Rodger Nowell’s half brother?
- Alexander Nowell (Dean of St Paul’s cathedral) throughout Elizabeth’s reign
The investigations of Rodger Nowell: Nowell’s background
speculated that Nowell had been familiar with which texts?
- William Perkin’s Discourse of the Damned Art of Witches 1608
- and Daemonologie James I
investigation: Alizon Device’s confession
How was Alizon Device treated under investigation?
- Abraham Law brought Alizon Device to JP Rodger Nowell
- it is likely Nowell sleep deprived, pricked, and watched Alizon (usual methods of interrogation)
- Alizon described a conversation with her familiar that triggered the curse on John Law
investigation: Alizon Device’s confession
What did Alizon reveal about the role of her grandmother and familiars?
- her grandmother (old demdike) had attmempted to persuade her to get a familiar when they were begging together
- the familiar promised her it would give her anything if it could suckle from her
- the dog had approached her 2 years before the encounter with Law and she recalled 3 further examples of Demdike’s witchcraft.
investigation: Alizon Device’s confession
Which 3 examples did Alizon recall about Demdike’s witchcraft?
cow, butter, farmer
- John Nutter’s cow became sick, he asked Demdike how to heal the cow, and Demdike was blind, so Alizon led her from her house, and Jennet led her back, the next morning the cow died, Demdike was blamed.
- Alizon brought milk into the house which she had begged for to share with her family. Demdike was lying in bed, and Alizon briefly left, she returned finding a quarter pound of butter in the bucket despite Demdike not leaving her bed.
- Demdike was also blamed for a local farmer (richard baldwin’s) daughter’s death
investigation: Alizon Device’s confession
How did Alizon then go on to implicate Chattox? what did she accuse Chattox of?
murder, ale, cattle, milk.
- chattox was guilty of murder: she cursed and killed Anne Nutter (Alizon’s friend) for laughing at her
- John Moore (seperate incident) accused Chattox of turning his ale sour, she threatened him and his son died.
- Hugh Moore of Pendle accused Chattox of bewitching his cattle
- one of Chattox’s daughters (Elizabeth) had requested some milk from John Nutter for her mother. Nutter’s son kicked over the can containing the milk, and the next day John Nutter’s cows became ill and died.
investigation: Alizon Device’s confession
Alizon’s devil’s mark?
- she admitting to having one on her left side that had been there for over 40 years
- she was allowed to go free though (?) with her son, James.
Further arrests
After Alizon’s arrrest, who was called in?
- Old Demdike (her grandmother), Old Chattox, and her daughter, Anne Redferne
- Nowell also found several neighbours who would testify against the women
- these confirmed what Alizon siad
Further arrests
what were the familiar traits seen in witch cases also present in Old Demdike’s confession?
- inability to invoke the name of jesus
- suckling of familiar
- making an effigy of a person to bewitch them
(she may have been under torture, and Nowell may have convinced her that she was a witch bc of her reputation)
Further arrests
What did Demdike say about Chattox? what was the role of her familiar, Tibb?
clay figures
- Demdike implicated Chattox, who she said had been making clay figures with her daughter, Anne
- Tibb, her familiar, told her they were figures of Christopher Nutter, Robert Nutter, and Robert’s wife, Marie.
- Tibb suggested she could help Chattox in making the figures, but when she refused Tibb pushed her into a ditch
Further arrests
Chattox’s confession: what did she say? what was the role of familiars?
Fancie
- 15 years earlier she had met a man who wanted her to give him her soul
- she consented, and he said he would be able to punish anyone who wronged her
- He told her to call on her spirit ‘fancie’
- she didn’t, and Fancie became relentless and began encouraging her to harm people
Further arrests
Who were the other witnesses present that day?
Crook, Nutter, Robinson
- Margaret Crook: Robert Nutter’s sister, spoke about her brother’s quarrel with Anne Redferne, believing she bewitched him
- John Nutter: said 18 years earlier his father had been killed by witchcraft
- James Robinson: (probably) servant of the Nutters, implicated Old Chattox and anne Redferne as witches. Robinson had hired CHattox to card wool at his house 6 years earlier, Chattox accidentally soured some casks of drink and claimed to have a charm to reverse this.
Further arrests
What did Nowell decide to do next?
- he recieved full confessions
- Anne Redferne said nothing according to Potts
- Nowell decided to keep the women detained until he could sned them to the Lancaster assized in August.
Meeting at Malkin Tower: Discovery of the coven
what was the meeting?
- likely a meeting of helpless peasents trying to escape trouble, but when JP Robert Nowell found out about the incident, he resumed investigations immediately.
Meeting at Malkin Tower: Discovery of the coven
Another JP Henry Hargreaves visiting Malkin Tower: what did he discover? who helped him
- he was helped by James Device (alizon’s brother)
- he discovered a clay image and some teeth from the graveyard at Newchurch
- they crossed the border into Yorkshire and visited another suspec Jennet Preston so James could identify her as being present at the Malkin Tower meeting
- Nicholas Bannister (another magistrate) helped Nowell examine Elizabeth
