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England in the 17th century -

At the beginning of the 17th century, the superstitious King James I held the English throne. The country was rife with a fear of evil and the supernatural during his reign. It was just a few decades after England had changed from a Catholic country to a Protestant one, but some corners of Britain were still hanging on to the old ways.

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The infamous borough of Pendle -

In the north, the county of Lancashire was seen as a place where people did not conform to modern ways, often causing trouble. It was also the site of the country’s most famous witch trial. The borough of Pendle has been associated with witchcraft for centuries. The infamous Pendle Hill was said to be the location of many dark deeds and rituals, favored by the local witches.

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The Demdike family -

A young girl named Jennet Device lived in Pendle with her family in the home of her grandmother, Elizabeth Southerns, who also went by the name Demdike.

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Malkin Tower -

Their home was called Malkin Tower, which may sound grand but in actuality was a small dilapidated building. In fact, the word “malkin” was local slang for a slovenly woman or prostitute. The location of their house is believed to have been somewhere on the Pendle hillside pictured here.

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Living in poverty on the edge of society -

Needless to say, the family’s reputation in Pendle was not prestigious. Demdike and her family made ends meet by begging in the town and doing odd jobs for their neighbors. However, Demdike had other services she could offer.

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A cunning woman -

Known as Old Demdike to the locals, she was an example of a “cunning woman.” This meant that she had certain skills and knowledge that made her valuable to the poorer villagers, who might go to her for medical treatment as they couldn’t afford a real doctor.

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A healer or a witch? -

Cunning women were seen as people who used more or less the same powers as witches, but they used them for good. They used their skills to heal people or break curses, whereas the witches were the ones who killed and cursed.

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The peril of female power -

While this ambiguous role brought Demdike some extra income, it also put her at risk. At the time, being a cunning woman was invariably seen as witchcraft by the authorities. If Demdike had a falling out with any of her customers, they could easily report her as a witch.

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The Demdike family -

Demdike was at further risk of being seen as a witch as she lived with her daughter Elizabeth and her grandchildren Alizon, James, and Jennet. There were no adult men living at Malkin Tower, as Elizabeth’s husband had died years earlier.

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Jennet Device -

Elizabeth had two of her children with her late husband, but her youngest, Jennet, was illegitimate. Given the times, it’s likely that Jennet grew up feeling like the lesser of the three children, and a somewhat shameful addition to the family.

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Rejected by the community -

Jennet’s sister, Alizon, also suffered as a member of the disreputable family. Many of the more pious villagers would treat Alizon and the others rudely if they met them in the street, believing them to be heathens and sorceresses.

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Alizon's downfall -

On March 8, 1612, she passed a local peddler on a country lane and asked him for some spare change. He dismissed her and walked on. Alizon cursed him under her breath, and moments later, saw him fall to the ground, unable to move or speak.

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Roger Nowell -

Based on detailed descriptions of the peddler’s condition, it is almost certain that the man suffered a stroke. However, Alizon believed that her curse had caused his sudden illness and begged his forgiveness. Unfortunately, the peddler’s adult son reported the incident to an ambitious magistrate called Roger Nowell.

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Alizon's "confession" -

Nowell interviewed Alizon and the confused young girl confessed that she had bewitched the peddler and nearly killed him. During her confession, she also accused her neighbors, a mother and daughter by the name of Chattox, of witchcraft. Nowell then interviewed the Chattox women, who were quick to accuse the Demdike family of witchcraft right back.

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The witch hunt -

Nowell took it upon himself to launch a full-blown witch hunt in Pendle to rid the land of evil. Over the following month, he arrested Alizon, Demdike, and the Chattox women. He later arrested Elizabeth, her son, and several others after it was discovered that they had stolen a sheep and held a gathering at Malkin Tower on Good Friday, when all God-fearing citizens were expected to be at church.

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Lancaster Castle -

A total of 20 people, including young Jennet Device’s entire family, were locked up in Lancaster Castle to await trial. The castle was an operating prison up until 2011. The section of the prison where they were held is still known as the Witches’ Tower.

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What happened to Jennet? -

It’s unclear what happened to young Jennet in the four months while her family was imprisoned awaiting trial. She may have been in the care of magistrate Nowell, as she was soon to become his star witness.

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The trial begins -

On August 18, 1612, the Pendle witch trials began. Alizon Device, with whom it had all began, still believed that she had used some kind of evil power to curse the peddler and did not try to defend herself. She said that her grandmother would have been able to help restore his health, but Old Demdike had died in the prison cell before the trial began.

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Elizabeth Device stands trial -

Alizon’s mother, Elizabeth, was next to stand trial. She was not contrite like her daughter and furiously protested her innocence. However, her other daughter, nine-year-old Jennet, was brought out to testify against her.

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The Good Friday gathering -

Jennet cried as her mother screamed at her to tell the court that she was innocent. Elizabeth was taken away, and Jennet reportedly stopped crying and jumped up onto a table to calmly condemn her mother and the rest of her family as witches. She claimed that the Good Friday meeting at Malkin Tower was in fact a gathering of witches.

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Jennet's stories -

Jennet provided strange details to support her claims, stating that she had seen her mother’s spirit transferred into a dog that did her bidding, killing a local man. She also accused her brother of witchcraft and said that she had seen his spirit kill three people.

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Where did they come from? -

Jennet’s testimony was reportedly very calm, clear, and chilling in its detail. Modern historians speculate that Jennet’s dislike for her family was manipulated by the magistrate, who pressured her to testify in order to save herself.

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Conviction and execution -

Jennet was shown a parade of prisoners and pointed out which ones she recognized from the Good Friday gathering. In the end, 10 people were sentenced to death by hanging for causing harm or death through witchcraft. The condemned included every member of Jennet’s family.

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What happened to Jennet? -

In the years that followed, it’s unclear what happened to Jennet Device. It’s unlikely that any local families would want to take in the young girl who had sent all of her relatives to their deaths.

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Edmund Robinson's story -

In 1633, 22 years after the Pendle witch trials, a young boy from Pendle called Edmund Robinson told his parents that he had been picking berries when he saw a dog turn into a witch, who then whisked him away to a barn filled with witches casting spells. He narrowly escaped and made his way home to tell the fantastical story.

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Another witch hunt -

The boy’s father took him from town to town to identify the witches he had seen that night. By the end of this tour, 20 people had been imprisoned for witchcraft. One of them was a woman named Jennet Device.

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On trial again - As a child, Jennet had narrowly avoided the noose by testifying against her family for the magistrate. As she stood before the judge once again, this time as the accused, she was at the mercy of another child's testimony. Robinson's testimony led to 17 convictions.

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A new process -

However, times had changed, and the 'witches' were not immediately sentenced to death. The case was sent onwards to London for further review. Jennet Device remained in prison in Lancaster Castle, where her family had spent months before their deaths.

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The truth comes out -

The boy was further questioned by investigators from London, and cracked under the pressure. He admitted that he hadn’t really seen any witches and simply fabricated the tale. He also revealed that his father had used it as an opportunity for blackmail, telling him to identify the women as witches if they refused to pay a bribe.

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Jennet escapes once again -

Thanks to this additional investigation and its results, Jennet Device and her fellow prisoners were acquitted. Device was a lot luckier in her trial than her family before her. While she narrowly escaped with her life, many others who came after were not so lucky.

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Witch trials and child testimony -

The Salem witch trials in Massachusetts started in 1692, during which much of the evidence was provided by children. The testimony of Jennet Device in 1612 was referenced by the prosecutors as proof that children can be effective witnesses. It's terrifying to think about the number of people, mostly women, who were sentenced to death based on unreliable or manipulated testimonies as a result.

Sources: (Chronicle - Medieval History Documentaries) (Historic UK) (The History Press)

See also: Signs you'd be considered a witch in the 17th century

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