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n If Anne Redferne had felt any relief at the not guiltynverdict delivered on the Tuesday evening, this was crushed the followingnmorning, when she was tried for the murder of Christopher Nutter. Thenconfessions of Demdike and James Device were read again, as was the evidencengiven by Margaret Crooke at Fence. If that evidence had been insufficient tonconvict her of the murder of Robert Nutter, it should not have been enough tonconvict her of the death of his father, but it wasn’t. She was found guilty.
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| Lancashire 1623 |
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nThe trial of Alice Nutter wasnstrange. Unlike the others tried, she was a gentlewoman, a person of substancenand education. In his Wonderfull Discoverie, Thomas Potts writes
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n “Thentwo degrees of persons which chiefly practise Witch-craft, are such, as are inngreat miserie and pouertie, for such the Deuill allures to follow him, bynpromising great riches, and worldly commoditie; Others, though rich, yet burnenin a desperate desire of Reuenge; Hee allures them by promises, to get theirnturne satisfied to their hearts contentment.”n
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nThis is lifted directly fromnKing James’s Daemonologie, almost word for word, and he goes on to say,
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n“whether by the meanes of the rest of the Witches, or some vnfortunatenoccasion, shee was drawne to fall to this wicked course of life, I know not.”n
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nThe seventy year old widow was convicted on evidence regarding the events atnMalkin Tower, but one explanation is that Alice Nutter was on her way to, orncoming back from, Mass on Good Friday, and refused to defend herself as she maynthereby have incriminated some of her fellow Catholics. A John Nutter, fromnReedley Hollow in Pendle, was executed at Tyburn for being a Catholic priest inn1583, his brother John Nutter was executed for the same at Lancaster in 1600; annephew, Ellis Nutter was ordained in 1601. Was Alice Nutter, a Catholic, anvictim of the strictly Protestant Roger Nowell? Local legends still say thisnwas the cause (we have long memories in these parts).
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| Witchery |
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nKatherine Hewitt’s andnAlice Gray’s cases were the next. Katherine Hewitt (aka Mouldheels), wasncharged with the murder of Anne Foulds, a child, and for having ‘in hanck’ anchild of Michael Hartley, that is, to be in the process of murdering the childnby witchcraft. Potts does not include the testimony of Alice Gray, and althoughnhe lists her as being present at the Malkin Tower, he includes her name amongstnthose in his list of the Salmesbury witches. In any case, Alice Gray was thenonly one of the Pendle witches found not guilty. At mid-day on August 18thnAnne Redferne, Alice Nutter and Katherine Hewitt were declared to be guilty.
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nInnthe afternoon, Jane Bulcock and her son, John, were brought in. They pleadednnot guilty, and denied being at the Malkin Tower. Nine year old Jennet Devicenwas re-called; she picked Jane out in an identity parade and identified John asnthe man who turned the spit as the stolen sheep was roasted.
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nLastly, AlizonnDevice was tried. John Law, the pedlar, and his son, Abraham, gave evidence,nand again Alizon broke down and begged forgiveness, which, again, was granted.nAlizon spoke of her familiar, a black dog, as did John Law, although it had notnbeen mentioned in the original complaint earlier in April. She said how she hadnwanted to buy pins from Law, Law said she had begged for pins, Abraham Law saidnshe wanted to buy pins but had no money, so his father had given some to her.nStill, on the strength of her confession, Alizon Device was found to be guilty,nthe same verdict being passed on the Bulcocks, (in a printing error in the WonderfullnDiscoverie, to which the printer admitted, their verdict was shown as ‘NotnGuilty’. This was corrected later).
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nJudge Bromley passed sentence on AnnenWhittle, Anne Redferne, Elizabeth Device, James Device, Alizon Device, JanenBulcock, John Bulcock and Katherine Hewitt –
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n“You shall all goe from hence tonthe Castle, from whence you came; from thence you shall bee carried to thenplace of Execution for this Countie: where your bodies shall bee hanged vntillnyou be dead; AND GOD HAVE MERCIE VPON YOVR SOVLES.”n
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nOn Thursday August 20th 1612, the eight Pendle witches were hanged at Lancaster.
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