Mr. Burger’s wife, pregnant, denied an old woman suspected to be a witch who came begging at her door, she muttered something about a hoggish child as she left and was therefore suspected to be the witch responsible for this monstrous birth, people came to see her eat out of a trough, with a heavy dowry she was advertised for marriage by her parents, finally married, and the spell went away, making her beautiful
Tag: AccusedWoman
Categories
Witchcrafts, strange and wonderfull
examination of an Anne Baker, a hand appeared to her and told her to kill her master, which she did with fire and a Crow spirit, and the examination of an Ioane Willimot who promised a spirit her soul, tried converted an Ellen Greene, discusses the trial of the Flower family, and of Margaret flower, but she wrote it
original suspicions of Elizabeth Savvyer, spinster, after the death of nurse-children and cattle, used an ‘old ridiculous custome’ of burning the thatch of her house to see if she would come, she confessed that the Devil accessed her through her tongue, they had a woman search her body and found a mark in the form of a ‘teate,’ contains interrogation of her in dialogue, was executed
Ioan, Margaret and Phillip Flower associated themselves with the Beauer Castle, the Early and the Lady began to suspect them of witchcraft, of robbery and bewitching a man into loving Phillip, the devil came to them and they agreed to give their souls to have spirits like dogs, cats, and rats at their control, they were apprehended and sent to Lincoln, during her trial Ione asked for bread and butter and died after eating it, the daughters were executed; includes trials and confessions of other men and women, and then the individual confessions of the sisters who reported having spirits sucking on them
mostly a theoretical discussion of witchcraft, Marie Smith became jealous of her neighbors for selling cheese better than she, cursed them, the Devil appeared to her in the shape of a black man, she cursed a sailor who struck her son, he became sick and his fingers rotted off, she bewitched several other men and women, and confessed publicly before execution
Categories
The Witches of Northampton-shire
Brief summary
Theoretical discussion of witches, Mistris Belcher fell sick and cried out against Ioane Uaughn, whose daughter was Anges Browne, Belcher’s brother went to their house in anger but was unable to approach their house, when he returned home he also fell into fits, the women pled not guilty to bewitching the siblings but were executed; an Arthur Bill was accused of bewitching a mother and daughter to death along with cattle, born of witch parents also condemned in court, his mother slit her throat, he pleaded innocent but was condemned to death; a Hellen Iekenson bewitched a child to death and was executed; a Mary Barber bewitched a man to death an was also executed,
Fuller summary
This pamphlet recounts the events that led to the eventual executions of five witches in Northampton-shire on the 22 of July, 1612. The pamphlet begins with a theoretical discussion on witches and witchcraft. This discussion includes the condemnation of all those involved this “Devilish sin” and makes witchcraft seem like a practice void of any good and only associated with malice. The author, an anonymous writer, provides the definition of a witch as, “…one that worketh by the Devil, or by the same Devilish or Curious Art, either hurting or healing,revealing things secret, or foretelling things to come, which the devil hath devised to entangle,and snare men’s souls withall, unto damnation.” The author then proclaims that witches are not to be trusted.
The author first recounts the story of Agnes Browne and her daughter, Ioane Vaughan. One day, Ioane experienced an encounter with Mistris Belcher. In a fit of rage, seemingly caused by her angry nature, Mistris Belcher “strooke” Ioane, causing her to leave her company, promising revenge on Belcher. Ioane goes home to her mother, Agnes, and informs her of the events which had transpired. Moved by the devil, Agnes advised her daughter on how to proceed; with anger and destruction. Four nights later, while Mistris Belcher slept, she experienced a “gripping and gnawing in her body,” causing her to cry out in pain, immediately blaming Ioane Vaughan. Somehow, her face became disfigured by some disease. Belcher’s brother heard of his sister’s ordeal and paid her a visit. In defense of Belcher, her brother went to the house of Agnes Browne with the intention of drawing blood. After an intense series of events, Agnes and Ioane are both apprehended and indicted for their crimes. At the trial, they plead not guilty to the bewitchment of Mistris Belcher. They were subsequently found guilty and executed on July 22, 1612.
The second account is of Arthur Bill, a poor man and a son of two witches from the town of Raunds. Already with the suspicion of Arthur being a witch, people gave him a reputation of being associated with evil activities. On one particular occasion, the body of Martha Aspine was found dead, brutally bewitched and murdered. Because Arthur, and his two witch parents, was rumored to be seen floating on water, he was accused of bewitching the woman. In the trial, his father defected and became the principal witness against Arthur. His mother, in fear of being hanged, slit her own throat. He adamantly pleaded his innocence, yet he was still found guilty. The court even gave the three spirits which Arthur called upon names; Grissill, Ball, and Iacke. He asserted his innocence up until the moment he was executed.
The last two accounts of witches are much shorter than the other two. One is of Hellen Ienkenson, who was previously suspected of bewitching cattle. This time, she was accused of bewitching a child to death. She was ultimately found guilty and executed. The second short account is of Mary Barber. Mary came from extremely poor backgrounds, both lacking in education and characterized by violence and barbarism. Accused of bewitching a man to death, she was sentenced to the same fate.
Martha Brossier was examined by many religious authorities, and reported to Parliament to be faking despite popular opinion, could not answer in Latin despite rumors, officials began to exorcise her, she put a cross in her mouth, endured pin pricking, includes original document of her possession and goes on to disprove the points made, some saw her raised into the air, she was made to only drink holy water several days by a bishop
written by the minister himself but apparently published without his knowledge, descriptions of his fits and a black dog that appeared, argues that the swellings seen across his body could not be counterfeited, criticizes Sommers for being a liar, claims that the confession of Alice Goodridge also confirms that the Thomas Darling was not lying either, contains a list of evidence supporting his case
Categories
Newes from Scotland
Brief summary
News from Scottland of sorcerers and witches, deputy bailiff of a Scottish town suspected his servant of witchcraft for having healing powers, tortured her and looked for the mark of the devil, she confessed and then informed them about three other witches, two woman and a man named Doctor Fian, the devil had licked them to leave his mark of which hair is a sign, then one of the accused Agnis Simpson was shaved entirely, the devil made them all kiss his butt, King of Scottland present at the trials, Satan used them for sex, the Doctor was tortured to near death, then executed, and the others remained in prison.
Fuller summary
As is often the case, the pamphlet is prefaced with a note to the reader justifying and guaranteeing the truthfulness of the events to be described. The pamphlet begins with a brief praise of God, and mentions His intention to shed light on witchcraft to mankind through the various witchcraft-related events that occured. It is also mentioned that all the events were described to the King.
Geillis Duncane, maid servant of David Seaton, often went out to help the poor and afflicted. She did this with such miraculous efficacy and skill (given her lack of experience) that Seaton, her master, grew suspicious. He interrogated Geillis on the matter and, since she gave no response, proceeded to torture her “with the helpe of others”. Seaton and his fellows discovered a mark on her throat that seemed to be that of the devil. Upon discovery, Geillis confessed to witchcraft. She was sent to prison where she named several other individuals who were witches, including John Cunningham (aka Doctor Fian) and Agnis Thompson. Similarly, Thompson wouldn’t confess to anything in spite of intense torture until her hairs were all shaven and a Devil’s mark found “upon her privities”.
Thompson describes to the King a gathering of two-hundred witches (among them, Geillis) at the “kerke of North Barrick in Lowthian” during the night of Allhollon Even (Halloween?) where the Devil manifested himself in the form of a man and required that each witch “kiss his buttocks in sign of duty to him,” after which he expressed his deep hatred of the King and, having received oath of the witches’ service to him, left. The King being skeptical of Thompson’s words, she proceeds to whisper to him the exact words he had exchanged with the Queen on the first night of their marriage, in Norway. The King is astonished and believes her entirely from then on.
The pamphlet describes attempts at the King’s life by Thompson: poisoning his clothes and setting the wind against his boat at sea using a “christened cat”. She affirms that she would have succeeded had it not been for the faith of the King and the devotion of his servants. The questioned witches describe that, having vowed themselves to the Devil, would be “carnally used” by him.
John Cunningham, also denounced by Geillis, was imprisoned and tortured with “the most severe and cruel pain in the world” (the boots) but still would not confess until certain charmed pins thrust under his tongue were removed by fellow witches. Cunningham then confessed to being the “Clarke” at the witch congregations (keeping count of the witches who did or didn’t renew their oath to the devil). He initially turned to sorcery/witchcraft to “obtain” the gentlewoman of whom he was enamoured by convincing her brother, one of his students, to bring him three of the girl’s private hairs with which he could magically make her love him. The plan failed when the girl’s mother finds out about it and made the boy give Cunningham three cow hairs. As soon as he “wrought his Art” upon the hairs, the cow ran into the church where he was and “leaped and danced upon him”. Because many townsfolk saw this happen, Doctor Cunningham (aka Doctor Fian) became well-known in Scotland as someone who worked with the devil.
After his confession, Fian was sent back to prison where he renounced his alliance to the devil and converted himself to a devout Christian. That night, the devil appeared to Fian and asked him if he would keep serving him, to which Fian directly responds that he will not but would forsake him, and Satan vanished. The following day, Fian appeared solitary and seeking redemption, calling upon God, and yet that same night steals the key to his prison door and escapes back to his residence at the Salt Pans. The King initiated a “hot and hard pursuit” and brought him back to the prison. That night, Fian denied all that he had confessed and attested true under his name the day before. Suspected of having pacted with the devil anew, Fian is searched for another mark of the devil, in vain. He is then tortured by having his fingernails pulled off with pincers and having two needles thrust where the fingernails would have been, yet still does not confess. He is then once again tortured with the boots—this time to irreparable, excruciating extremes—yet still does not admit to his previous confession, stating that his confession and previous actions were only said and done for fear of going through the tortures again.
Following this, the King decides to soon have Doctor Fian executed. He was strangled and burned in a great fire in the Castle Hill of Edenbrough in January 1591. The other witches not yet executed were, at the time of the pamphlet, still in prison. The pamphlet ends with an elogy of the King as a true Christian and an undaunted mind.
Brief summary:
Condemned and executed, Ioan Cunny taught by mother to draw circles in the ground for Satan, made frog spirits appear and sent them to hurt people, reported by two sons, Ioan Vpney had a mole and a toad spirit, sent the toad to kill wives of accusers, Ioan Prentice saw the devil appear to her in the form of a ferret which sucked her blood, executed together
Brief summary:
This pamphlet includes the confessions of three witches, as well as some of the evidence given against them and the result of their trial. The pamphlet begins with an address to the reader, warning against the seductiveness of having dealings with Satan. This address reminds the reader that God will not allow such actions, and no one should hide such offenders.
Following this warning, the first main section of the pamphlet contains the confession of Joan Cunny, a widow from Essex. Mother Cunny explains that she learned to be a witch from Mother Humfrye who instructed her to draw a circle on the ground and say a specific prayer to Satan. Mother Cunny says that when she first called on Satan two spirits appeared to her in the shape of frogs, and it is suggested that she had at least two more spirits. All four of the spirits have names, and notes in the margins explain their different abilities-one killed men, one killed women, one killed horses and one killed cattle. Mother Cunny also confesses that she had sent her spirits to hurt a variety of people in the village, and while some people were able to repel them by the force of their belief in God, other people were harmed by the spirits. She denies sending her spirits to hurt some specific people, but does say that her daughter Margaret may have sent out the spirits to hurt people as well.
Following this confession, Mother Cunny’s oldest grandson gives evidence against her, saying that she had cursed Harry Finches’ wife for not giving her anything to drink and that the woman died a week later. The grandson also explains that once he was sent to get wood but had it stolen from him by another boy, and that when he told Mother Cunny this she told her spirit to prick the thief in the foot and he became lame. Then, the boy continues, they went together to the Sheriff’s field and she had her spirit knock down an Oak tree, although there was no wind. This is the end of the confession of the first witch.
The second witch, Joan Upney, begins her confession by saying that a different witch came to her house and gave her something that looked like a mole and told her it would do her bidding. That Mole left her about a year later, but the same witch gave her another mole and a toad, and Mother Upney says she has always had a toad to do her bidding since that time. She admits that she send her toad to pinch a variety of people, and that her younger daughter used them as well. That is the end of her confession.
The confession of the final witch, Joan Prentice, begins with Mother Prentice saying that six years ago the devil appeared to her in the shape of a ferret as she was getting ready for bed. She recounts that the ferret asked her for her soul and when asked what he was said he was Satan but that she should not fear him as he just wanted her soul. Mother Prentice said that her soul belonged to Jesus and she could not give it to the ferret, so the ferret asked for her blood and drank from a finger on her left hand, and told her his name was Bidd. Mother Prentice recounts that the ferret came to her often, only as she was getting ready for bed, and that it drank blood from her left cheek and asked for her commands. Mother Prentice confesses that she asked the ferret to spoil a neighbors’ drink, and to nip one of Master Glascocks’ children, a girl named Sara. The ferret came back to report that it had bit the child and that the child would die, and Mother Prentice said she had told it not to kill the child, and states that she has not seen the ferret since. She explains that she wanted the ferret to nip the child because one of Master Glascock’s servants had turned her away when she was begging at his house. Mother Prentice also recounts what she said to call the ferret to her, and names two other women who also call upon the ferret, although she does not know what they have asked the ferret to do.
The pamphlet ends with a narration of the end of the women’s’ trials, and, as they are all found guilty, they are sent back to jail for a few hours before being taken to their execution. All three women were given the opportunity to repent and ask God for mercy, and Mother Upney did so before her death.
The pamphlet has a picture on the front and portions of that picture are recreated and spaced throughout the text. The picture shows the three women hanging, two of Mother Cunny’s sprites with name tags, the toads of Mother Upney, and Mother Prentice sitting in a chair letting the ferret drink blood from her cheek.