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The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster: Thomas Pott's Original Account Modernized & Introduced by Robert Poole
In this excellent new book, well-respected historian Robert Poole presents an up-to-date version of Thomas Potts s original account of the famous witch hunt of 1612, in which 19 Lancashire witches, mostly from the Pendle area, were tried at Lancaster. Of these nineteen, three were declared innocent, five were acquitted, and eleven were found guilty, ten of whom were hanged.The Lancashire witch trials were one of the most important in Britain. Thanks to the trial clerk Thomas Potts, they are also the best known. This modern account based on Potts s original text summarizes the affair clearly and coherently. It probably provides the best, most authoritative general book about the 1612 witch hunt ever published. It is simply a modernized classic."
- GenresHistoryWitchesNonfiction
217 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2012
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About the author
Robert Poole
8 books2 followersRobert Poole (born 1957) is a UK-based historian, currently Professor of History at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 19, 2017
The witch trials of Pendle have long fascinated me and this modernisation of the original trial account is a great piece of accessible history. Robert Poole provides a thorough historical context to the case, highlighting bias in Thomas Pott's original descriptions and reconstructs the events leading up to the trial. There is also a great chapter on the academic interpretations of the trial and witchcraft in general. Whilst the 1970's brought a fascination with black magic and paganism, the actual case showcases a mixture of local superstition and Catholicism, which modern historians are now highlighting. Post the Gunpower Plot of 1605, there was increased animosity between puritanical Anglicanism and the persistent remnants of Catholicism in rural areas. Many of the 'charms' and 'incantations' cited during the testimonies are warped versions of old Catholic prayers, including the White Paternoster with a regional twist.
Having been brought up in Lancashire, I know how much of our old folklore and superstitions remain, and it doesn't surprise me that there have been recent findings of protective spells and prayers written on the roofs and walls of old houses. This wasn't a cult of devil worship, but an example of local pettiness and superstitions being brought to national attention. From a modern perspective there is a deep sadness to the case, with two families so poor they were known to 'beg with malice'. It all starts with Alizon Device, who begs a merchant for some pins and after his refusal, angrily curses him. The man is suddenly afflicted with the obvious symptoms of a stroke, but believes himself to be the victim of witchcraft. Alizon Device admits to cursing the man and naively begs for forgiveness, not knowing the scrutiny it would place her family and neighbours under. All the previously accepted curiosities and superstitions in the community were called into question and the defendants desperately turned on each other in their testimonies. The worst part is the utilisation of Alizon's nine year old sister who testified against her mother, brother and sister, sending them to their deaths. The description of her mother's cries and curses during the testimony are utterly heartbreaking. Interestingly, the popularity of witch hunts in the UK diminished quickly after the case, but the local use of 'magic' and prayers remained. The victims in this case were incredibly unfortunate to be caught up in this new vogue for witch hunting, with much of their 'crimes' being the sort of petty squabbles that would usually have been sorted at the local level.
I started this book expecting an eerie account of local superstitions at the time, but it really is an account of poverty and the strife it has caused historically. I was struck by how easily the petty nature of the testimonies could be directly transported to an episode of Jeremy Kyle. The comparison of the poor and naive being exploited to fulfil the expectations of higher society is not as far-fetched as it may appear. It is telling that the mothers refused to testify against their children, even when the children were desperately trying to get themselves out of trouble. I can no longer think of them as simply 'witches', but just an earlier set of mothers trying to raise their children in poverty. And that is much scarier.
Having been brought up in Lancashire, I know how much of our old folklore and superstitions remain, and it doesn't surprise me that there have been recent findings of protective spells and prayers written on the roofs and walls of old houses. This wasn't a cult of devil worship, but an example of local pettiness and superstitions being brought to national attention. From a modern perspective there is a deep sadness to the case, with two families so poor they were known to 'beg with malice'. It all starts with Alizon Device, who begs a merchant for some pins and after his refusal, angrily curses him. The man is suddenly afflicted with the obvious symptoms of a stroke, but believes himself to be the victim of witchcraft. Alizon Device admits to cursing the man and naively begs for forgiveness, not knowing the scrutiny it would place her family and neighbours under. All the previously accepted curiosities and superstitions in the community were called into question and the defendants desperately turned on each other in their testimonies. The worst part is the utilisation of Alizon's nine year old sister who testified against her mother, brother and sister, sending them to their deaths. The description of her mother's cries and curses during the testimony are utterly heartbreaking. Interestingly, the popularity of witch hunts in the UK diminished quickly after the case, but the local use of 'magic' and prayers remained. The victims in this case were incredibly unfortunate to be caught up in this new vogue for witch hunting, with much of their 'crimes' being the sort of petty squabbles that would usually have been sorted at the local level.
I started this book expecting an eerie account of local superstitions at the time, but it really is an account of poverty and the strife it has caused historically. I was struck by how easily the petty nature of the testimonies could be directly transported to an episode of Jeremy Kyle. The comparison of the poor and naive being exploited to fulfil the expectations of higher society is not as far-fetched as it may appear. It is telling that the mothers refused to testify against their children, even when the children were desperately trying to get themselves out of trouble. I can no longer think of them as simply 'witches', but just an earlier set of mothers trying to raise their children in poverty. And that is much scarier.
August 11, 2017
A great transcript of the original text with some great notes and clarifications by Poole.
December 24, 2011
Anticipating the 400th anniversary of the Lancashire Witch Trials, a new edition of the account of the case written in 1612 by court clerk Thomas Potts. It's an extremely biased text and Potts is an unreliable narrator, but nonetheless it's an invaluable resource on one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in English history. The original manuscript is in the public domain and can even be read online. What makes this edition special is the insightful, 90-page introduction by historian Robert Poole, and the way the text has been subtly modernised without losing its essence - by introducing standardised spelling, and dividing into sections by each incident in this highly complex trial (in which 13 people were found guilty of witchcraft, and 12 were executed.)
February 3, 2013
I really wanted to enjoy this book a lot more. The main focus of this book is based upon events that took place less than four miles from my house and is still talked about today. However, the historical context of the book and the old style language took a lot of working through. I would advise huge history fans and researchers to check out this book but for others to find a more simple, shorter book on the subject.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews