My Mother Is a Witch and This I Know to Be True: The Voices of Pendle

by Charlotte Meredith

During the Lancaster Assizes in August 1612, a nine-year-old girl is ushered into the courtroom, placed high on a table so that all who had gathered there can see her, and from this position, she denounces her mother as a witch. Jennet Device was a star witness in the most notorious English witch trials of all The Lancashire Witch Trials. Twenty people living in Pendle Hill’s shadow were accused of using charms, effigies, and familiar spirits to harm and even murder their enemies. It is said that many of the accused also confessed to selling their souls to the Devil. Jennet’s own family and seven of the other alleged witches were found guilty, condemned, and hanged publicly on Gallows Hill. The magistrates (turned witch-hunters) who arrested and prosecuted them congratulated themselves for a job well done; King James I (a monarch hellbent on persecuting witches) was bound to be impressed by their endeavours to cleanse the land of evil. Justice had been served. But of course, it hadn’t … The so-called Pendle Witches have endured more than 400 years of wrongful persecution for crimes they could not have possibly committed. Combining a decade’s worth of research with her mother’s gift as a Spiritualist medium, author Charlotte Meredith’s unprecedented methods of investigation finally uncover the truth behind the claims, explode the myths, and reveal who the Pendle Witches really were , what they believed , and how they came to lose their lives . This is the true story, in their own words. It is time for the Pendle Witches to be heard.

Genres: Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2023

About the author

Author Charlotte Meredith holds a BA (Hons) in Philosophy, with a focus on ontology and metaphysics. She writes a blog on the history of magic and witchcraft and is the founder of the Justice for Witches campaign.

Reviews

[Amelia Keen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading this, my knowledge of witches was very limited. Reading the history of witches and where the ideas come from was fascinating to me, I enjoyed the stories of the accused witches at the time, and the detail was very good, however I found how it was written difficult to engage with and towards the end disengaged with the stories told.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has clearly done her research. I was born and raised in the Pendle area of Lancashire. Over the many years of my life, I have read various books that have been published about the Lancashire Witch Trials. However, I did find this book rather boring in many parts........probably because this book is basically a regurgitation of the events, facts, other works etc., into the author's own words. Plus, I personally am not a believer of Spiritualism. Given that this book has been written by a UK author and is a UK book publication, the book has been published with American English spellings (which is very annoying to read) and various other errors in the text which a proof reader has missed. If you're reading about these poor unfortunate Lancashire souls for the first time, then you will probably find this book an interesting read.

[MRS C MARSHALL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book and giving my honest review.
A new author. What a book, interesting regarding accounts of the witches, from start to end.
Especially the Pendle witches. The reason as one of my ancestors was sent to Lancaster prison, the same time as Alice Nutter, but was released Jane southworth.
I visited the prison where they were held. Could only see from the first gate, dark, no light and would have been terrifying, at the thought of these poor people, waiting for execution.
I hope you enjoy as much as I have.

[Natalie Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 - very interesting read!