Witch Bane

by Robert Neill

Lancashire in the time of Cromwell, a county cursed, like the rest of England, by civil war and beliefs in witchcraft...

Accused of the murder of her husband by witchcraft, Mary Standen is only saved from hanging by the intervention of a young commander of a Troop of Horse as she lies naked and bound hand and foot. That same night, as an unwilling witness to a graveyard orgy, she sees for herself that there is indeed a witch coven in the village. Refusing to betray the participants, some of whom she knows, she finds suspicion once more pointing at her, and as the scene is set for a double battle - between royalists and parliamentarians and the witches and their persecutors - Mary is forced to flee for safety at the same time as the Scots march into Preston and Cromwell comes through the hills from Skipton.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Witches, Horror

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Robert Geoffrey Neill (1905 – 1979) was an English writer of historical fiction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...


Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neill makes a good elevator pitch. It is 1648 (queue Wikipedia), during the Second English Civil War. The forces at play are the Royalists loyal to Charles I, the Scots theoretically in alliance with them, the Presbyterians in control of Parliament and in control of much of England, the New Model Army serving Parliament but largely Independents in the Presbyterian / Anglican axis and therefore at odds, and finally the presence of witches and the fear they generate among the populace. The Scots and Loyalists have started marching south (independently due to mutual distrust/distaste) and foraging / looting the homesteads and towns in their path. At the same time, fear of witchcraft is at a peak, and a mysterious death has resulted in a witch trial against Mary Standen, only complicated by the fact that there is actually an active coven in the area with its own designs.

That's rather a lot going on, and Neill doesn't quite make good on it. Mary is his typical POV protagonist--female, in distress, rather clever, susceptible to romance--but there are so many wheels in motion and everything has to be lined up and driven from the witch trial to the Battle of Preston at the conclusion. So stuff happens _to_ Mary and _around_ Mary, but relatively little that happens _from_ Mary. She is in a perpetual state of disarray and confusion, in a reactionary role to events. And it doesn't help that all the big-ticket items occur offstage and are later reported, and that many of her problems are summarily handled by any of a number of strong male figures who swoop in and either deal with it or tell her exactly what to do. Mary's actions as protagonist are small gestures of omission and protection and coordination, which are very timid and limited by the authority of the congregational minister.

The power of the witch trial and of the witch coven's meeting is entirely frittered away, and only returns once the story turns to the historical battle. But once there it is a tactical affair, described generally, and again Mary is little more than witness to events.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
It's my second time to read this book. This time I enjoyed it more. Having said that, it's about 18 yrs since I last read it.
The author creates very atmospheric scenes and the plot ticks along nicely.
It goes to show that second readings can change one's perception. I think I'd even get more out of it a third time!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book since my husband bought it for me as a gift. He grew up in the area where it was set, and there are not a lot of books set in Clitheroe, Preston, Lancaster area. It gave the perspective of a woman going through the trial of being pricked, which was just awful, and relating to the other women and actual witch's of the time. It has a historically phrased tone in the language, and was written in 1968. It has an aspect of mystery, small bit of romance, and an exciting ending. It was a nice read if you enjoy history, information about early witch trials, and the mid-1600s England setting.

[KAggie97 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts out promising-- witches, rituals, a full moon-- but then slowly nosedives into a historical romance. The last third of this book was painful to read. A shame, because the first 1/3 was enjoyable. The middle 1/3 was a mixed bag.

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of Neill's books set in Cromwellian Lancashire and with the theme of witchcraft