"Of poor parentage, and poor education," old Agnes Browne had but a sorry
life of it in the little town of Gilsborough where she lived. She had one
daughter, Joan Vaughan, or Varnham, "a maide, or at least unmarried," says
the old black-letter book maliciously; "as gratious as the mother, and
both of them as farre from grace as Heaven from hell;" which Joan was "so
well brought up vnder her mother's elbow, that she hangd with her for
company vnder her mother's nose." It seems that one day, Joan, being in
the company of a certain Mistress Belcher, "a virtuous and godly
Gentlewoman of the same towne of Gilsborough, whether of purpose to giue
occasion of anger to the saide Mistris Belcher, or but to continue her
vilde and ordinary custome of behauiour, committed something either in
speech or gesture so vnfitting, and vnseeming the nature of womanhood"
that Mistress Belcher's patience could bear with her no longer. She got
up, beat Joan Vaughan, and "forced her to avoid the company." Joan went
away muttering that she would be revenged; to which replied Mrs. Belcher
stoutly, that she feared neither her nor her mother, and bade her do her
worst. Then Joan went home to her mother, and both together devised such a
punishment that Mrs. Belcher was griped and gnawed of her body, her mouth
drawn all awry, and in such powerful fits that she could scarce be held,
crying out incessantly in her fits, "Here comes Joane Vaughan, away with
Joane Vaughan!" till all the world knew that she was bewitched, and that
old Agnes Browne and her daughter had caused the trouble. Mistress
Belcher's brother, one Master Avery, hearing of his sister's sickness and
extremity, came to see her; and when he saw her, was moved to such anguish
and indignation that he must needs go to the house of the witches to hale
them to his sister, that she might draw their blood. But though he twice
essayed, he was twice arrested by some miraculous agency, spell-bound, and
unable to move hand or foot; he could not, by any possibility, advance
beyond a certain spot, whereby the witches were safe for this time at
least, "the devil, who was standing sentinel," being stronger than he.
Wherefore sorrowfully he turned back, and went home to his own place. But
these "imps of the devil" had longer arms than he, and in a very short
time he was as grievously tormented as his sister, his torments enduring
until the witches were arrested and taken to Northampton gaol. When there,
nothing would satisfy Mistress Belcher and her brother Master Avery but
that they should go to the prison and "scratch" the witches; which they
did, and both recovered of their pains marvellously on the instant.
"Howbeit they were no sooner out of sight, but they fell againe into their
old traunces, and were more violently tormented than before; for when
Mischiefe is once a foote, she grows in short time so headstrong, that she
is hardly curbed." Mistress Belcher and Master Avery returning home from
Northampton in a coach, after their godly exercise of drawing blood from
these two wretched women, saw suddenly a man and woman riding both upon a
black horse. At which Master Avery cried out that either they or their
horses should presently miscarry; and he had no sooner spoken than both
their horses fell down dead. Wherefore, for all these crimes, as well as
for bewitching a young child to death, Agnes Browne and her daughter Joan
were adjudged guilty, and hanged on that 22nd of July, protesting their
innocence to the last. And then it came out that about a fortnight before
her apprehension Agnes Browne, Katherine Gardiner, and Joan Lucas, "all
birds of a winge," had been seen riding on a sow's back to a place called
Ravenstrop, to see one Mother Rhoades, an old witch that dwelt there. But
before they got there old Mother Rhoades had died, "and in her last cast
cried out that there were three of her old friends comming to see her, but
they came too late. Howbeit she would meet with them in another place
within a month after. And thus much concerning Agnes Browne and her
daughter Joane Vaughan," says the old black-letter book contemptuously.
The son of witches, Arthur Bill could not control his appointed fate.
Suspected by the authorities, but without proof, he and his father and
mother were swum for trial, tied cross bound and flung into the water,
where they floated and did not sink. Arthur was accused of bewitching to
her death one Martha Aspine, as also of having bewitched sundry cattle;
and as the parents had a bad name, it was thought best to try them all.
After this trial of the water, Arthur was afraid, says the black-letter
book, lest his father should relent and betray him and them all; whereupon
he sent for his mother, and both together bewitched a round ball into his
father's throat, so that he could not speak a word. When the ball was got
out, the father proved the principal witness against them. The poor
mother, who seems to have been a loving, sensitive, downcast woman,
fainted many times during this terrible period; "Many times complaining to
her spirit," says the bitter, uncharitable, anonymous author, "that the
power of the Law would bee stronger than the power of her art, and that
shee saw no other likelihood but that shee should be hanged as her Sonne
was like to bee: To whom her spirit answered, giuing this sorry comfort,
that shee should not bee hanged, but to preuent that shee should cut her
owne throatt. Shee, hearing this sentence and holding it definitive, in
great agony and horror of minde and conscience fell a rauing, crying out
that the irreuocable Iudgement of her death was giuen, and that shee was
damned perpetually; cursing and banning the time wherein shee was borne,
and the houre wherein shee was conceiued." A short time after "shee made
good the Deuil's worde, and to preuent the Iustice of the Law, and to
saue the hangman a labour, cut her owne throate." The poor boy was in
great misery when he heard of his mother's death, and knew now that what
despair had done for her, the tyranny of superstition would do for him;
yet "he stood out stiffly for his innocence," and when found guilty, broke
out into grievous cries, saying that he had now found the Law to have a
power above Justice, for that it had condemned an Innocent. At the gallows
he said the same thing, refusing to confess to Martha Aspine's murder, and
"thus with a dissembling Tongue, and a corrupted conscience, hee ended his
course in this world, with little hope or respect (as it seemed) of the
world to come." What became of his three familiars, Grissil, Ball, and
Jack, we are not informed, neither of what forms or functions they were,
nor of what colours or dimensions.
Grievously did Mistress Moulsho offend Ellen Jenkinson, when she caused
her to be searched for witch-marks, which of course were found; for
Helen's character was notorious, and there is no smoke without a little
fire. So Helen, in revenge, played Mistress Moulsho a trick that brought
herself to the gallows. For "at that time Mistris Moulsho had a Bucke of
clothes to be washt out. The next morning, the Mayd, when shee came to
hang them forth to dry, spyed the Cloathes, but especially Mistris
Moulsho's Smocke, to bee all bespotted with the pictures of Toades,
Snakes, and other ougly Creatures, which making her agast, she went
presently and told her mistris, who, looking on them, smild, saying
nothing else but this: 'Here are fine Hobgoblins indeede.' And being a
Gentlewoman of a stout courage, went immediately to the house of the sayd
Hellen Ienkinson, and with an angry countenance told her of this matter,
threatening her that if her Linnen were not shortly cleered from those
foule spots shee would scratch out both her eyes; and so not staying for
any answere, went home and found her linnen as white as it was at first."
Helen was soon after arraigned for the death of a child, by witchcraft,
but this story of Mrs. Moulsho's clothes all bespotted with the figures of
toads and snakes stood in the stead of any more rational evidence. When
found guilty, the poor creature cried out, "Woe is me, I now cast away!"
And when at the place of execution, she "made no other Confession but
this. That shee was guiltlesse, and neuer shewed signe of Contrition for
what was past, nor any sorrow at all, more than did accompany the feare of
death. Thus ended this Woman her miserable life, after shee had lived many
yeares poore, wretched, scorned, and forsaken of the world."
Of Mary Barber, the last of the sad crew hanged at Northampton on those
bloody assizes, the author gives no special account, but plenty of abuse,
mixed up with the strangely cruel and immoral morality of the day. He says
that "as shee was of meane Parents, so was she monstrous and hideous both
in her life and actions. Her education and barbarous Nature neuer
promising to the world anything but what was rude, violent, and without
any hope of proportion more than only in the square of uitiousnesse. For
out of the oblyuion and blindnesse of her seduced senses, she gaue way to
all the passionate and earthly faculties of the flesh, and followed all
the Fantazmas Vanities and Chimeras of her polluted and vnreasonable
delights, forsaking the Society of Grace, and growing enamored vpon all
the euill that Malice or Frenzy could minister to her vicious desires and
intendments." She was put in prison on the charge of bewitching a man to
death, but "the prison (which makes men bee fellowes and chambermates with
theeves and murtherers) the common guests of such dispised Innes, and
should cause the Imprisoned Party (like a Christian Arithmetician) to
number and cast vp the amount of his own Life, neuer put her in minde of
the hatefull transgressions shee had committed, and to consider the filth
and leprosie of her soule, and intreate heaven's mercy for the release
thereof. Prison put her not in minde of her graue, nor the grates and
lockes put her in remembrance of hell, which depriued her of the ioy of
liberty, which shee saw others possesse. The iangling of irons did not put
her in minde of the chaines wherewith shee should be bound in eternall
torments, vnlesse heaven's mercy vnloosed them, nor of the howling terrors
and gnashing of teeth which in hel euery soule shall receiue for the
particular offences committed in this life, without vnfained and hearty
contrition. Shee neuer remembered or thought shee must die, or trembled
for feare of what should come to her after death. But as her use was
alwaies knowne to be deuilish, so her death was at last found to be
desperate. For shee (and the rest before named) being brought from the
common gaole of Northampton to Northampton Castle, where the Assizes are
vsually held, were seuerally arraigned and indited for the offences they
had formerly committed, but to the inditement they pleaded not guilty.
Putting therefore their causes to the triall of the Countrey, they were
found guilty, and deserved death by the verdit of a credible Iury
returned. So without any confession or contrition, like birds of a feather
they all held and hangd together for company at Abington gallowes hard by
Northampton the two and twintieth day of Iuly last past; Leauing behinde
them in prison many others tainted with the same corruption, who without
much mercy and repentance are likely to follow them in the same tract of
Precedencie."