In another very scarce tract by "J. D." (John Davenport) "present at the
trial," we come to a strange and mournful group of judicial murders that
took place in Huntingdon, 1646. First, there was Elizabeth Weed, of Great
Catworth, who confessed that twenty-one years ago, as she was saying her
prayers, three spirits came suddenly to her, one of which was like a man
or youth, and the other two like puppies, of which one was white and the
other black. The young man asked her if she would renounce God and Christ:
to which she assented, her faith being weak; and then the devil promised
that she should do all the mischief she would, if she would covenant to
give him her soul at the end of twenty-one years. She assented to this
too; and sealed the bargain with her blood. He drew the blood from under
her left arm, and "a great lump of flesh did rise there, and has increased
ever since;" and the devil scribbled with her blood, and the covenant was
signed and sealed. The name of her white imp, like a puppy, was "Lilly,"
of the black "Priscille;" and the office of the white was to hurt man,
woman, and child, but of the black to hurt cattle. The man spirit's
function was that of her husband, in which relation she lived with him to
her great satisfaction. Lilly killed Mr. Henry Bedell's child, and
Priscille sundry cattle; but she had not had much good of the bargain, for
the twenty-one years were to be out next Low Sunday, when her soul would
be required of her and the devil would take her away; and she desired to
be rid of the burden of her life before then. The judges acquiesced in her
desire: which a little good food and careful watching would have proved to
them was but the phantasy of disease; and the hangman had her body, though
no devil took her soul, and her sufferings and her sins vexed the universe
no more.
John Winnick's confession is one of the most graphic and extraordinary of
any in the tract. I give it word for word as I found it.
"The examination of John Winnick, of Molseworth in the said County,
Labourer, taken upon the 11th day of Aprill, 1646, before Robert Bernard,
Esquire, one of His Majesties Justices of the Peace for this County. Hee
saith, that about 29 yeares since, the 29th yeare ending about Midsommer
last past, he being a Batchellour, lived at Thropston with one Buteman,
who then kept the Inne at the George, and withall kept Husbandry: this
Examinate being a servant to him in his Husbandry, did then loose a purse
with 7_s._ in it, for which he suspected one in the Family. He saith that
on a Friday being in the barne, making hay-bottles for his horses about
noon, swearing, cursing, raging, and wishing to himselfe that some wise
body (or Wizzard) would helpe him to his purse and money again: there
appeared unto him a Spirit, blacke and shaggy, and having pawes like a
Beare, but in bulk not fully so big as a Coney. The Spirit asked him what
he ailed to be so sorrowfull, this Examinate answered that he had lost a
purse and money, and knew not how to come by it again. The Spirit replied,
if you will forsake God and Christ and fall down and worship me for your
God, I will help you to your purse and money again. This Examinate said he
would, and thereupon fell down upon his knees and held up his hands. Then
the Spirit said, to-morrow about this time of the day, you shall find your
purse upon the floor where you are now making bottles, I will send it to
you, and will also come my selfe. Whereupon this Examinate told the Spirit
he would meete him there, and receive it, and worship him. Whereupon at
the time prefixed, this Examinate went unto the place, and found his purse
upon the floore, and tooke it up, and looking afterwards into it, he found
there all the money that was formerly lost: but before he had looked into
it, the same Spirit appears unto him and said, there is your purse and
your money in it: and then this Examinate fell downe upon his knees and
said, My Lord and God I thanke you. The said Spirit at that time brought
with him two other Spirits for shape, bignesse, and colour, the one like a
white Cat, the other like a grey Coney; and while this Examinate was upon
his knees, the Beare Spirit spake to him, saying, you must worship these
two Spirits as you worship me, and take them for your Gods also: then this
Examinate directed his bodie towards them, and called them his Lords and
Gods. Then the Beare Spirit told him that when he dyed he must have his
soule, whereunto this Examinate yielded. Hee told him then also that they
must suck of his body, to which this Examinate also yielded; but they did
not sucke at that time. The Beare Spirit promised him that he should never
want victuals. The Cat Spirit that it would hurt Cattel when he would
desire it. And the Coney-like Spirit that it would hurt men when he
desired. The Bear Spirit told him that it must have some of his blood
wherewith to seale the Covenant, whereunto this Examinate yielded, and
then the beare Spirit leapt upon his shoulder, and prickt him on the head,
and from thence tooke blood; and after thus doing, the said three spirits
vanisht away. The next day about noone, the said Spirits came to him while
hee was in the field, and told him they were come to suck of his body, to
which he yielded, and they suckt his body at the places where the marks
are found, and from that time to this, they have come constantly to him
once every 24 hours, sometimes by day, and most commonly by night. And
being demanded what mischiefe he caused any of the said spirits to do, he
answered never any, onely hee sent his beare Spirit to provoke the
maid-servant of Mr. Say of Molmesworth, to steale victualls for him out of
her Master's house, which she did, and this Examinate received the same.
The marke of
John Winnicke
Rob. Bernard.
He was hanged, 1646.
Eight years before this--namely, in 1638--Frances Moore had a black puppy
imp of Margaret Simson of Great Catworth, which she called Pretty, and
whose office was to harm cattle. Then Goodwife Weed gave her a thing like
a white cat, called Tissy, saying, if she would deny God and affirm the
same by her blood, to whomsoever she sent this cat, and cursed, would die.
So she cursed William Foster, who, sixteen years ago would have hanged two
of her children because they offered to take a piece of bread; and he
died: but she could not remember what the cat imp did to him. Poor old
creature! such naive little bits of truth and scientific direction come
out in the midst of all the wildness and raving of the "examined!"--such
little quiet bits of unconscious common sense, to redeem the whole account
from the mere maunderings of lunacy! Frances Moore did not remember what
her imp did to William Foster, yet she went on to say that she got tired
of having them about her, and killed them both a year since; but they
haunted her still, and when she was apprehended crept up her clothes and
tortured her so that she could not speak.
Elizabeth Chandler, widow, had something that came to her in a "puffing
and roaring manner," and that now hurt her sorely. She denied that she
ever spoiled Goodwife Darnell's furmety, but Goodwife Darnell, by causing
her to be ducked, she did heartily desire to be revenged on. She had been
troubled with these roaring things for a quarter of a year, and had two
imps besides, one called "Beelzebub," and the other "Trullibub." This she
denied when asked, while sane and awake, saying that "Beelzebub was a logg
of wood and Trullibub a stick." But the neighbours testified against her,
so her denial went for naught.
Ellen Shepheard had four iron-grey rat imps that sucked her; and Anne
Desborough had two--mouses--Tib and Jone, one brown and the other white.
She had been told to forsake God and Christ, and that she would then have
her will on men and cattle; as she did, and got her mouse imps in
consequence.
Jane Wallis saw a man in black clothes, about six weeks since, as she was
making her bed. She bid him civilly good morning, and asked him his name.
He told her it was "Blackeman," and, in turn, asked her if she was poor.
Yes, she said "she was." Then he would send her two imps said he, Grissel
and Greedigut, that should do anything for her she would. At this moment,
Jane, looking up, saw he had ugly feet, and was fearful; still more
fearful when he became at one moment bigger and at another less, and then
suddenly vanished. Grissel and Greedigut came in the shape of "dogges,
with great brisles of hogges hair upon their backs." They said they came
from Blackeman to do whatever she might command: and sometimes all three
of them--the two dogs and the man--brought her two or three shillings at a
time; and once they robbed a man and pulled him from his horse.
On September 25, 1645,[134] Joan Walliford confessed before the major and
other jurates, "that the divell, about seven yeares agoe did appeare to
her in the shape of a little dog, and bid her to forsake God and leane to
him; who replied, that she was loath to forsake him." Still, she wished to
be revenged on Thomas Letherland and Mary Woodrufe, now his wife; and as
"Bunne," the devil, promised she should not lack, and did actually send
her money, she knew not whence--sometimes a shilling and sometimes
eightpence, "never more"--devil-worship did not seem such a bad trade
after all. She further said that her retainer, Bunne, once carried Thomas
Gardler out of a window; and that twenty years ago she promised her soul
to the devil, and that he wrote the covenant between them in her blood,
promising to be her servant for that space of time, which time was now
almost expired; that Jane Hot, Elizabeth Harris, and Joan Argoll, were her
fellows; that Elizabeth Harris curst the boat of one John Woodcott, "and
so it came to passe;" that Goodwife Argoll, curst Mr. Major and John
Mannington, and so it came to pass in these cases too; and that Bunne had
come to her twice since in prison, and sucked her "in the forme of a
muce." So poor Joan Walliford was hanged, and at the place of execution
exhorted all good people to take warning by her, and not to suffer
themselves to be deceived by the divell, neither for love of money,
malice, or anything else, as she had done, but to sticke fast to God; for
if she had not first forsaken God, God would not have forsaken her.
Joan Cariden, widow, said that about three quarters of a year since, "as
she was in the bed about twelve or one of the clocke in the night, there
lay a 'rugged soft thing' upon her bosome which was very soft, and she
thrust it off with her hand; and she saith that when she had thrust it
away she thought God forsooke her, and she could never pray so well since
as she could before; and further saith that shee verily thinks it was
alive." On a second examination she said that the divell came to her in
the shape of a "black rugged Dog in the night time, and crept into the bed
to her, and spake to her in a mumbling tongue." Two days after she made
further revelations of how "within these two daies," she had gone to
Goodwife Pantery's house, where were other good wives, and where the
divell sat at the upper end of the table.
Jane Hot said that a thing like a "hedg-hog" had usually visited her for
these twenty years. It sucked her in her sleep, and pained her, so that
she awoke: and lay on her breast, when she would strike it off. It was as
soft as a cat. On coming into the gaol she was very urgent on the others
to confess, but stood out sturdily for her own innocence; saying, "that
she would lay twenty shillings that if she was swum she would sink." She
was swum and she floated; whereat a gentleman asked her "how it was
possible that she could be so impudent as not to confesse herselfe?" to
whom she answered, "That the Divell went with her all the way, and told
her that she should sinke; but when she was in the Water he sat upon a
Crosse beame, and laughed at her." "_These three were executed on Munday
last_," says the tract in emphatic italics.
It now came to the turn of Elizabeth Harris. She said that nineteen years
ago the devil came to her in the form of a muse (mouse) and told her she
should be revenged. And she was revenged on all who offended her; on
Goodman Chilman, who said she had stolen a pigge, and who therefore she
wished might die--and her Impe destroyed him; on Goodman Woodcot, in whose
High (hoy?) her son had been drowned, when "she wished that God might be
her revenger, which was her watchword to the Divell"--and the hoy was cast
away, as she conceived, in consequence of her wish. And did not Joan
Williford's imp tell her that "though the Boate went chearfully oute it
should not come so chearfully home?" She said further that sundry good
wives, named, had "ill tongues;" and that she had made a covenant with the
devil, written in the blood which she had scratched with her nails from
out her breast.
Alexander Sussums of Melford, Sussex, said he had things which drew his
marks, and that he could not help being a witch, for all his kindred were
naught--his mother and aunt hanged, his grandmother burnt, and ten others
questioned and hanged. At Faversham about this time, three witches were
hanged, one of whom had an imp-dog, Bun; and on the 9th of September[135]
Jane Lakeland was burnt at Ipswich for having bewitched to death her
husband, and Mrs. Jennings' maid, who once refused her a needle and dunned
her for a shilling. Jane Lakeland had contracted with the devil twenty
years ago. He came to her when between sleeping and waking, speaking to
her in a hollow voice, and offering her her will if she would covenant
with him. To which she, assenting, he then stroke his claw into her hand
and with her blood wrote out the covenant. She had bewitched men and women
and cows and corn, and sunk ships, and played all the devilries of her
art, but remained ever unsuspected, holding the character of a pious
woman, and going regularly to church and sacrament. She had three
imps--two little dogs and a mole--and Hopkins burnt her as the best way of
settling the question of her sanity or disease.
It would have been well for all these poor people if their respective
judges--Sir Matthew Hale included--had had only as much liberality and
common sense as Mr. Gaule, the minister of Stoughton in Huntingdonshire;
for though Gaule was no wise minded to give up his belief either in the
devil or in witches, he utterly repudiated Matthew Hopkins and his tribe
and his ways, and condemned his whole manner of proceeding, from first to
last. He preached against him, and when he heard a rumour of his visiting
Stoughton he strongly opposed him, whereupon Matthew wrote this insolent
letter, which Mr. Gaule printed as a kind of preface to his book of
"Select Cases," put out soon after.
"My Service to your Worship presented. I have this Day received a letter,
&c., to come to a Town called Great Stoughton, to search for evil disposed
Persons, called Witches (though I heare your Minister is farre against us
through Ignorance:) I intend to come the sooner to heare his singular
Judgement in the Behalfe of such Parties; I have known a Minister in
Suffolk preach as much against this Discovery in a Pulpit, and forced to
recant it, (by the Committee) in the same place. I much marvaile such evil
Members should have any (much more any of the Clergy) who should dayly
preach Terrour to convince such Offenders, stand up to take their Parts,
against such as are Complainants for the King and Sufferers themselves,
with their Families and Estates. I intend to give your Towne a visite
suddenly. I am to come to Kimbolton this Week, and it shall be tenne to
one, but I will come to your Town first, but I would certainly know afore,
whether your Town affords many Sticklers for such Cattell, or willing to
give and afford as good Welcome and Entertainment, as other where I have
beene, else I shall wave your Shire, (not as yet beginning in any Part of
it myself) and betake me to such Places, where I doe, and may persist
without Controle, but with Thanks and Recompense. So I humbly take my
leave and rest, Your Servant to be Commanded,
"MATTHEW HOPKINS."
I have not been able to find what was the result of this letter, but I do
not suppose that Hopkins, who was a great coward like all tyrants, cared
to brave even the small danger of one minister's opposition, not knowing
how many "sticklers for such cattle" might be at his back. In his Apology,
or "Certaine Queries Answered, which have been and are likely to be
objected against Matthew Hopkins, in his way of finding out Witches," he
says that "he never went to any towne or place, but they rode, writ, or
sent often for him, and were (for ought he knew) glad of him;" and if this
was true, Mr. Gaule most likely was rid of him at Great Stoughton, and
one rood of English land left undefiled. Besides, his hands were full
elsewhere; for when we think that at Bury St. Edmunds eighteen persons
were hanged on one day alone, and a hundred and twenty more left lying in
prison, all through his instrumentality, we must imagine that he had
enough to do in places where he was caressed and desired, not to forbear
troubling those where he was abhorred and might run some danger.