The Lancashire Witches....continued.....
The action centred around Malkin Tower, home of Old Demdike.
One Jennifer Preston of Gisborne-in-Craven had come to ask help to kill
a man called Thomas Lister.
She too was a witch but her magic was not strong enough to
accomplish her "worthy aim"
The coven met at Malkin Tower after the arrest and questioning
of four witches,In fact on Good Friday. Those arrested were:
Old Demdike herself, Anne Whittle (Chattox), Alison Device and Ann Redfearn,
and they implicated others, and were set to be sent to the Assizes.
So it must have been a very important meet, to free the other witches,
put their differences aside, in the face of a threat from dangerous enemies,
and to consider Jennifer Preston's important request.
This is recorded in the trial, so it provides some evidence of
what their witch's sabbat was like.
They feasted on stolen mutton, before their meeting,
And no demon was present.They did not worship Satan, dance, carouse,
nor sacrifice......It was in fact what we call today
an extraordinary general meeting!
They decided to postpone their request to kill someone for 12 months.
By that time, most of the coven were dead.
In the end 18 witches ended up in custody.
Old Demdike died in prison.
Alison Device confessed to using a familiar spirit
in the form of a black dog, to lame a pedlar, who had
refused to let her have some pins.
She told the trial that her grandmother had bewitched a child,
which had subsequently died, and killing a sick cow, which she
had been asked to heal.
One of Elisabeth Device's children, Jennet, who was only 14 years old,
Calmly swore away the lives of members of her own family.
And Janet Preston, what of her......?
To be continued......
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