Pendle- PERIL

Question 1

Point = Confessions… What would be the evidence part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 1

Alison Device confessed to being a witch and placing a curse on John Law

• It is likely that sleep deprivation was used to get her to confess to the main of John law.
• firmly held beliefs in the community that she came from a family of witches or wise woman (Old Demdike)

Question 2

Point = Confessions… What would be the Relevant Context part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 2

Rivalry between Alisons grandmother Old Demdike and Old Chattox

• both families had been keen to build a reputation for having magical powers
• Old Chattox was accused of bewitching a cow

Question 3

Point = Confessions… What would be the impact part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 3

Sparked the initial period of investigation under Roger Nowell, which then led to an extended period of interrogations where more confessions were heard

There needed to be a feeling of fear and clear divisions and tensions present in society for the initial confession and accusations to create the rapid escalation of accusations that were seen

Question 4

Point = Social Rivalries… What would be the evidence part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 4

Rivalry between Old Demdike and Old Chattox.

• both families had been keen to build a reputation for having magical powers
• Old Chattox was accused of bewitching a cow belonging to Antony nutter after he appeared to favour the friendship of her rival, Old Demdike.
• Old Chattox and her daughter Anne, were also accused of killing a cow belonging to John Nutter after Elizabeth had begged him for a dish of milk.

Question 5

Point = Social Rivalries… What would be the Relevant Context part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 5

Polarisation of religion and belief
-Catholic v Puritan

Polarisation of class and status 
-landowners v tenants/subtenants

Question 6

Point = Social Rivalries.. What would be the impact part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 6

• created a situation where if something went wrong, they were automatically held accountable
• acted as a catalyst for the quick increase in accusations as there were pre-existing social divisions that made expanding the size of the witch hunt effortless
• Reveals the difficulties already present in society and how they were exacerbated by religion, politics and economic challenges

Question 7

Point = Influence of individuals … What would be the evidence part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 7

Roger Nowell:

• He led the investigation when Abraham Law the son of John Law accused Alison of carrying out laming
• With her confession, he did not stop his investigation and got her to elaborate which widened his investigation
• Nowell also investigated the meeting at Malkin Tower, which he declared a sabbatical

Altham and Bromley

• Sir James Atham- one of the most senior judges in England, Strongly protestant
• Sir Edward Bromley- another senior judge, highly trusted by the king
• Both wanted the King’s favour used the case as a way to achieve this

Question 8

Point = Influence of individuals .. What would be the Relevant Context part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 8

Roger Nowell had a Puritanical upbringing, would have been heavily influenced by publications like Maleficarum

James I and VI book Daeminolgie

• a lenient fatter in influencing attitudes to witchcraft in England around this time
• It is believed to have been read by Judge Altham who was a sarong supporter of James I

Question 9

Point =Influence of individuals .. What would be the impact part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 9

Impact of Roger Nowell: Unquestionably responsible for encouraging the spread of the witch hunt by instigating the initial hunt BUT whether this was a conscious or deliberate decision is unclear, it is possible that he was influenced by his religious upbringing and the social tensions around him

Reveals that the motivations for placing witches on trial weren’t always moral or ethical, but instead for personal gain (there were many other political factors at play with witch trials, not just the crime of witchcraft)

Altham and Bromley are not responsible for causing the hunt or increasing its spread BUT they did rely on spectral evidence from a 9 year old child, in similar trials Assize Court judges questioned this type of evidence, suggesting they are accountable for the outcome of the trial and the executions of 11 women.

Question 10

Point = 1604 Witchcraft Act.. What would be the evidence part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 10

Known as James l’s Witchcraft Act (“An Act against Conjuration, Witchcraft and dealing with evil and wicked spirits”) - In theory it meant the accused were more likely to be tried by an assize judge like other criminals

Question 11

Point = 1604 Witchcraft Act.. What would be the Relevant Context part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 11

The Puritan influence that went some way to forcing a change in making witchcraft legislation more severe in England after 1563. owever the legal system in the 1600s was open to much bias and acceptance of weak or even “spectral” (spiritual) evidence, so these safeguards were not concrete.

Question 12

Point = 1604 Witchcraft Act.. What would be the impact part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 12

Culminated in normalizing belief in witchcraft, which would have led people to look more suspiciously at events such as crop failure and cattle death The legal safeguards included in the Act suggest that actually the trial Established a class divide and as a result of group of people who could be held responsible - Other areas of England experiencing the same economic struggles, and hunts of this size didn’t take place Contributed to the feeling of fear and uncertainty present in society as a result of social divisions and tensions

Question 13

Point =Economic Challenges.. What would be the evidence part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 13

Copyholders of land treated sub-tenants badly - often charging rent that was 25 times higher than the money they themselves had to pay to the Duchy of Lancaster. - Records from the trial show that a number of the suspected witches were sub-tenants: Old Chattox’s daughter Anne Redferne, was a tenant of Robert Nutter, who old Chattox was accused of murdering. Economic Context: → 1296, 900 cattle kept on farms in Pendle → 1327, 2 water powered mills for finishing cloth → C17th, 70% had the tools for cloth production = Pendle was a pastoral and cloth making economy Cows were valuable (£ 3) , equivalent of 6 months work

Question 14

Point = Economic Challenges.. What would be the Relevant Context part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 14

It increased all over the country, by the 1500s the population had grown to half of pre-Black Death levels In Pendle, there were 24 tenants in 1443 by 1650 it had increased to around 1620 Lost the economic and social support of Whalley Abbey

Question 15

Point = Economic Challenges… What would be the impact part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 15

Established a class divide and as a result of group of people who could be held responsible - Other areas of England experiencing the same economic struggles, and hunts of this size didn’t take place Contributed to the feeling of fear and uncertainty present in society as a result of social divisions and tensions

Question 16

Point = Effects of Reformation… What would be the evidence part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 16

A “dark corner of the realm”, where Catholic ignorance flourished - Lancashire historically had looked after Recusant Catholics - Puritan influence grew during the 1590s, and they were anxious to dispel popery and Catholic ignorance Whalley Abbey dissolved in 1536 : -Had provided cloth, grain and money for the local residents, took away a valuable source of income and poddns -a new parish was created that now had a population of 10,000 people who couldn’t be cared for effectively

Question 17

Point =Effects of Reformation.. What would be the Relevant Context part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 17

Polarization of class and status Landowners v tenants / subtenants “the root problem was maleficium, that doing harm by witchcraft” - Known as James I’s Witchcraft Act (“An Act against Conjuration, Witchcraft and dealing with evil and wicked spirits”)

Question 18

Point = Effects of Reformation… What would be the impact part of PERIL paragraph?

Answer 18

‘Religious strife helped engender witchcraft accusations’ Contributed to the feeling of fear and uncertainty present in society as a result of social divisions and tensions Some of the social tension was present due to historic religious practices, and this forged an environment where each religion wanted to establish themselves as the dominant religion