The Pendle Witches: A Dark Chapter of Lancashire’s History
Living on the moody Pendle moorlands - covered in purple heather and dark moss, dotted with tiny ancient smoke-tinted villages - it’s easy to believe that this place is hiding some secrets.
The story of the Pendle Witches is one of suspicion, poverty, and a society grappling with religious and scientific upheaval and the ‘old ways’ of herbalism, healing and charms.
Set at the foot of Pendle Hill, this story captures the lives of real women (and one man) who were accused of witchcraft — many of whom were simply practising herbalists, healers or women who lived outside societal norms.
Pendle Hill
Who Were the Pendle Witches?
The Pendle Witches were a group of 12 individuals from the area surrounding Pendle Hill who were accused of witchcraft and tried in Lancaster in 1612. Ten were executed by hanging, one was found not guilty, and one died in prison before the trial.
These accused ‘witches’ were largely poor, marginalised women (and one man, John Bulcock). Many of them were likely involved in herbalism, healing practices, and other traditions passed down through generations — what we might now call folk medicine.
The trial of the Pendle Witches is significant for how large it was — most witch trials at the time involved one or two people, but the Pendle trial saw twelve individuals accused.
Demdike & Old Chattox
At the heart of the story is Elizabeth Southerns, known as Old Demdike, and her family. Demdike was a well-known local healer who used her knowledge of plants and herbs to create tinctures, remedies, charms and potions.
Thomas Potts’ The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster (1613) mentions that another woman, Anne Whittle (Old Chattox), was known to make and use ‘witchcraftes, Inchantments, Charmes, and Sorceries’.
For many people at the time, these healing practices were deeply connected to the ‘old ways’ — methods of healing and magic rooted in pre-Christian beliefs. You can see references to the ‘old ways’ and even examples of charms or spells written in latin in the Pendle Heritage Museum (Heather and I went there last month - it’s worth a visit). While this knowledge was once revered, by the 1600s, it was often seen with suspicion and fear.
Fear and Suspicion
In early 17th-century England, the line between medicine and magic was a thin one. For women like Old Demdike and her family, their knowledge of healing was increasingly viewed with suspicion.
I love history and anything Medieval so I find it interesting to consider the societal reasons these events happened. Witch trials - not just those in Pendle - were a response to the shifting role of women in society. There were multiple factors (and many more not mentioned here):
Breakdown of the feudal system - During earlier medieval periods, women had more involvement in managing land and contributing to the economy, but as the feudal system broke down and economic structures changed, land ownership became concentrated in male hands through primogeniture laws (where inherited land goes to the oldest son/male relative).
Coverture - This principle came from medieval common law and was set in stone in the Tudor period (1500s). Under coverture, a woman’s legal identity was absorbed by her husband’s upon marriage, meaning that she could not own property, sign contracts, or control her own wages.
Women were not generally wage earners - Because of this, Women’s roles became more confined to the domestic sphere, while men increasingly became wage earners. As a result, women’s contributions were undervalued, and their social position weakened. We still see some evidence of this today in low wages for assumed ‘women’s work’.
New fields - As men increasingly dominated fields like medicine and law, traditional female roles — such as healers or midwives - were devalued and the knowledge gained from these professions was viewed with suspicion.
Changing feminine ideals - The trials were a way to control and punish women who did not conform to the emerging ideals of submissiveness and domesticity. This changed female ideal can be seen in art from artists like Rubens from around this time depicting largely noble, docile, gentle women. These artistic depictions of gentle, submissive women stood in stark contrast to women like Old Demdike and Old Chattox, whose independence and authority were seen as a threat to the community.
The Legacy of the Pendle Witches
Today, the story of the Pendle Witches is an integral part of the folklore of Lancashire and the Pendle region. Many of those accused were likely just people that didn’t fit in with the new ideal, or practitioners of the old ways who had knowledge of plants and nature’s medicine long before modern science.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in understanding the Pendle Witches as part of a larger historical context of women’s rights, marginalisation, and how traditional forms of healing were criminalised.Honour their history with us
At our Pendle Witches Wild Wellbeing weekend we’ll reflect on this history as we explore the plants that grow in the hedgerows around Pendle, much like the Pendle Witches would have done centuries ago.
We’ll gather as women (another suspicious act according to witch hunters) and connect with each other.
Just like the Pendle Witches and most other women of the time, we can tap into the natural world for nourishment, healing, and connection. We’ll have Pete from Pendle Plant Craft leading a foraging and herbalism walk during the retreat, exploring the very plants that the Pendle Witches might have used to create remedies and stews for their families.
It’s cool to think that their knowledge, once feared and condemned, is now something we’re rediscovering and celebrating.
We’ll also take a walk up Pendle Hill from the village where many of the accused people lived. It’s a chance to retrace the steps of history, imagining what life might have been like as they wandered over the fields and woodlands and hiked up to get a view over this beautiful, mystical area.
Even though this year’s retreat is sold out, we’re building a community of like-minded people who want to reconnect with nature. To be a part of it, sign up for our waiting list by accessing the link below or check out our other offerings.Charlotte xx
