The 400Th Anniversary of the Lancashire Witch-Trials: Commemoration and Its Meaning in 2012

The 400th Anniversary of the Lancashire Witch-Trials: Commemoration and its Meaning in 2012. Todd Andrew Bridges A thesis submitted for the degree of M.A.D. History 2016. Department of History The University of Essex 27 June 2016 1 Contents Abbreviations p. 3 Acknowledgements p. 4 Introduction: p. 5 Commemorating witch-trials: Lancashire 2012 Chapter One: p. 16 The 1612 Witch trials and the Potts Pamphlet Chapter Two: p. 31 Commemoration of the Lancashire witch-trials before 2012 Chapter Three: p. 56 Planning the events of 2012: key organisations and people Chapter Four: p. 81 Analysing the events of 2012 Conclusion: p. 140 Was 2012 a success? The Lancashire Witches: p. 150 Maps: p. 153 Primary Sources: p. 155 Bibliography: p. 159 2 Abbreviations GC Green Close Studios LCC Lancashire County Council LW 400 Lancashire Witches 400 Programme LW Walk Lancashire Witches Walk to Lancaster PBC Pendle Borough Council PST Pendle Sculpture Trail RPC Roughlee Parish Council 3 Acknowledgement Dr Alison Rowlands was my supervisor while completing my Masters by Dissertation for History and I am honoured to have such a dedicated person supervising me throughout my course of study. I gratefully acknowledge Dr Rowlands for her assistance, advice, and support in all matters of research and interpretation. Dr Rowland’s enthusiasm for her subject is extremely motivating and I am thankful to have such an encouraging person for a supervisor. I should also like to thank Lisa Willis for her kind support and guidance throughout my degree, and I appreciate her providing me with the materials that were needed in order to progress with my research and for realising how important this research project was for me. I have enjoyed working with Lisa. My special thanks go to Pete and Sue Flowers, Philippe Handford, Mike Williams, Dr Colin Penny, Leslie Chisnell-Helm of Pendle, Lancashire, Professor Amanda Flather, and Professor Malcolm Gaskill. Without these generous people who supplied me with the information for my Research, this research would not have been possible. They took the time to communicate with me in order to share with me about the planning and commemorating one of the most important historical events in the United Kingdom. My special thanks also go to Colin and Marilyn Danson and to the village of East Bergholt because without the serenity and pleasant atmosphere that has been provided by them, this research project would never have been completed. Finally, I would like to especially thank Professor Rebecca Klase, Dr Regan Lutz, Dr Denise Kohn, and all members of the Greensboro College faculty of 1998 to 2002 and, the faculty of Isothermal Community college from 1996 to 1998 for enabling me to have an interest in academia and higher education, and also, for enabling me to have the skills and perseverance to pursue post-graduate studies. Todd Andrew Bridges Autumn 2015 4 Introduction: Commemorating witch-trials: Lancashire 2012 ‘But that was then- when difference made ghouls of neighbours; child beggars, feral, filthy, threatened in their cowls. Grim skies, the grey remorse of rain; sunset’s crimson shame; four seasons, centuries, turning, in Lancashire…’ Lancashire Witches 400 – Tercets 8 and 9, Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy’s Lancashire Witch Poem, (2012)1 This dissertation will explain the events of 1612 and why artists and other people in key locations wanted to commemorate the four-hundredth anniversary of the Lancashire witch trials. The year 2012 marked the four-hundredth anniversary of the Lancashire witch trials of 1612; to commemorate this anniversary, over twenty commemorative events took place within the Borough of Pendle and in Lancaster between March and October 2012. A sense of the variety and range of the 2012 events can be gained from the Pendle Witches Festival programme leaflet that was put together in early 2012 by Pendle Borough Council as a guide to what happened in 20122; the events included talks by historians, a one-day ‘witch school’, plays, art exhibitions, the opening of walking and sculpture trails, and the unveiling of statues, plaques and art installations. These events were planned either by local councils who collaborated with local artists, or by independent organisations which also recruited national and local creative talent, in a planning process that took several years and involved significant sums of money. This dissertation will provide a close analysis of this planning process, explaining who was involved, where the money came from, what it was used for, and what events, installations and artistic 1 Green Close Studios, The Lancashire Witches Walk Booklet (Green Close Studios, Ltd, 2013), pp. 18-19. 2 Note: The Pendle (Lancashire) Witches Festival leaflet was available for downloading throughout the commemorative year, probably as early as February considering that the first commemorative event that was listed on the leaflet which was Poole’s Witch Talk, was scheduled for March. As of September 2015, the leaflet is no longer available for downloading although the website itself still explains what occurred throughout the year. 5 outputs were produced. I will also analyse the particular motives or objectives of the various planners in order to explain their purpose for getting involved. I will then undertake a close analyse of five of the key commemorative events, looking at what they were, how they were made, and where they were situated, in order to explore what messages about the Lancashire witch-trials and their victims the creators hoped to convey to the general public through them. This analysis is important because the events of 2012 were the first ever major commemoration of an English witch- trial; it can act as a blue-print for any future commemorations, and also help us to understand more about the links between public history, dark tourism, the heritage/tourism industry, and commemorative practices in relation to the history of early modern witch-trials. Chapter one gives an overview of the 1612 trials and the importance of the pamphlet about them, which was written by Thomas Potts. Chapter Two explores public knowledge of the 1612 witch-trials in various media before 2012; Chapter Three explains how and by whom the 2012 commemorative events were planned, financed, and carried out, and Chapter Four analyses five key commemorative events in order to explore what messages the planners and artists wanted to convey to the public about the witch-trials of 1612. This is a picture of the Elizabeth Montgomery statue that was installed in Salem, MA in 2005. 3 3 Trip Advisor, https://www.g oogle.co.uk/search?q=eliza beth+montgomery+statue+salem&biw=1518&bih=748&tbm=isch&imgil=b-Hgz4iVKGQu3M%253A%253BoaD GVLOU8Tsk WM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.tripadvisor.co.uk%25252FLocationPhot oDirect Link -g60954-d3680287-i117365227-Bewit ched_Statue_of_Elizabeth_Montgomery-Salem_Massa chusetts.ht ml&sour ce=iu&pf=m&fir=b-Hgz4iVKGQu3M%253A%252CoaDGV LOU8TskWM% 252C_&dpr=0.9&usg=__5E mJKZR0Q32FE uCFmmWGEEBSY 4I%3D &ved=0CCsQyjdqFQoTCKbe3s7Lw8g CFcK0FA odsc4NWA&ei=9yQfVuaGN8LpUrGdt8AF#i mgrc=b-Hg z4iVKGQu3M% 3A&usg=__5E mJKZR0Q32FEuCF mmWGEE BSY4I%3D , accessed 20 October 2015. 6 In this research project, there will be certain ideas and theories that will be drawn on from my analysis of the people who planned major commemorative events, how they were planned, and the meanings and objectives of the commemorative events. First, it is important to remember that Potts’s records, which were published in 1613 are the only surviving records. For decades, they have been an important source for historians in their research into the Lancashire witch-trials of 1612. However, there is a theory that although the former Clerk of Court Thomas Potts recorded pre-trial statements that included confessions as well as assizes records, his records are not altogether true in regards to the 1612 events because there is evidence that his writings contained elements of anti- Catholicism and there could have been certain issues that motivated him to publish his records of the trials. Also, the manner in which he described accused people suggested that Potts was more concerned about impressing those who had tasked him with writing down the events of 1612. However, Potts’s records which were published in 1613 under the title of The Wonderful Disoveries of Witches in the Countie of Lancashire has been a resource for historians for the past fifty years. Another theory that will be drawn from my analysis is that momentum for the commemorative year developed by the publishing and re-issues of the Potts pamphlet, by works of fiction by authors such as William Harrison Ainsworth, researchers, and the media. This research will also explain who was involved in planning major commemorative events, why they got involved and how they acquired the financial backing in order to plan commemorative events. The commemorative events that took place in 2012 has, to this day, a specific aim or objective that could either be conveyed directly to the public or could be interpreted by the public, therefore, the aims of the planners and messages that they wanted to convey to the public will be analysed; and, whether certain aspects of their commemorative project could be interpreted in different ways by visitors. Much of my research was informed by my knowledge of developing trends in tourism, including dark tourism, defined as the act of travel to sites associated with death, suffering, and the seemingly 7 macabre.4 Tourism expert, Philip Stone, suggested

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