2.6 Jennet Device and the Pendle Witch Trials
This week we took a look at the girl who became the star witness in the most infamous witch trials in English history: Jennet Device.
Since we covered almost everything we wanted to say about Jennet in the episode, this week’s blog is going to be a resource list for anyone who wants to do a bit of a deeper dive into the Pendle Witch Trials.
Thomas Potts and A Discovery of Witches
We discussed this text in the episode, and I think it is one of the best sources of information about Jennet and the Pendle Witch Trials. It is written by Thomas Potts, who was clerk to the assizes during the trials and who witnessed and recorded all the testimony. Is it tremendously biased? Definitely. But it is also an incredible insight into the methods and practices used in Jacobean courts to try charges of witchcraft.
What is especially powerful is the reporting of the testimony of the accused and the witnesses, including nine-year-old Jennet. Here is the link to the e-copy on Project Gutenberg.
Demonologie by ( of all people) the King of England and Scotland.
I started the episode with a brief run down of the reasons why James the First was so obsessed with witches. But if you really want to understand the inner workings of the mind of an English king so terrified of witchcraft that he personally oversaw the North Berwick Witchtrials, then I suggest you read the musing of the man himself.
Demonologie is an odd text by anyone’s standards. It is presented as a dialogue between two Greek philosophers, one questioning and (apparently) reasoning out the existence, nature, and signs of witches and witchcraft in the world. It is packed with references to scripture but the overall message is very much that of James himself. It is difficult to read but it is quite a startling insight into the mind of someone who can sees demons and witches in almost every aspect of life. Make of it what you will. Here is the link to the Project Gutenberg e-copy.
Pendle Witch Child (BBC Documentary)
Our last recommendation is for the wonderful BBC Documentary ‘Pendle Witch Child’ presented by Simon Armitage (whose poetry I absolutely love). This is a much more comprehensive look into the details of Jennet’s life and the background to the Pendle Witch Trials. I can’t recommend it enough.