PENDLE WITCH TRIALS

 

Figure 2: Drawing of Pendle Witches


The Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 is a well documented account involving multiple individuals accused of witchcraft and includes false documents in a court case. 

A summary of this event is as follows: 

The trial occurred in August of 1612. It involved two different families headed by two elderly widows.

Image 3: Families involved in witch trials


This is a unique and notable case because ten people were said to be murdered as a result of witchcraft and an astounding number of individuals were charged in this case. Jennet Device, a child one of the individual accused was a "key witness in the trials." The use of this child's voice gave a new value to the use of children in court cases. After to this point the use of children in court cases changed. 


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