Jennet Bierley, Ellen Bierley, Jane Southworth
to the Barre to receiue their Triall.
Indictment
THe said Iennet Bierley, Ellen Bierley, and Iane Southworth of Salmesbury, in the Countie of Lancaster, being indicted, for that they and euery of them felloniously had practised, exercised, and vsed diuerse deuillish and wicked Arts, called Witchcrafts, Inchauntments, Charmes, and Sorceries, in and vpon one Grace Sowerbuts: so that by meanes thereof her bodie wasted and consumed, Contra formam Statuti &c. Et Contra Pacem dicti Domini Regis Coronam & dignitatem &c.
To this Indictment vpon their Arraignement, they pleaded Not-Guiltie; and for the Triall of their liues put themselues vpon God and their Countrey.
Whereupon Master Sheriffe of the Countie of Lancaster, by direction of the Court, made returne of a very sufficient Iurie to passe betweene the Kings Maiestie and them, vpon their liues and deaths, with such others as follow in order.
The Prisoners being now at the Barre vpon their Triall Grace
Sowerbutts, the daughter of Thomas Sowerbutts, about
the age of foureteene yeares, was produced to giue
Euidence for the Kings Maiestie against them:
who standing vp, she was commaunded
to point out the Prisoners, which
shee did, and said as
followeth,
viz
* *
*
The Examination and Euidence of
Grace Sowerbvtts, daughter of Thomas
Sowerbvtts, of Salmesbury, in the Countie of
Lancaster Husband-man, vpon her Oath,
Against
Iennet Bierley, Ellen Bierley, and
Iane Sovthworth, prisoners at the Barre, vpon
their Arraignement and Triall, viz.
THe said Grace Sowerbutts vpon her oath saith, That for the space of some yeares now last past shee hath beene haunted and vexed with some women, who haue vsed to come to her: which women, shee sayth, were Iennet Bierley, this Informers Grand-mother; Ellen Bierley, wife to Henry Bierley; Iane Southworth, late the wife of Iohn Southworth, and one Old Doewife, all of Salmesburie aforesaid. And shee saith, That now lately those foure women did violently draw her by the haire of the head, and layd her on the toppe of a Hay-mowe, in the said Henry Bierleyes Barne. And shee saith further, That not long after the said Iennet Bierley did meete this Examinate neere vnto the place where shee dwellleth, and first appeared in her owne likenesse, and after that in the likenesse of a blacke Dogge, and as this Examinate did goe ouer a Style, shee picked her off:K4b howbeit shee saith shee had no hurt then, but rose againe, and went to her Aunts in Osbaldeston, and returned backe againe to her Fathers house the same night, being fetched home by her father. And she saith, That in her way home-wards shee did then tell her Father, how shee had beene dealt withall both then and at sundry times before that; and before that time she neuer told any bodie thereof: and being examined why she did not, she sayth, she could not speake thereof, though she desired so to doe. And she further sayth, That vpon Saterday, being the fourth of this instant Aprill, shee this Examinate going towards Salmesbury bote, to meete her mother, comming from Preston, shee saw the said Iennet Bierley, who met this Examinate at a place called the Two Brigges, first in her owne shape, and afterwardes in the likenesse of a blacke Dogge, with two legges, which Dogge went close by the left side of this Examinate, till they came to a Pitte of Water, and then the said Dogge spake, and persuaded this Examinate to drowne her selfe there, saying, it was a faire and an easie death: Whereupon this Examinate thought there came one to her in a white sheete, and carried her away from the said Pitte, vpon the comming whereof the said blacke Dogge departed away; and shortly after the said white thing departed also: And after this Examinate had gone further on her way, about the length of two or three Fields, the said blacke Dogge did meete her againe, and going on her left side, as aforesaid, did carrie her into a Barne of one Hugh Walshmans,La neere there by, and layed her vpon the Barne-floore, and couered this Examinate with Straw on her bodie, and Haye on her head, and the Dogge it selfe lay on the toppe of the said Straw, but how long the said Dogge lay there, this Examinate cannot tell, nor how long her selfe lay there: for shee sayth, That vpon her lying downe there, as aforesaid, her Speech and Senses were taken from her: and the first time shee knew where shee was, shee was layed vpon a bedde in the said Walshmans house, which (as shee hath since beene told) was vpon the Monday at night following: and shee was also told, That shee was found and taken from the place where shee first lay, by some of her friends, and carried into the said Walshmans house, within a few houres after shee was layed in the Barne, as aforesaid. And shee further sayth, That vpon the day following, being Tuesday, neere night of the same day, shee this Examinate was fetched by her Father and Mother from the said Walshmans house to her Fathers house. And shee saith, That at the place before specified, called the Two Brigges, the said Iennet Bierley and Ellen Bierley did appeare vnto her in their owne shapes: whereupon this Examinate fell downe, and after that was not able to speake, or goe, till the Friday following: during which time, as she lay in her Fathers house, the said Iennet Bierley and Ellen Bierley did once appeare vnto her in their owne shapes, but they did nothing vnto her then, neither did shee euer see them since. And shee further sayth, That a good while before all this, this Examinate did goe with the said Iennet Bierley, her Grand-mother, and the said Ellen Bierley her Aunt, at the bidding of her said Grand-mother, to the house of one Thomas Walshman, in Salmesbury aforesaid. And comming thither in the night, when all the house-hold was a-bed, the doores being shut, the said Iennet Bierley did open them, but this Examinate knoweth not how: and beeing come into the said house, this Examinate and the said Ellen Bierley stayed there, and the said Iennet Bierley went into the Chamber where the said Walshman and his wife lay, & from thence brought a little child,[L2a1] which this Examinate thinketh was in bed with it Father and Mother: and after the said Iennet Bierley had set her downe by the fire, with the said child, shee did thrust a naile into the nauell of the said child: and afterwards did take a pen and put it in at the said place, and did suck there a good space, and afterwards laid the child in bed againe: and then the said Iennet and the said Ellen returned to their owne houses, and this Examinate with them. And shee thinketh that neither the said Thomas Walshman, nor his wife knew that the said child was taken out of the bed from them. And shee saith also, that the said child did not crie when it was hurt, as aforesaid: But shee saith, that shee thinketh that the said child did thenceforth languish, and not long after dyed. And after the death of the said child; the next night after the buriall thereof, the said Iennet Bierley & Ellen Bierley, taking this Examinate with them, went to Salmesburie Church, and there did take vp the said child, and the said Iennet did carrie it out of the Church-yard in her armes, and then did put it in her lap and carryed it home to her owne house, and hauing it there did boile some therof in a Pot, and some did broile on the coales, of both which the said Iennet & Ellen did eate, and would haue had this Examinate and one Grace Bierley, Daughter of the said Ellen, to haue eaten with them, but they refused so to doe: And afterwards the said Iennet & Ellen did seethe the bones of the said child in a pot, & with the Fat that came out of the said bones, they said they would annoint themselues,[L2a2] that thereby they might sometimes change themselues into other shapes. And after all this being done, they said they would lay the bones againe in the graue the next night following, but whether they did so or not, this Examinate knoweth not: Neither doth shee know how they got it out of the graue at the first taking of it vp. And being further sworne and examined, she deposeth & saith, that about halfe a yeare agoe, the said Iennet Bierley, Ellen Bierley, Iane Southworth, and this Examinate (who went by the appointment of the said Iennet her Grand mother) did meete at a place called Red banck, vpon the North side of the water of Ribble, euery Thursday and Sonday at night by the space of a fortnight, and at the water side there came vnto them, as they went thether, foure black things, going vpright, and yet not like men in the face: which foure did carrie the said three women and this Examinate ouer the Water, and when they came to the said Red Banck they found some thing there which they did eate. But this Examinate saith, shee neuer saw such meate; and therefore shee durst not eate thereof, although her said Grand mother did bidde her eate. And after they had eaten, the said three Women and this Examinate danced, euery one of them with one of the blacke things aforesaid, and after their dancing the said black things did pull downe the said three Women, and did abuse their bodies, as this Examinate thinketh, for shee saith, that the black thing that was with her, did abuse her bodie.
The said Examinate further saith vpon her Oth, That about ten dayes after her Examination taken at Blackborne, shee this Examinate being then come to her Fathers house againe, after shee had beene certaine dayes at her Vnckles house in Houghton: Iane Southworth widow, did meet this Examinate at her Fathers house dore and did carrie her into the loft,L3a and there did lay her vppon the floore, where shee was shortly found by her Father and brought downe, and laid in a bed, as afterwards shee was told: for shee saith, that from the first meeting of the said Iane Southworth, shee this Examinate had her speech and senses taken from her. But the next day shee saith, shee came somewhat to her selfe, and then the said Widow Southworth came againe to this Examinate to her bed-side, and tooke her out of bed, and said to this Examinate, that shee did her no harme the other time, in respect of that shee now would after doe to her, and thereupon put her vpon a hey-stack, standing some three or foure yards high from the earth, where shee was found after great search made, by a neighbours Wife neare dwelling, and then laid in her bedde againe, where she remained speechlesse and senselesse as before, by the space of two or three daies: And being recouered, within a weeke after shee saith, that the said Iane Southworth did come againe to this Examinate at her fathers house and did take her away, and laid her in a ditch neare to the house vpon her face, and left her there, where shee was found shortly after, and laid vpon a bedde, but had not her senses againe of a day & a night, or thereabouts. And shee further saith, That vpon Tuesday last before the taking of this her Examination, the said Iane Southworth came to this Examinates Fathers house, and finding this Examinate without the doore, tooke her and carried her into the Barne, and thrust her head amongst a companie of boords that were there standing, where shee was shortly after found and laid in a bedde, and remained in her old fit till the Thursday at night following.
And being further examined touching her being at Red-bancke, shee saith, That the three women, by her before named, were carried backe againe ouer Ribble, by the same blacke things that carried them thither; and saith that at their said meeting in the Red-bancke, there did come also diuers other women, and did meete them there, some old, some yong, which this Examinate thinketh did dwell vpon the North-side of Ribble, because she saw them not come ouer the Water: but this Examinate knew none of them, neither did she see them eat or dance, or doe anything else that the rest did, sauing that they were there and looked on.
These particular points of Euidence being thus vrged against the Prisoners: the father of this Grace Sowerbutts prayed that Thomas Walshman, whose childe they are charged to murther, might be examined as a witnes vpon his oath, for the Kings Maiestie, against the Prisoners at the Barre: who vpon this strange deuised accusation, deliuered by this impudent wench, were in opinion of many of that great Audience guilty of this bloudie murther, and more worthy to die then any of these Witches.
The Examination and Euidence of
Thomas Walshman, of Salmesbury, in the
Countie of Lancaster, Yeoman.
Against
Iennet Bierley, Ellen Bierley, and
Iane Sovthworth, Prisoners at the Barre, vpon
their Arraignement and Triall, as followeth. viz.
THe said Examinate, Thomas Walshman, vpon his oath saith, That hee had a childe died about Lent was twelue-month, who had beene sicke by the space of a fortnight or three weekes, and was afterwards buried in Salmesburie Church: which childe when it died was about a yeare old; But how it came to the death of it, this Examinate knoweth not. And he further saith, that about the fifteenth of Aprill last, or thereabouts, the said Grace Sowerbutts was found in this Examinates fathers Barne, laid vnder a little hay and straw, and from thence was carried into this Examinates house, and there laid till the Monday at night following: during which time shee did not speak, but lay as if she had beene dead.
The Examination of Iohn Singleton:
Taken at Salmesbury, in the Countie of Lancaster,
the seuenth day of August: Anno Reg. Regis Iacobi
Angliæ, Franciæ, & Hiberniæ, Fidei Defensor. &c.
Decimo & Scotiæ, xlvj.
Before
Robert Hovlden,[L4b1] Esquire, one of his Maiesties
Iustices of Peace in the County of Lancaster.
Against
Iennet Bierley, Ellen Bierley, and
Iane Sovthworth, which hereafter followeth.
THe said Examinate vpon his oath saith, That hee hath often heard his old Master, Sir Iohn Southworth[L4b2] Knight, now deceased, say, touching the late wife of Iohn Southworth, now in the Gaole, for suspition of Witchcraft: That the said wife was as he thought an euill woman, and a Witch: and he said that he was sorry for her husband, that was his kinsman, for he thought she would kill him. And this Examinate further saith, That the said Sir Iohn Southworth in his comming or going betweene his owne house at Salmesbury, and the Towne of Preston, did for the most part forbeare to passe by the house, where the said wife dwelled, though it was his nearest and best way; and rode another way, only for feare of the said wife, as this Examinate verily thinketh.
The Examination of William
Alker of Salmesbury, in the Countie of Lancaster,
Yeoman: Taken the fifteenth day of Aprill, Anno Reg.
Regis Iacobi, Angliæ, Franciæ, & Hiberniæ, Decimo
& Scotiæ, quadragesimo quinto.
Before
Robert Hovlden, one of his Maiesties Iustices
of Peace in the County of Lancaster: Against Iennet
Bierley, Ellen Bierley, and Iane Bierley,
which hereafter followeth. viz.
THe said Examinate vpon his oath saith, That hee hath seene the said Sir Iohn Southworth shunne to meet the said wife of Iohn Southworth, now Prisoner in the Gaole, when he came neere where she was. And hath heard the said Sir Iohn Southworth say, that he liked her not, and that he doubted she would bewitch him.
Here was likewise Thomas Sowerbutts, father of Grace Sowerbutts, examined vpon his oath, and many other witnesses to little purpose: who being examined by the Court, could depose little against them: But the finding of the wench vpon the hay in her counterfeit fits: wherfore I leaue to trouble you with the particular declaration of their Euidence against the Prisoners, In respect there was not any one witnes able to charge them with one direct matter of Witchcraft; nor proue any thing for the murther of the childe.
Herein, before we come to the particular declaration of that wicked and damnable practise of this Iesuite or Seminary, I shall commend vnto your examination and iudgement some points of her Euidence, wherein you shal see what impossibilities are in this accusatiō brought to this perfection, by the great care and paines of this officious Doctor, Master Thompson or Southworth, who commonly worketh vpon the Feminine disposition, being more Passiue then Actiue.
The particular points of the Euidence of
Grace Sowerbutts, viz.M1b