John Bulcock, and Jane Bulcock His Mother
I
F there were nothing to charge these Prisoners withall, whom now you may behold vpon their Arraignement and Triall but their poasting in haste to the great Assembly at Malking-Tower, there to aduise and consult amongst the Witches, what were to bee done to set at liberty the Witches in the Castle at Lancaster: Ioyne with Iennet Preston for the murder of Master Lister; and such like wicked & diuellish practises: It were sufficient to accuse them for Witches, & to bring their liues to a lawfull Triall. But amongst all the Witches in this company, there is not a more fearefull and diuellish Act committed, and voluntarily confessed by any of them, comparable to this, vnder the degree of Murder: which impudently now (at the Barre hauing formerly confessed;)[Q3a1] they forsweare, swearing they were neuer at the great assembly at Malking Tower; although the very Witches that were present in that action with them, iustifie, maintaine, and sweare the same to be true against them: Crying out in very violent & outragious manner, euen to the gallowes,[Q3a2] where they died impenitent for any thing we know, because they died silent in the particulars. These of all others were the most desperate wretches (void of all feare or grace) in all this Packe; Their offences not much inferiour to Murther: for which you shall heare what matter of Record wee haue against them; and whether they be worthie to continue, we leaue it to the good consideration of the Iury.
The said Iohn Bulcock, and Iane Bulcock his mother, Prisoners in the Castle at Lancaster, being brought to the Barre before the great Seat of Iustice: were there according to the former order and course Indicted and Arraigned, for that they felloniously had practised, exercised and vfed their diuellish & wicked Arts, called Witchcrafts, Inchantments, Charmes and Sorceries, in and vpon the body of Iennet Deane: so as the body of the said Iennet Deane, by force of the said Witchcrafts, wasted and consumed; and after she, the said Iennet, became madde. Contra formam Statuti, &c. Et Contra pacem, &c.
Vpon their Arraignement, to this Indictment they pleaded not guiltie; and for the triall of their liues put themselues vpon God and their Countrey.
So as now the Gentlemen of the Iurie of Life and Death stand charged with them as with others.
The Euidence against Iohn Bulcock, and Jane
Bulcock his mother, Prisoners at the Barre.
The Examination of Iames Device
taken the seuen and twentieth day of Aprill aforesaid.
Before
Roger Nowel and Nicholas Banester,
Esquires, two of his Maiesties Iustices of Peace in
the Countie of Lancaster.
Against
Iohn Bvlcock and Iane Bvlcock his mother.
THis Examinate saith, That vpon Good-Friday, about twelue of the clocke in the day time, there dined in this Examinates said Mothers house a number of persons, whereof three were men with this Examinate, and the rest women, and that they met there for these three causes following, as this Examinates said mother told this Examinate. The first was, for the naming of the Spirit which Allison Deuice, now prisoner at Lancaster had, but did not name him, because shee was not there. The second cause was, for the deliuerie of his said Grand-mother; this Examinates said sister Allison; the said Anne Chattox, and her daughter Redferne, killing the Gaoler at Lancaster, and before the next Assises to blow vp the Castle there, to that end the aforesaid prisoners might by that meanes make an escape, and get away: All which this Examinate then heard them conferre of.
And he also sayth, That the names of such said Witches as were on Good-Friday at this Examinates said Grand-mothers house, and now this Examinates owne mothers, for so many of them as hee did know, were these, viz. Iane Bulcock, wife of Christopher Bulcock, of the Mosse end, and Iohn her sonne amongst others, &c.
And this Examinate further saith, That all the said Witches went out of the said house in their own shapes and likenesses: and they all, by that they were forth of the dores, were gotten on horse-backe, like vnto Foales, some of one colour, and some of another, and Prestons wife was the last: and when shee got on horse-backe, they all presently vanished out of this Examinates sight.
And further he saith, That the said Iohn Bulcock and Iane his said Mother, did confesse vpon Good-Friday last at the said Malking-Tower, in the hearing of this Examinate, That they had bewitched, at the new-field Edge in Yorkeshire, a woman called Iennet, wife of Iohn Deyne, besides, her reason; and the said Womans name so bewitched, he did not heare them speake of. And this Examinate further saith, That at the said Feast at Malking-Tower this Examinate heard them all giue their consents to put the said Master Thomas Lister of WestbyQ4a to death. And after Master Lister should be made away by Witch-craft, then all the said Witches gaue their consents to ioyne all together, to hanck Master Leonard Lister, when he should come to dwell at the Cow-gill, and so put him to death.
The Examination of Elizabeth
Device, Taken the day and yeare aforesaid,
Before
Roger Nowel and Nicholas Banester,
Esquires, two of his Maiesties Iustices of Peace in
the Countie of Lancaster.
Against
Iohn Bvlcock, and Iane Bvlcock, his
mother.
THis Examinate saith vpon her oath, That she doth verily thinke, that the said Bulcockes wife doth know of some Witches to bee about Padyham and Burnley.Q4b
And shee further saith, That at the said meeting at Malking-Tower, as aforesaid, Katherine Hewyt and Iohn Bulcock, with all the rest then there, gaue their consents, with the said Prestons wife, for the killing of the said Master Lister.
The Examination and Euidence of
Iennet Device
Against
Iohn Bvlcocke and Iane his mother, prisoners
at the Barre.
THe said Examinate saith, That vpon Good-Friday last there was about twentie persons, whereof two were men, to this Examinates remembrance, at her said Grand-mothers house, called Malking-Tower aforesaid: all which persons, this Examinates said mother told her were Witches, and that she knoweth the names of sixe of the said Witches.
Then was the said Iennet Deuice commaunded by his Lordship to finde and point out the said Iohn Bulcock and Iane Bulcock amongst all the rest; whereupon shee went and tooke Iane Bulcock by the hand, accused her to be one, and told her in what place shee sat at the Feast at Malking-Tower, at the great Assembly of the Witches; and who sat next her: and accused the said Iohn Bulcock to turne the Spitt there;Ra what conference they had, and all the rest of their proceedings at large, without any manner of contrarietie.
Shee further told his Lordship, there was a woman that came out of Craven to that Great Feast at Malking-Tower, but shee could not finde her out amongst all those women.
¶ The names of the Witches at the
Great Assembly and Feast at
Malking-Tower, viz. vpon
Good-Friday last, 1612.R1b
Elizabeth Deuice.
Alice Nutter.
Katherine Hewit, alias
Mould-heeles.
John Bulcock.
Jane Bulcock.
Alice Graie.
Jennet Hargraues.
Elizabeth Hargraues.
Christopher Howgate.
Sonne to old Dembdike.
Christopher Hargraues.
Grace Hay, of Padiham.
Anne Crunckshey, of Marchden.
Elizabeth Howgate.
Jennet Preston, Executed at Yorke
for the Murder of Master Lister,
With many more, which being bound ouer to appeare at the last Assizes, are since that time fled to saue themselues.
THE ARRAIGNMENT
and Triall of Alizon Device,
Daughter of Elizabeth Device, within the Forrest
of Pendle, in the Countie of Lancaster aforesaid, for
Witch-craft.