Now! Then! Jennet Preston, the only Yorkshirewoman among the Pendle witches, is found guilty at York of the murder of Thomas Lister of Westby Hall, Gisburn (Ribble Valley)

27 July 1612: Jennet Preston, the only Yorkshirewoman among the Pendle witches, is found guilty at York of the murder of Thomas Lister of Westby Hall, Gisburn (Ribble Valley)

The ruins of Westby Hall, home of Thomas Lister, alleged victim of Jennet Preston (Griffier 1720ish).

Thomas Potts. 1845. Potts’s Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster. Ed. James Crossley. Manchester: The Chetham Society. Get it:

Excerpt

Hereupon were diverse examinations taken and read openly against her, to induce and satisfy the gentlemen of the jury of life and death, to find she was a witch; and many other circumstances for the death of Master Lister. In the end Anne Robinson and others were both examined, who upon their oaths declared against her, that Master Lister lying in great extremity, upon his deathbed, cried out unto them that stood about him, “Jennet Preston is in the house, look where she is, take hold of her: for God’s sake shut the doors, and take her, she cannot escape away, look about for her, and lay hold on her, for she is in the house.” And so cried very often in his great pains to them that came to visit him during his sickness. Anne Robinson, and Thomas Lister, being examined further, they both gave this in evidence against her, that when Master Lister lay upon his deathbed, he cried out in great extremity, “Jennet Preston lies heavy upon me, Preston’s wife lies heavy upon me; help me, help me,” and so departed, crying out against her. These, with many other witnesses, were further examined, and deposed, that Jennet Preston being brought to Master Lister after he was dead, and laid out to be wound up in his winding-sheet, the said Jennet Preston coming to touch the dead corpse, they bled fresh blood presently, in the presence of all that were there present: Which hath ever been held a great argument to induce a jury to hold him guilty that shall be accused of murder, and hath seldom, or never, failed in the trial. But these were not alone: for this wicked and bloodthirsty witch was no sooner delivered at the assizes holden at York in Lent last past, being indicted, arraigned, and by the favor and mercy of the jury found not guilty, for the murder of a child by witchcraft: but upon the Friday following, being Good Friday, she rode in haste [on a white foal with a black spot on its forehead] to the great meeting at Malkin Tower, and there prayed aid for the murder of Master Thomas Lister. [Hanged two days later.]

Order the book

Subscribe to the free daily email

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

Editor James Crossley has some good notes.

I’ve got an annotation here: double jeopardy.

Something to say? Get in touch

Original

The Euidence for the Kings Maiestie Against Iennet Preston, Prisoner at the Barre.

Hereupon were diuerse Examinations taken and read openly against her, to induce and satisfie the Gentlemen of the Iurie of Life and Death, to finde she was a Witch; and many other circumstances for the death of M. Lister. In the end Anne Robinson and others were both examined, who vpon their Oathes declared against her, That M. Lister lying in great extremitie, vpon his death bedde, cried out vnto them that stood about him; that Iennet Preston was in the house, looke where shee is, take hold of her: for Gods sake shut the doores, and take her, shee cannot escape away. Looke about for her, and lay hold on her, for shee is in the house: and so cryed very often in his great paines, to them that came to visit him during his sicknesse.

Anne Robinson, and Thomas Lister,

Being examined further, they both gaue this in euidence against her, That when Master Lister lay vpon his death-bedde, hee cryed out in great extremitie; Iennet Preston lyes heauie vpon me, Prestons wife lies heauie vpon me; helpe me, helpe me: and so departed, crying out against her.

These, with many other witnesses, were further examined, and deposed, That Iennet Preston, the Prisoner at the Barre, being brought to M. Lister after hee was dead, & layd out to be wound vp in his winding-sheet, the said Iennet Preston comming to touch the dead corpes, they bled fresh bloud presently,[Y3a] in the presence of all that were there present: Which hath euer beene held a great argument to induce a Iurie to hold him guiltie that shall be accused of Murther, and hath seldome, or neuer, fayled in the Tryall.

But these were not alone: for this wicked and bloud-thirstie Witch was no sooner deliuered at the Assises holden at Yorke in Lent last past, being indicted, arraigned, and by the fauor and mercie of the Iurie found not guiltie, for the murther of a Child by Witch-craft: but vpon the Friday following, beeing Good-Friday, shee rode in hast to the great meeting at Malking-Tower, and there prayed aide for the murther of M. Thomas Lister: as at large shall appeare, by the seuerall Examinations hereafter following; sent to these Assises from Master Nowel and other his Maiesties Iustices of Peace in the Countie of Lancaster, to be giuen in euidence against her, vpon her Triall, viz.

The Examination and Euidence of Iames Device, of the Forrest of Pendle, in the Countie of Lancaster, Labourer, taken at the house of Iames Wilsey, of the Forrest of Pendle in the Countie of Lancaster, the seuen and twentieth day of Aprill, Anno Reg. Regis Iacobi Angliæ, &c. Decimo ac Scotiæ quadragesimo quinto. Before Roger Nowel and Nicholas Banester, Esquires, two of his Maiesties Iustices of the Peace within the Countie of Lancaster, viz.

THis Examinate saith, That vpon Good-Friday last 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): First was for the naming of the Spirit, which Alizon Deuice, now Prisoner at Lancaster, had, but did not name him, because shee was not there. The second cause was for the deliuery of his said Grand-mother, this Examinates said sister Alizon, the said Anne Chattox, and her daughter Redferne: Killing the Gaoler at Lancaster; and before the next Assizes 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 the third cause was, for that there was a woman dwelling in Gilburne Parish, who came into this Examinates said Grand-mothers house, who there came, and craued assistance of the rest of them that were then there, for the killing of Master Lister of Westby: because, as she then said, he had borne malice vnto her, and had thought to haue put her away at the last Assizes at Yorke; but could not. And then this Examinat heard the said woman say, that her power was not strong enough to doe it her selfe, being now lesse then before time it had beene.

And he also further saith, that the said Prestons wife had a Spirit with her like unto a white Foale, with a blacke-spot in the forehead. And further, this Examinat saith, That since the said meeting, as aforesaid, this Examinate hath beene brought to the wife of one Preston in Gisburne Parish aforesaid, by Henry Hargreiues of Goldshey, to see whether shee was the woman that came amongst the said Witches, on the said last Good-Friday, to craue their aide and assistance for the killing of the said Master Lister: and hauing had full view of her; hee this Examinate confesseth, That shee was the selfe-same woman which came amongst the said Witches on the said last Good-Friday, for their aide for the killing of the said Master Lister; and that brought the Spirit with her, in the shape of a White Foale, as aforesaid.

And this Examinate further saith, That all the said Witches went out of the said house in their owne shapes and likenesses, and they all, by that they were forth of the doores, were gotten on horse-backe like vnto Foales, some of one colour, some of another, and Prestons wife was the last; and when she got on horse-backe, they all presently vanished out of this Examinats sight: and before their said parting away, they all appointed to meete at the said Prestons wifes house that day twelue-month; at which time the said Prestons wife promised to make them a great feast; and if they had occasion to meet in the meane time, then should warning bee giuen that they all should meete vpon Romles-Moore. And this Examinate further saith, That at the said feast at Malking-Tower, this Examinat heard them all giue their consents to put the said Master Thomas Lister of Westby to death: and after Master Lister should be made away by Witchcraft, then al the said Witches gaue their consents to ioyne altogether to hancke Master Leonard Lister,[Za] when he should come to dwell at the Sowgill, and so put him to death.

The Examination of Henrie Hargreives of Goldshey-booth, in the Forrest of Pendle, in the Countie of Lancaster Yeoman, taken the fifth day of May, Anno Reg. Regis Iacobi Angliæ, &c. Decimo, ac Scociæ quadragesimo quinto. Before Roger Nowel, Nicholas Bannester, and Robert Holden, Esquires; three of his Maiesties Iustices of Peace within the said Countie.

THis Examinat vpon his oath saith, That Anne Whittle, alias Chattox, confessed vnto him, that she knoweth one Prestons wife neere Gisburne, and that the said Prestons wife should haue beene at the said feast, vpon the said Good-Friday, and that shee was an ill woman, and had done Master Lister of Westby great hurt.

The Examination of Elizabeth Device, mother of Iames Device, taken before Roger Nowel and Nicholas Banester, Esquires, the day and yeare aforesaid, viz.

THe said Elizabeth Deuice vpon her Examination confesseth, That vpon Good-Friday last, there dined at this Examinats house, which she hath said are Witches, and doth verily thinke them to be Witches; and their names are those whom Iames Deuice hath formerly spoken of to be there.

She also confesseth in all things touching the killing of Master Lister of Westby, as the said Iames Deuice hath before confessed.

And the said Elizabeth Deuice also further saith, That at the said meeting at Malking-Tower, as aforesaid, the said 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. And for the killing of the said Master Leonard Lister, she this Examinate saith in all things, as the said Iames Deuice hath before confessed in his Examination.

The Examination of Iennet Device, daughter of Elizabeth late wife of Iohn Device, of the Forrest of Pendle, in the Countie of Lancaster, about the age of nine yeares or thereabouts, taken the day and yeare aboue-said: Before Roger Nowel and Nicholas Banester, Esquires, two of his Maiesties Iustices of Peace in the Countie of Lancaster.

THe said Examinate vpon her Examination saith, that vpon Good-friday last there was about twenty persons, whereof only two were men, to this Examinats remembrance, at her said Grand-mothers house, called Malking-Tower aforesaid, about twelue of the clocke: all which persons, this Examinates said mother told her were Witches, and that she knoweth the names of diuers of the said Witches.

AFter all these Examinations, Confessions, and Euidence, deliuered in open Court against her, His Lordship commanded the Iurie to obserue the particular circumstances;[Z2a] first, Master Lister in his great extremitie, to complaine hee saw her, and requested them that were by him to lay hold on her.

After he cried out shee lay heauie vpon him, euen at the time of his death.

But the Conclusion is of more consequence then all the rest, that Iennet Preston being brought to the dead corps, they bled freshly. And after her deliuerance in Lent, it is proued shee rode vpon a white Foale, and was present in the great assembly at Malkin Tower with the Witches, to intreat and pray for aide of them, to kill Master Lister, now liuing, for that he had prosequuted against her.

And against these people you may not expect such direct euidence, since all their workes are the workes of darkenesse, no witnesses are present to accuse them, therefore I pray God direct your consciences.

After the Gentlemen of the Iurie of Life and Death had
spent the most part of the day, in consideration of
the euidence against her, they returned into the
Court and deliuered vp their Verdict of
Life and Death.
⁂

The Verdict of Life and Death.

WHo found Iennet Preston guiltie of the fellonie and murder by Witch-craft of Thomas Lister, Esquire; conteyned in the Indictment against her, &c.

Afterwards, according to the course and order of the Lawes, his Lordship pronounced Iudgement against her to bee hanged for her offence. And so the Court arose.

1813 words.