Unnamed witches: the men of Edmonton. (Catalogue ref: SP 12/233 f. 126)
It was not just women who were accused of witchcraft. This source, which is the account of some men who lived in the parish of Edmonton, contains the story of them witnessing two men in the act of witchcraft. 20 September, 1590.
Transcript
- May it please your worships to understand that we John Gilbert
- and John Holmead servants to Humfrey Weld citizen and grocer of London
- being at our master’s house at Southstreet in the parish of Edmonton
- the xxj [21st ] day of this instant month of September were commanded
- by the constables with others to make search for certain men which
- were about the act of witchcraft or conjuring. Which men we found
- in the field or close of one Robert Hewes otherwise called Robert Carpenter
- which ij [2] conjurers when they espied us one of them fled away, but the other
- of them we took with certain Latin books about him, which are to be seen.
- Divers [various] others returned to their cabin which they had made under a great
- tree in the said close of the said Robert Hewes with certain circles on
- the ground within the said cabin and one of the said circles was laid
- about with parchment written upon with crosses. And by the said cabin
- we found a stool with divers pots by the same stool and a red
- cock [chicken] being dead by it, and again by the said stool a fair crystal
- stone with this word (Satan) written on it. Also a parchment
- written with three or four seals of yellow wax at the same
- we found also in the same cabin a Cope (cape worn by churchmen) Sirpler [surplice or church tunic] a Crown
- a Sceptre and a fair broad sword ready drawn being set up against
- the tree and divers other books and writings and a piece of brass
- gilded with divers letters graven upon it, and powders and ratsbane [arsenic]
- which the party that fled strewed in the way disappointing thereby
- our blood hound. And the party which we took had about him the
- picture of Christ on the cross hanging behind his back under his
- doublet & on the same string before him the picture of serpents or
- such like. And the said party was brought by the Constables before
- Mr Justice Clark to be examined, and we understand that the said
- conjurer is let go upon security to answer the same at the next
- sessions