Report about The Lady Peckham. (Catalogue ref: SP 12/195 f. 103)
This source describes what happened when Roman Catholic priests attempted to exorcise a woman whom they presumed to be bewitched, 13 December, 1586.
Transcript
- The Lady Peckham died on Saturday last at night & being
- in great extremities & talking very fantastically there were three
- seminary priests present, viz [namely], Carleton alias [known as] Sherwood, Yaxley alias
- Saer, and Barthe alias Lee, who said that she was possessed with a
- devil & therefore took upon them to exorcise her & during their
- exorcisms she yielded up her breath & they presently solemnised her
- obsequies [funeral rights] & celebrated diriges [Roman Catholic service for the dead] for her as though they had presently
- buried her although as yet her body is not committed to the earth