The Lancaster Witches: letter of Bishop of Chester

Transcript

My it please your honour

I received a letter from yourself and others the Lords of his

Majesties most honourable privy council [closest advisers] dated the last of May wherein I was commanded

to examine 7 of those persons which lay condemned for witches in Lancaster

This letter was brought to me on Friday last, being the 13 of this

instant June when I was at Lancaster in triennial visitation [regular church inspection] and so had

the convenience of present dispatch [letter] thereof that very hour. But thereof

those persons mentioned in the letter died lately in the Gaol, namely John

Spencer, Alice Higgin and Jennet Loyd. A fourth named Jennet

Hargrave laid sick, past hope of recovery (as the keeper and the rest affirmed).

The other 3 I examined and have here enclosed sent your honour their examinations

I used the utmost of my ability to persuade them to a free confession

laying before them their miserable estate both for body (subject by the law

to death) and for soul (in extreme danger of damnation)

The old woman (called Margaret Johnson also the penitent witch) with

tears in her eyes (after my exhortations to her) replied: “I will not add sin to

I have already done enough nay too much and therefore will not increase

it by telling untruth or concealing truth. I pray God I may repent and I thank

God for bringing me here to further my repentance that I may be saved.”

And much more to this effect. And then she confessed as is set down in her

examinations, often acknowledging that she was a witch but more often faulting

in the particulars and circumstances of her actions, as one having a strange

imagination of the former, but of too weak a memory to retain or relate the

other.

The other 2 whom I examined were Mary Spencer and Francis the wife

of John Dickenson. Your wisdoms will soon discover their guilt or innocence

and it befits not me to utter what I conceive, before so deep, indecisions, just noble

and pious senators. Only I hold it my duty to signify what I find by

lamentable [regrettable] experience. Conceit and malice are so powerful with many

in these part as they will easily afford an oath to work revenge upon their

And it was offered to be deposed before me at Lancaster by Mary

Fisher widow (where the parties were in the Assizes Week) that if Dickenson

would have given the accuser Robinson 40s [shillings] before the Arraignment [formal reading of criminal charge] neither he

nor his son (the boy that first set this business on foot) would have said

anything against her, but when she (hearing thereof) advised her husband

to give nothing, Robinson said he had no malice to any but her. The like

(as is affirmed) will be testified by others. But such evidence being (as lawyers

speak) against the King [when somebody admits guilt and then acts as a witness in a trial], I thought not meet without further authority to

examine.

I pray God bless your honour and all that most noble and upright Table

with continual fruition of all temporal and spiritual blessings and at

last with eternal happiness amongst the saints