Newgate prison c1823, where the witches were imprisoned Enter the witch-pricker Fear of witchcraft was rife in Newcastle. The new Puritan Regime fostered this fear with a more fundamental reading of the Bible especially the passage: ‘thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’ (Exodus XX11, V18). In March 1649 the council of Newcastle heard a petition concerning witches. The Puritan council demanded that all witches be tried and sent to Scotland for a witch-finder, or witch-pricker, to assist in rooting out these individuals. One such man was currently wreaking havoc in Berwick and at 20 shillings a head had rounded up 30 unfortunates whom he accused of witchcraft. It is recorded that some of them confessed to use of harmless magic, whilst others claimed to have been present at Preston (a battle where witchcraft was blamed for the kings defeat). Sensing a profit to be made further south, this unnamed witch-pricker who, according to one local MP ‘professeth himself an artist in that way’ found his way to Newcastle by December 1649. The newly powerful Puritan’s of the Corporation encouraged the plague and war ravaged population of the city to vent their frustrations on their neighbours, and they heralded the arrival of the witch-pricker very publicly. The Magistrate’s bellman went about the town announcing that anyone with a complaint against a witch should denounce them, the accused would be brought to the town hall and tried. It seems that many Novocastrians embraced the opportunity to settle old scores and soon 30 people had been brought before the magistrates and their witch-pricker. Newgate Prison, Newgate Street c1823, where the Witches were imprisoned. Methods used by witch-finders and witch-prickers were quite brutal. Although torture was not legal in England, the accused would often be deprived of sleep or walked for hours until they confessed. They were also subject to public humiliation, being stripped and searched for witch marks which were then ‘pricked’ by the witch-finder. If no blood flowed then they were guilty of witchcraft. It was not unusual for witch-finders to employ retractable bodkins to prick their victims thereby ensuring a guilty verdict – and their fee. Of the 30 unfortunate women accused at Newcastle, 27 were found guilty, 2 were declared innocent…but it was the final woman who caused some controversy. 17C image of woman being stripped [4] It seems that this final accused was not the usual warty old crone of stereotype, but a quite handsome and well-presented young woman. The woman had been ‘pricked’ by the witch-finder and had not bled thus condemning her to be hanged. Lieutenant Col Hobson, had witnessed the degrading spectacle. The witch-finder had pulled up the woman’s clothes thereby exposing her, much to her horror. He then appeared to pricked her thigh just as he let her skirts fall about her – thus obscuring the actual ‘pricking’. When questioned as to whether she felt anything, the woman admitted she had not – at this point the witch-finder theatrically reached up her skirts and pulled out his bodkin. She was condemned by her own words. Hobson, who was a Baptist not a Puritan, and was also an ex military surgeon seems to have suspected either sleight of hand on the part of the witch-finder or simple shock on the part of the woman, objected. May be the fact that she was quite attractive also spurred the gentleman into action - “The said reputed Witch-finder acquainted Lieutenant Colonel Hobson that he knew women, whether they were Witches or no by their looks, and when the said person was searching of a personable, and good-like woman, the said Colonel replied and said, ‘Surely this woman is none, and need not be tried’..”[2] Hobson had cunningly tried to employ the witch-finders own argument against him, however the chilling response from the witch-finder was: - “..but the Scotch-man said she was, for the Town said she was, and therefore he would try her;”[3] The power of gossip and calumny was all that was required to bring about a successful accusation of witchcraft and clearly young and attractive women could be just as vulnerable to slander as the more obvious targets: old crones. However in this case Hobson insisted that the process was repeated in a more decent manner, this time the woman bled and was thereby acquitted. Nevertheless, despite Hobson’s intervention, of the remaining accused 17 women and 1 man were hanged on the Town Moor in August 1650. Their remains were buried in unmarked graves in St Andrew’s Church Newcastle. Hauntedpalaceblog.wordpress
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 19:13:57 +0000