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To: nopardons

I am a descendent of one of the Pendle, also known as The Lancashire, witches.
She was a widow with property who refused a marriage proposal. The rejected suitor accused her of witchcraft. In prison and at trivial, she steadfastly refused to answer questions about her whereabouts and activities or her associates. She wasn’t a witch, but in actuality a recusant Catholic and answering their questions would have betrayed other Catholics. She died in prison before she could be executed. There is a statue of her in Lancashire.


32 posted on 04/08/2025 10:22:59 PM PDT by kalee
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To: kalee
Many thanks for your VERY interesting post!

I actually do KNOW about your ancestress and the trials. It was true to form; most people who were accused of witchcraft either owned something that someone else wanted, had had a fight with someone, refused marriage, etc., both in Europe ( the UK in that position too ), or in Colonial America. And most refused to give names of others, for one reason or another. A person/persons could be accused of witchcraft over nothing at all; even just a dislike.

In a way, it was akin to what goes on, on Tik Toc, long before such a thing existed.

The wildest thing, IMHO, is that animals of all kinds, but especially pigs and yes, cats, were put on trial!

33 posted on 04/08/2025 10:33:13 PM PDT by nopardons
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