The Pendle Witches: Where the Condemned Never Rest

On the bleak moors of Lancashire, beneath a hill that has brooded over the landscape since before human memory, ten people were condemned to death in one of England’s most infamous witch trials. They were the poor, the marginalized, the convenient scapegoats—cunning folk who traded in charms and curses to survive on the edges of society. On August 20, 1612, they climbed the gallows outside Lancaster Castle and fell into eternity. But they did not stay there. Four centuries later, the ghosts of the Pendle Witches still walk the lonely paths of the Lancashire moorland. Visitors see figures in old-fashioned dress moving across the hillside. Strange lights dance on the summit after dark. At Lancaster Castle, something still screams in the dungeons where the accused awaited their fate. The Pendle Witches were hanged for crimes they likely never committed. Their restless spirits ensure they will never be forgotten.

The Historical Background

The Setting: Pendle Hill and Its Shadows

Pendle Hill rises 1,827 feet from the Lancashire countryside, a dark and imposing presence that dominates the landscape for miles in every direction. In the early seventeenth century, the area around the hill was among the most isolated and impoverished regions in England—a place where the old ways persisted long after they had faded elsewhere.

The Geography: The Pendle area in 1612 was characterized by:

• Scattered farmsteads separated by miles of rough moorland
• Difficult terrain that isolated communities from each other
• Harsh weather including fog, rain, and bitter winters
• Poor soil that made survival a constant struggle
• Few roads connecting the region to the outside world

Religious Context: The area was also religiously contentious:

• Lancashire remained largely Catholic in a Protestant kingdom
• The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 had heightened tensions
• Catholic families faced fines and suspicion
• Local authorities were eager to demonstrate Protestant loyalty
• The area was seen as a hotbed of recusancy and superstition

The Cunning Folk: In this environment, certain families survived by trading on the supernatural. They were known as cunning folk—practitioners of folk magic who offered:

• Healing using herbs, charms, and prayers
• Protection against curses and ill fortune
• Curses against enemies (for a fee)
• Fortune telling and advice
• Finding lost items or identifying thieves

Two families dominated this trade around Pendle Hill: the Demdikes and the Chattoxes. They were rivals, competing for the same desperate customers, and their rivalry would ultimately destroy them both.

The Two Families

The Demdike Family:

Elizabeth Southerns, known as Old Demdike, was the matriarch of her clan. By 1612 she was approximately eighty years old, blind, and had practiced her trade for decades. According to her own testimony, she had been a witch for fifty years, having been recruited by a spirit called Tibb who appeared as a boy in parti-colored clothing.

Her family included:

• Elizabeth Device - her daughter, who continued the family trade
• James Device - her grandson, who confessed to having a familiar called Dandy
• Alizon Device - her granddaughter, whose encounter with a pedlar sparked the investigation
• Jennet Device - her nine-year-old granddaughter, whose testimony would condemn her family

The Demdikes lived at Malkin Tower, a farmhouse whose exact location is now lost but which became synonymous with witchcraft in the region.

The Chattox Family:

Anne Whittle, known as Old Chattox, led the rival family. She was approximately seventy years old and, according to testimony, had practiced witchcraft for fourteen years after being recruited by a spirit called Fancy who appeared in the form of a man.

Her family included:

• Anne Redferne - her daughter, accused of murder by witchcraft
• Elizabeth Chattox - another daughter who avoided prosecution

The two families had feuded for years. Each blamed the other for various misfortunes—deaths, illnesses, and accidents that the supernatural trade naturally attracted. This mutual animosity would prove fatal when the authorities came calling.

The Spark: March 18, 1612

The tragedy began with an encounter on a road near Colne. Alizon Device, granddaughter of Old Demdike, met John Law, a traveling pedlar, and asked to purchase some pins from him. Law refused. According to the testimony, something happened immediately afterward—Law collapsed in the road, suffering what modern medicine would recognize as a stroke.

What Happened:

• Law was partially paralyzed on one side
• He and his son blamed Alizon for bewitching him
• Alizon was brought before the family
• She confessed, apparently believing she had somehow caused Law’s affliction
• Local justice of the peace Roger Nowell began an investigation

Alizon’s confession was remarkable. She seems to have genuinely believed that a spirit familiar—a black dog she had obtained from her grandmother—had attacked Law at her command. Whether this reflected indoctrination, mental disturbance, or desperate need for attention from a young woman raised in poverty remains debated.

The Investigation Expands

Roger Nowell recognized that he had stumbled onto something significant. Here were two families with established reputations for witchcraft, willing to accuse each other and even themselves. The investigation rapidly expanded.

Old Demdike’s Confession: When brought before Nowell, Elizabeth Southerns confessed extensively:

• She had been a witch for fifty years
• A spirit called Tibb served as her familiar
• She had sucked the devil’s blood
• She had caused deaths through clay images (poppets)
• She named others who were witches

Old Chattox’s Confession: Anne Whittle proved equally forthcoming:

• She admitted fourteen years of witchcraft
• Her familiar was called Fancy
• She had killed through magic
• She accused the Demdike family of various crimes
• She implicated her own daughter

By late March, Old Demdike, Old Chattox, Anne Redferne, and Alizon Device had been committed to Lancaster Castle to await trial at the August assizes.

The Good Friday Meeting

What transformed a local investigation into a mass trial was an event on Good Friday, April 10, 1612. While the family matriarchs sat in Lancaster Castle awaiting trial, Elizabeth Device hosted a gathering at Malkin Tower.

The Meeting:

• Approximately twenty people attended
• Ostensibly to discuss rescuing the imprisoned
• Possibly including plans to blow up Lancaster Castle
• A meal was served (including stolen mutton)
• Discussion of further magical operations

Word of this meeting reached Roger Nowell, who was convinced he had uncovered a witches’ sabbath and potentially a second Gunpowder Plot. He arrested those who had attended and committed them to join the others at Lancaster Castle.

What had been an investigation of two feuding families had become the largest witch trial in English history.

The Trial: August 1612

The trial was held at Lancaster Castle over August 18-20, 1612. The accused were tried for various counts of murder by witchcraft, with evidence including:

• Confessions from the accused themselves
• Testimony from family members
• Evidence of the Good Friday meeting
• Accounts of misfortunes attributed to witchcraft

The Star Witness:

The prosecution’s most devastating weapon was Jennet Device, the nine-year-old granddaughter of Old Demdike. She testified against her own mother, brother, and sister with remarkable confidence and consistency.

Jennet described:

• Sabbaths at Malkin Tower
• Familiars in the form of dogs and other animals
• Clay figures used to curse victims
• The identities of those who attended the Good Friday meeting
• Specific murders committed through witchcraft

Her testimony was considered completely reliable. A child so young, the court reasoned, could not lie about such things. The accused had no opportunity to challenge her evidence.

Old Demdike’s Fate:

Elizabeth Southerns, Old Demdike, never stood trial. She died in Lancaster Castle’s dungeons sometime before August 1612, probably of age, illness, and the conditions of imprisonment. She escaped the gallows but not death.

The Condemned

On August 20, 1612, ten people were hanged outside Lancaster Castle. Their names deserve to be remembered:

Elizabeth Device: Daughter of Old Demdike and mother of the chief witness against her. She maintained her innocence but was convicted on her daughter’s testimony. She was hanged for killing three people by witchcraft.

James Device: Son of Elizabeth, grandson of Old Demdike. He confessed to having a familiar called Dandy and to causing deaths. Described as mentally impaired, he may not have fully understood what was happening.

Alizon Device: The young woman whose encounter with the pedlar had started everything. She confessed repeatedly and seems to have believed herself genuinely guilty. Her familiar, a black dog, allegedly attacked John Law at her command.

Anne Whittle (Old Chattox): The rival matriarch, approximately seventy years old and nearly blind. She confessed to fourteen years of witchcraft and multiple murders. Her rivalry with Old Demdike had destroyed both families.

Anne Redferne: Daughter of Old Chattox. Accused of murdering Robert Nutter by witchcraft, using a clay image. She was described as more dangerous than her mother.

Katherine Hewitt: Known as “Mould Heels” for her lameness. She was accused of killing Anne Foulds, a child, by witchcraft. Little is known about her circumstances.

John Bulcock: Son of Jane Bulcock. He attended the Good Friday meeting and was convicted of murder by witchcraft.

Jane Bulcock: Mother of John. Also present at the Good Friday meeting. Convicted and hanged.

Isobel Robey: Not connected to the two main families. She was accused of causing illness and death through witchcraft.

Alice Nutter: The most mysterious of the condemned. Unlike the others, Alice Nutter was a wealthy, respectable widow—a landowner of good reputation. Her presence among the poor and marginalized accused has never been fully explained.

Alice refused to confess. She maintained her innocence to the death. Some historians believe she was framed by neighbors who wanted her property, or that she was targeted for secretly practicing Catholicism. Whatever the truth, she walked to the gallows with the others.

The Execution

On the morning of August 20, 1612, the ten condemned were led from Lancaster Castle to the place of execution. They walked the streets of Lancaster—the wealthy Alice Nutter alongside the blind and ancient Chattox, the terrified Alizon Device alongside the possibly mentally impaired James Device.

They were hanged in sequence, their bodies left to hang as a warning. After death, they were buried in unmarked graves. No headstones commemorated them. No family was permitted to claim their remains.

The trial was over. But the haunting was just beginning.

The Hauntings

Pendle Hill

The hill itself—that dark, brooding presence that dominates the landscape—is the most active site of paranormal phenomena. For four centuries, visitors to Pendle Hill have reported experiences that defy rational explanation.

The Mysterious Lights:

The most frequently reported phenomenon is the appearance of strange lights on the hillside after dark.

Witnesses describe:

• Balls of light moving across the moorland
• Floating orbs that travel against the wind
• Flickering lights that appear and disappear
• Glowing shapes that follow observers
• Colors ranging from white to blue to golden

These lights have been reported for centuries—local tradition speaks of “witch lights” that marked supernatural activity. Modern witnesses continue to report them:

“We were camping near the hill and around 2 AM I saw lights moving across the slope. At first I thought it was other campers with torches, but they were moving too fast and in impossible directions—going uphill as if floating. Then they just… went out.”

“I’ve lived in Barley village my whole life. Everyone knows about the lights. You see them several times a year, usually in autumn. They move in patterns, like they’re following paths that aren’t there anymore.”

The Phantom Figures:

Apparitions are regularly seen on Pendle Hill, particularly at dawn and dusk.

Descriptions include:

• Women in old-fashioned dress—long skirts, shawls, bonnets
• Hooded or cloaked figures moving across the moorland
• Groups of people who vanish when approached
• Solitary figures standing on the hillside, watching
• Forms that are sometimes transparent, sometimes solid-appearing

One witness in 2019 described: “I was walking down from the summit around sunset. There was a woman about fifty meters ahead of me on the path, wearing what looked like a long grey dress. I thought it was strange—you don’t see many people in period costume up there. When I caught up to where she had been, there was nobody. The path ahead was empty for hundreds of meters. She couldn’t have left the path—there was nowhere to go.”

The Sounds:

The hill produces sounds that have no apparent source:

• Wailing and crying—the voices of women in distress
• Screaming—particularly around the anniversary of the execution
• Chanting or murmuring—as if many voices are speaking together
• Footsteps on the paths when no one is visible

Local residents describe: “On certain nights—usually around August, around the trial anniversary—you hear them. It sounds like crying, like women crying. It comes from the hill. My grandmother heard it. Her grandmother heard it. The witches are still there.”

The Atmosphere:

Perhaps the most commonly reported phenomenon is the feeling of Pendle Hill itself:

• An overwhelming sense of being watched
• Heaviness or oppression in certain areas
• Sudden temperature drops with no weather explanation
• The sensation of being unwelcome or followed
• Animals becoming nervous or aggressive in certain locations

Malkin Tower

The Device family home—where Old Demdike practiced her trade and where the Good Friday meeting took place—was called Malkin Tower. The exact location has been lost, though several farmsteads claim the distinction.

Wherever the true site lies, the area reports consistent activity:

The Gatherings:

Witnesses report seeing groups of ghostly figures gathering at night:

• Appearing around midnight or in the small hours
• Dressed in seventeenth-century clothing
• Moving as if in conversation or celebration
• Vanishing suddenly when observed

One farmer who owns land claimed to be near the site described: “I’ve seen them twice in thirty years of living here. Both times around Halloween. A group of people in old clothes, gathered in the field below the house. The first time I went down with a torch to see who was trespassing. When I got there, no one. No footprints. Nothing.”

The Sounds:

The site produces distinctive sounds:

• Doors slamming in empty buildings
• Voices speaking in an archaic dialect
• The sound of a woman chanting
• Laughter—described as unpleasant or mocking

Old Demdike’s Presence:

Some witnesses believe they have encountered the spirit of Old Demdike herself:

• An elderly woman with clouded or blind eyes
• Wearing a tattered dress and shawl
• Appearing in doorways or at windows
• Pointing or making gestures before vanishing

Lancaster Castle

The castle where the Pendle Witches were tried, imprisoned, and executed is among the most haunted buildings in England.

The Dungeons:

The cells where the accused awaited their fate are reported to be intensely active:

• Extreme cold in specific areas
• The sound of weeping and praying
• Shadowy figures in the corners of cells
• The sensation of being grabbed or touched
• Voices crying out in distress

Prison guards and tour guides have reported: “The dungeons are difficult. Even skeptics come out shaken. There’s a cell—the one they say the Pendle women were kept in—where nobody wants to go alone. You hear breathing. You feel watched. One guard quit after he saw a woman standing in the corner who wasn’t there.”

The Courtroom:

The Well Tower, where the trials were held, experiences:

• Cold spots that move through the room
• The sound of voices as if in legal proceedings
• Apparitions of figures in period dress
• An overwhelming sense of injustice and despair

The Execution Site:

The area outside the castle where the condemned were hanged reports:

• Figures appearing at dawn on anniversary dates
• The sound of crowds when no one is present
• Screaming and pleading for mercy
• The sensation of suffocation experienced by visitors

One visitor described: “I was on a ghost tour of the castle. When we reached the execution area, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My chest was tight. I had to leave the group. Later I learned others had experienced the same thing—as if they were feeling what it was like to hang.”

The Road to the Gallows:

The route from the castle to the execution site is reported to produce phantom processions:

• Groups of figures walking in formation
• Guards and prisoners visible together
• Appearing most often on August 20 (the anniversary)
• Described as heartbreaking to witness

Newchurch-in-Pendle

The parish church of the Pendle area features the “Eye of God” carved into its tower—said to ward off witches and protect against evil.

The Churchyard:

The churchyard and surrounding area report:

• Ghostly figures among the gravestones
• Cold spots near certain graves
• The sensation of being watched from the church
• Apparitions in the windows after dark

The “Witch’s Grave”:

A flat stone in the churchyard is traditionally identified as the grave of one of the Pendle Witches, though no accused was actually buried there. The stone is associated with:

• Offerings left by visitors (coins, flowers, food)
• Strange phenomena for those who touch it
• Bad luck for those who disrespect it
• Reports of figures kneeling near the stone at night

Roughlee Hall

The former home of Alice Nutter—the wealthy, respectable woman whose presence among the condemned remains a mystery—is said to be haunted by her ghost.

Alice Nutter’s Spirit:

Witnesses describe:

• A woman in fine seventeenth-century dress
• Walking the grounds of the former hall
• Appearing at windows of the building
• Her expression described as anguished or pleading
• Sometimes speaking—though words are unclear

Local tradition holds that Alice returns because she was innocent, falsely accused by jealous neighbors or religious enemies. Her ghost is described as sad rather than threatening—a wronged woman who cannot rest until her name is cleared.

The Surrounding Moorland

The broader landscape around Pendle Hill—the paths, the farmsteads, the lonely roads—produces consistent reports:

Phantom Walkers:

Solitary figures and groups seen:

• Walking the old paths at night
• Carrying loads as if going to market
• Vanishing when approached
• Appearing most often in autumn and winter

Voices on the Wind:

Sounds that seem to come from nowhere:

• Women’s voices calling out
• Arguments between unseen speakers
• Screaming across the moorland
• Chanting on the wind

The Feeling of the Land:

The Pendle area is consistently described as having:

• An atmosphere unlike anywhere else
• A sense that something watches
• Locations that feel welcoming and others that feel hostile
• A weight of history and tragedy that is almost tangible

Theories and Explanations

Why Is Pendle So Haunted?

Several factors may explain the extraordinary concentration of paranormal activity:

The Concentration of Trauma:

Ten people were condemned to death. They spent months imprisoned in dungeons, tried by a court that gave them no chance, and hanged in public. The emotional intensity of their suffering may have left an indelible mark on the landscape.

Possible Innocence:

The Pendle Witches were almost certainly not supernatural practitioners in any meaningful sense. They were poor, marginalized people who used reputation and folk magic to survive. Their deaths were unjust—and according to some theories, the unjustly killed have the strongest reason to remain.

The Atmosphere of the Place:

Pendle Hill itself may contribute to the phenomena:

• Geological factors—the hill’s composition may produce electromagnetic anomalies
• Weather patterns—fog and mist create conditions conducive to misperception
• Isolation—the loneliness of the moorland affects visitors psychologically
• History—the site was sacred long before Christianity

The Power of Memory:

Four centuries of stories, tourism, and commemoration have kept the Pendle Witches alive in cultural memory. Some theorists suggest that this concentration of belief and attention itself generates or amplifies paranormal phenomena.

Skeptical Perspectives

Skeptics offer alternative explanations:

Natural Phenomena:

• The mysterious lights may be will-o’-the-wisps (marsh gas)
• Unusual atmospheric conditions can create optical illusions
• Sound carries strangely across the moorland, producing unexplained noises

Psychological Factors:

• Visitors expect to experience something and interpret ambiguous stimuli accordingly
• The power of suggestion in a famously haunted location
• Pareidolia—the tendency to see patterns (like figures) in random shapes

Historical Tourism:

• The Pendle legend is good for business
• Stories may be exaggerated or fabricated for tourist appeal
• Confirmation bias leads people to remember unusual experiences and forget ordinary visits

Visiting Pendle

What to Expect

Those who wish to experience Pendle for themselves will find:

The Hill:

• Accessible walking paths to the summit
• Stunning views across Lancashire
• A climb of moderate difficulty
• Changeable weather—dress appropriately

The Villages:

• Barley - the traditional starting point for walking the hill
• Newchurch-in-Pendle - with its “Eye of God” church
• Roughlee - Alice Nutter’s home village
• Historic pubs serving the walking trade

Lancaster Castle:

• Open for tours (check current hours)
• Includes dungeons where the accused were held
• The courtroom where the trials occurred
• Professional guides who know the history

Ghost Tours and Events

The area offers organized paranormal experiences:

• Walking tours of haunted sites
• Halloween events drawing thousands
• Ghost hunts at Lancaster Castle
• Historical tours covering the trial

Best Times to Visit

For those seeking paranormal experiences:

• August (around the anniversary of the trial and execution)
• Halloween season (traditional height of activity)
• Dawn and dusk (the liminal hours)
• Foggy or overcast days (heightened atmosphere)

For those preferring to avoid crowds:

• Weekday mornings
• Late autumn and winter (outside tourist season)
• Early spring (before Easter crowds)

Legacy and Meaning

The Injustice

The Pendle Witch Trials represent one of England’s greatest miscarriages of justice:

• Poor and marginalized people were targeted
• Confessions were obtained through pressure and confusion
• A nine-year-old sent her family to the gallows
• No meaningful defense was possible
• Innocence was no protection

The accused were not supernatural practitioners. They were cunning folk, herbalists, and the village weird women who everyone blamed when things went wrong. Their deaths satisfied religious paranoia and social prejudice.

The Memorial

In 2012, on the 400th anniversary of the trials, a memorial was created honoring the Pendle Witches. For the first time, their names were formally commemorated—an acknowledgment of the tragedy that had occurred.

The Enduring Presence

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the Pendle Witches remain. They are preserved in:

• The landscape that bears their memory
• The stories passed down through generations
• The experiences of countless visitors
• The sense of presence that pervades the hill

They were hanged in 1612. They are still there in 2025.

And they show no signs of leaving.

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Ten walked to the gallows outside Lancaster Castle on that August morning in 1612. Old women and young, the confused and the innocent, all condemned by the testimony of a nine-year-old girl and the fear of a superstitious age. They died for crimes they did not commit, hanged as witches when they were only poor. And four centuries later, they walk the moorland still. The lights dance on Pendle Hill after dark. Figures in old-fashioned dress move along paths that existed before the roads were built. At Lancaster Castle, something screams in the dungeons. In Newchurch churchyard, a presence kneels by the witch stone. And on quiet nights, when the fog rolls down from the summit, you can hear them—women’s voices on the wind, calling out for a justice that never came. The Pendle Witches were innocent. They died anyway. And they are not at peace. Walk the hill if you dare. Visit the castle where they were condemned. But know that you walk where the condemned walked, and something still watches from the shadows of Pendle Hill.