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| Statue of Alice Nutter who was hanged as a witch in 1612 |
Although my birthday celebrations began last weekend with a trip to London for Phantom of the Opera, I spent my actual birthday much closer to home in the quiet historic village of Pendle, just across the Pennines in red rose country. It was a perfect autumn day - crisp, sunny and golden, but mostly dry. The village is small and just like Eyam in Yorkshire, the historical significance of the place is everywhere you look.
Pendle is of course famous for its witch trials, when in 1612, twelve people were accused of murder by witchcraft and using the devils arts. Of course this is nonsense. It is very unlikely that any of these women were witches or murderers, but the menfolk of the time decided that they were and so that was that. Ten people were found guilty, despite the fact that there was no evidence against them beyond spite, fear and hearsay. The women were marched across Pendle Hill, on foot across hill and dale, all the way to Lancaster Castle, where they were held in a dark dungeon below ground level. One died in prison, the others were hanged within three days of the verdict, according to the law of the time.
As you wander around Pendle, you can see that this dark history has left its mark across the village. The track leading up onto Pendle Hill is signposted with the silhouette of a witch on a broomstick and has been named The Witches Trail. It leads walkers along the exact same fateful path the accused women would have taken over four hundred years ago, so you can follow in their footsteps if you want to. But who would want to? Just thinking of it gives me the chills!
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| The Witches Trail |
The children's playground is guarded by a statue of a witch sat on a bench reading a spell book, her tall black pointed hat reminding the children who play there, that once upon a time, witches lived close by. Once upon a time, those witches were killed near by. Once upon a time, it wasn't safe for tempers to fly. Best be good then. Best be quiet. Best play nice. Know your place little girl. Remember what happens when you don't.
Further down in the valley is the statue of Alice Nutter, pictured above. She was one of the women accused of witchcraft, but unlike the rest, she came from a wealthy and privileged background. Her money wasn't enough to save her, however, and she was hanged along with the rest. What I found interesting is that the local council had chosen Alice, out of all ten victims, to immortalize as a statue. Although Alice is meant to commemorate all those who were executed during the Pendle Witch Trials, it made me quite cross that they had chosen the wealthiest one to single out. All the others were poor and working class, so it seems as if they were not deemed worthy of immortalizing in statue form. They must remain the nameless, faceless members of the impoverished. This is a type of silent disparagement and dismissal, as if their suffering was somehow less brutal because they were poor, and therefore used to a hard life. It proves that classism is still a factor in modern society (the statue was unveiled in 2012) and very much holds sway in places of power such as the offices of local councils, where the impoverished are still oppressed.
Wandering around the cemetery of Saint Mary's Church at Newchurch, I came across the grave of a Jacobite! This was such a wonderful surprise. I never expect to find evidence of Jacobites in England, but here one was, a man who had fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 1700s and had escaped to find peace and safety in the heart of the Pennines. He had built a life in Pendle and his son and grandson were both laid to rest with him. I wonder if his descendants still live in the village? I don't drink whiskey so I couldn't really toast him properly, but I had a bottle of water, so I offered a make-shift toasting of the water in honour of his courage and of our shared Jacobite sympathy and Scottish heritage. I poured a libation at the foot of the grave stone and silently told him how sorry I am that his cause was lost. I hope he liked the acknowledgment.
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| The Jacobite's Grave |
I spent quite a while in a little shop called Witches Galore. This is an Aladdin's Cave of all things witchy and magical! It's a wonderful place and they sell everything from candles and incense to cauldrons, greenmen, chalices and pagan jewellery. I did some serious damage in this shop! I came out with a pile of witchy books, a broomstick-witch pendant, a few postcards, tea-towels and coasters - all of a witchy theme. It was a lovely birthday shopping spree! I was talking to the lady who owns the shop. She is lovely and she was telling me that Chanel 4 are due there next week to film a new program about the historic witches, so I'll have to look out for that on my TV.
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| For all your witchy needs! |
Pendle is a wonderful place. It is calm and peaceful. It can be difficult to imagine the horrors that took place here in the past, as now the area feels like a restorative retreat. It was the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of London a couple of days before! We drove back home through Haworth and Bronte country, which is a fabulous scenic route. I love to watch the fields fading out into wild moorland and heath. It was pitch dark by the time we got back and the weather was turning colder. We headed straight to our favourite little pub and had a delicious roast beef carvery and Bailies lattes to finish off the day. All in all, it was a wonderful outing and the perfect end to my four-day long birthday! My Mum said she'd really enjoyed it too.
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| My Pegasus birthday cake gifted from Brasserie of Light in London! And now I'm looking forward to Yuletide! Blessed Be Marie x |
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