Who Did What Now - Episode 163: The Pendle Witches

Host: Katie Charlwood
Date: October 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this Halloween-season episode, Katie Charlwood dives into the infamous 1612 Pendle Witch Trials—one of the most notorious witchcraft cases in English history. Through sharp wit and grounded research, Katie unpacks the context, social dynamics, characters, and enduring legacy of the Pendle Witches, exploring how gender, power, religion, and poverty combined to create a perfect storm of suspicion and tragedy. The episode marries dark history with characteristic humor and skepticism, scrutinizing sources and popular conceptions while keeping the listener engaged from start to finish.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Witchy Scene (02:00–06:00)

• October means “spooky content”, and Katie reflects humorously on her fear of horror films and her love for Rahul Kohli and “Midnight Mass.”
• She shares her top five scariest movies—which, embarrassingly, includes “Daylight,” a disaster movie.
• Quote:

  “I watched [‘The Others’] alone in a Victorian house. Do you know what it’s like walking through a Victorian hallway... with floors that creak in lighting that hasn’t been fixed since the 1970s? That is not a fun experience.” (05:10)

2. Historical Context and Sources (08:00–14:00)

• Katie lists out her sources, establishing this as a robustly researched episode.
• Provides an overview of witch trials in England and Europe, emphasizing their roots in patriarchal control, Christian doctrine, and responses to social crises.
• Explains how women (especially those who were independent or non-conforming) became scapegoats in patriarchal societies.
• Quote:

  “How many times do we have to go through this? They’re not witches, they’re lesbians, Harold.” (13:10)

3. Key Events & Witch-Hunting Mechanics (14:00–19:40)

• Highlights the influence of infamous texts and authorities:
  • Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of the Witches) — a misogynistic witch-hunting manual (16:00–17:00)
  • King James I’s Daemonologie and English Witchcraft Acts.
  • Notes that even ordinary features like a mole could get you accused (17:00), alongside deeply humiliating examinations.
• Societal scapegoating: Elderly women, solitary individuals, and especially Catholic holdouts in Protestant England are prime targets.

4. Lancashire & Social Tensions (19:40–25:30)

• Details the rural, poor, and Catholic-rich landscape of Lancashire, where old folklore persisted (20:10–22:00).
• Highlights the influence of local authority—specifically magistrate Roger Nowell—who used witch trials for political and personal advantage.
• Quote:

  “An aspiring politician may use their own personal interpretation of law and religion to determine who an enemy was... This fuels their political aspirations and perpetuates the villainizing of those deemed illegals. I’m sorry, I mean witches, it’s fire for their political fuel.” (23:10)

5. The Pendle Family and Antecedents (25:30–29:00)

• Introduces the main accused:
  • Elizabeth “Demdike” Southerns (matriarch, 80+ years old and blind)
  • Elizabeth Device (her daughter)
  • Grandchildren James and Alison Device
  • Alice Nutter, Ann Whittle (Chattix), and Ann Redfern, among others.
• Spotlights rivalries: The Device and Whittle families (both impoverished, both at odds).

6. Trigger Event: Alison Device and John Law (29:00–32:00)

• Alison “curses” a pedlar who refuses her pins; soon after, he suffers a stroke.
• Under questioning (likely under duress), Alison confesses to witchcraft. Her family members also confess or accuse rivals after interrogation by Roger Nowell.

7. Escalation: The Melkin Tower Gathering & Wave of Arrests (32:00–37:00)

• On Good Friday, the alleged witches hold a gathering at Demdike’s home, possibly for a secret Catholic service or simply to share food.
• In the eyes of Protestant authorities, this is a conspicuous and suspicious event, leading to a second wave of arrests including more relatives, neighbors, and poor women.

8. Key Accusations and Confessions (37:00–41:00)

• Outlandish confessions are elicited—familiars sucking blood, butter magically appearing, conjuring deaths, clay figures (“voodoo dolls”) used to curse.
• Many acts are “explained” by folklore but offered as real evidence.
• Quote:

  “What if many of the insanity/witchcraft accusations from history were just menopause related? ‘She’s burning hot and yet she’s not dying of this fever and she’s acting irrational.’ Yeah, because her hormones are all in flux.” (40:00)

9. The Yorkshire (Janet Preston) and Lancaster Trials (42:45–54:00)

Janet Preston:

• Accused of causing a man’s death through touch—cruentation, the belief a corpse will bleed in the presence of its killer.
• Found guilty, hanged.

The Lancaster Trial:

• Judges: Sir James Altham & Sir Edward Bromley.
• Roger Nowell acts as prosecutor.
• Notably, the main evidence comes from a child—the 9-year-old Jennet Device, who testifies against her own mother and family.
• Jennet is set atop a table, shouts from her mother echo through the court while Jennet accuses multiple people, including naming those at the infamous Good Friday gathering.
• Strong sense that Jennet’s “testimony” is manipulated by adults and driven by fear, poverty, or coercion.
• Quote:

  “A small, probably malnourished child who is afraid... Kids say things. They’re fueled by folklore and history and the adults around them.” (47:30)

10. Verdicts and Executions (54:00–58:00)

• Most of the accused are found guilty and hanged.
• The exception: Alice Grey is acquitted.
• Demdike dies in jail before trial (due to age and poor conditions).
• Alison Device is convinced of her own guilt after confronting John Law in court.

11. The Alice Nutter Theory (58:00–61:30)

• Katie proposes Alice Nutter’s silence at trial and the odd ‘coven feast’ may suggest a secret Catholic mass, not witchcraft.
• Catholic/Protestant tension and secret worship may have motivated accusations as much as actual suspicion of “witchery.”
• Quote:

  “What if it was a secret Catholic service? The very thing that could get you accused of heresy, because being Catholic and being a witch, they can both get you convicted of heresy.” (59:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Spooky Season and Being Scared:

  “It is October. It is the spooky season...I think I need someone to protect me while I’m watching the spooky stuff. So nerdy.” (03:00)

• On Witch Trials and Misogyny:

  “It was about power and control...There’s also this connection between female sexuality and witchcraft. Women who were sexually liberated or challenged modesty and sexual behavior, they were targeted as witches and labeled as morally corrupt.” (13:30)

• On Child Testimony:

  “Typically, you did not bring a child into court, it was not something you did. But as in King James’s book Demonology, he said, you know, sometimes you have to colour outside the lines.” (46:45)

• On The False Explanations for Misfortune:

  “There are so many things happening inside our body that we just don’t know yet because we’re not all medical professionals. No, not lupus—you know what, maybe lupus, but probably not lupus.” (56:10)

• On Historical Irony:

  “I don’t know how well someone can be running a country if they have the time to write a three-part manual about witches and produce their own Holy Bible fanfiction.” (18:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Spooky season shenanigans / Horror film musings: 02:00–06:00
• Witch trial context and misogyny: 08:00–14:00
• The Malleus Maleficarum & English law: 16:00–19:00
• Lancashire: Religion, folklore, and poverty: 20:10–25:30
• The Pendle family & rival clans: 25:30–29:00
• The “curse” of John Law: 29:00–32:00
• The Melkin Tower gathering: 32:00–37:00
• Interrogations and bizarre “confessions”: 37:00–41:00
• Trials and executions, patronage of child testimony: 42:45–54:00
• Speculation on Alice Nutter and secret Catholic services: 58:00–61:30

The Episode’s Tone and Style

• Katie is witty, irreverent, and skeptical, blending sharp feminist critique with affectionate exasperation for historical absurdities.
• She frequently punctuates historical narrative with asides, pop culture quips, and self-aware jokes (“Fuck this for Game of Soldiers”—her catchphrase).
• Her style emphasizes the tragic human impact of the witch trials without letting up on the humor or critical analysis.

Conclusion & Recommendations (61:30–63:45)

• Katie encourages listeners to rate and review, follow on social media, and see her live shows.
• Pop culture recommendations:
  • Listening: Sabrina Carpenter (“It’s fluffy. It’s a fuck you to patriarchal society.”)
  • Reading: Bold, Brilliant, and Bad Irish Women from History by Marion Broderick
  • Watching: Practical Magic (“We deserve this. Put the lime in the coconut and drink it all...someone give Nicole Kidman a high quality wig!”)

Summary Takeaway

This episode is essential listening for true crime and history buffs, providing a lively, knowledgeable, and critical exploration of the Pendle Witch Trials. Katie draws on detailed research and mordant commentary to expose the mechanisms of scapegoating and misogyny that fueled these infamous accusations—reminding us how easily fear and power can twist justice, and how the echoes of such history still ring out today.