Witch Hunt As A Culture Change Phenomenon Summary

LITERATURE REVIEW

The analysis of the topic was put together using a variety of sources including online sources (internet), books, court case accounts, picture resources and articles to determine whether the Roman Catholic Church did indeed play a role in influencing the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612.

On a superficial level it is quite easy to say that indeed it was the influence of the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612. In his online article, “The Witch Hunt as a Culture Change Phenomenon”, Thomas J Schoeneman who was a clinical psychology student at the time of writing the article, Schoeneman stated that;

“The history of witch hunts in Europe is largely a history of the Roman Catholic church, the cultural

institution primarily responsible for the development and application of the demonology of witchcraft.”
Although superficially it may come across that way based on the history of the church being the ruling government throughout the middle ages and leading up to the sixteenth century, in conducting research for the Literature Review, I found other factors that played a pivotal role in influencing the lead up to the Pendle Witch Trials. This therefore led the research into exploring other sources that may give a more intergraded perspective.
The factors that will be presented and examined are broken down into subtopics that speak to the topic. The subtopics are as follows:
a) The position and backdrop of the Church Roman Catholic Church.
In the Norton Anthology of English Literature, which is an online source, there is a topic titled; “Dissent, Doubt and Spiritual Violence in the Reformation”. It describes the position of the church as the ruling power in England. The source stated that:
“England in the early sixteenth century had a single religion, Catholicism, who’s acknowledged head was the Pope in Rome.”
This assists in asserting that the Catholic Church was at the time the supreme ruling authority so therefore they generally influenced the thought pattern of society and the cultural climate of the era.

b) The Reformation and its impact on the psyche on the English Community
The impact of The Reformation cannot be ignored as it changed the social and religious outlook of seventeenth and sixteenth century England. Through the sources obtained, a broader perspective into other influences is explored as the religious climate in England had begun to change. With the introduction of Protestantism to England the community became more suspicious of the Roman Catholic Church due to the protestant view that they had become corrupt, used political influence for personal gain, manipulated superstition to educate themselves and retain power.
Martin Luther, a well-known theologian and fore-runner to the Reform was well known for presenting this view:
“According to Luther, the Church, with its elaborate hierarchical structure centered in Rome, its rich monasteries and convents, and its enormous political influence, had become hopelessly corrupt, a conspiracy of venal priests who manipulated popular superstitions to enrich themselves and amass worldly power. Luther began by vehemently attacking the sale of indulgences — certificates promising the remission of punishments to be suffered in the afterlife by souls sent to Purgatory to expiate their sins.”
(http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/16century/topic_3/welcome.htm)
This presents a negative perception of the Roman Catholic Church. Even though the church fell out of favour with factions of the community it does not contradict or disprove that the church played an intricate role in influencing the Pendle Witch Trials. It does however add a new idea that the perceptions of the community may have had other influencing factors at the time. I have found other sources that support this new idea.
During the Reformation, monasteries were dissolved and this resulted in land and property being distributed to elite members of society. “The Lancashire Witches: Histories and Stories” edited and compiled by Robert Poole, puts together chapters by various authors, including Poole himself, to explore the history of these events. In the chapter by Michael Mullet titled “The Reformation in the Parish of Whalley”, it stated that:
“The new occupation at the Abbey and its lands symbolised and summed up a transfer of economic and political power in the locality in favour of the landed gentry. It was members of this class who, as wielders of authority and specifically as magistrates, would steer the prosecution of the Pendle Witches in 1612.”
Again this source explores the idea that there were other sources, maybe socio-economic in nature that played a role in influencing the Pendle Witch Trials.
c) The demonising of witchcraft by use stereotyping marginalised communities
The passing of two laws within the sixteenth century resulted in heavy penalties for those who were practicing witchcraft as a form of religion. The laws were the Witchcraft Act of 1542 and the Witchcraft Act of 1563. These literary sources were passed under the rule of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
This adds to very interesting insight in that Henry was at the time the Head of the Church England which was a protestant church and Elizabeth, was also a devout Protestant. It expands on the idea that the Roman Catholic Church may not have been the only influencing factor. In Gibson’s book, "Witchcraft in the Courts", he prints incepts of the laws. A section of the Witchcraft Act of 1542, reads as follows:
“...

use devise practise or exercise, or cause to be devysed practised or exercised, any Invovacons or cojuracons of Sprites witchecraftes enchauntementes or sorceries to thentent to fynde money or treasure or to waste consume or destroy any persone in his bodie membres, or to pvoke [provoke] any persone to unlawfull love, or for any other unlawfull intente or purpose ... or for dispite of Cryste, or for lucre of money, dygge up or pull downe any Crosse or Crosses or by such Invovacons or cojuracons of Sprites witchecraftes enchauntementes or sorceries or any of them take upon them to tell or declare where goodes stollen or lost shall become ...” (Gibson, Marion,

2006)
The Witchcraft Act of 1563 was also referred to as “An Act Against Conjurations, Enchantments and Witchcrafts (5 Eliz. I c. 16)” and in it, it was written:
"use, practise, or exercise any Witchcraft, Enchantment, Charm, or Sorcery, whereby any person shall happen to be killed or destroyed", was guilty of a felony without benefit of clergy, and was to be put to death” (Gibson, Marion, 2006)
I think that it is important to note that the English used in the first act is how they used to write in those times. Secondly, these acts were written into law and therefore will be in law records in England. These sources are credible and reliable in showing what the laws of the era were and how they affected those who practised witchcraft.
In the online article, “War on Witches” by Charlotte Hodgman, in which she interviews Owen Davies who is a researcher at the University of Hertfordshire. His field of expertise is Social History and the modern history of witchcraft. The interview with Charlotte Hodgman was about the witch-hunts in early British history and the large number of people executed for witchcraft as well as how the Catholic Church perceived witchcraft and sorcery as practices that were against Catholicism or a threat to Catholicism. They therefore began to instil a culture of fear with regards to witchcraft as a defence mechanism.
“Begging, a standard method of survival, lay at the root of many witchcraft allegations, and beggars were often blamed for misfortunes that occurred after they were refused help. More often than not, accusations of witchcraft resulted from neighbourly disagreements, inextricably bound to deep-rooted fear of malevolent magic and the devil”. (www.historyextra.com)
This is a useful source in that it speaks to how the church fuelled superstition, created an element of fear and negative perception around the practise of witchcraft. Another issue is that this source bring to the fore is the discrimination against the marginalised communities such as widows and beggars. They were seen as outcasts or lower class citizens.
There was an elitist mentality in that time which contributed in fuelling the demonizing of witches as well as fuelling superstition around the practice of witchcraft. If one was not practising Christianity, regardless of whether it was Catholicism or Protestantism, then the religion was not recognised as a true religion. Witchcraft was intangible, not a real religion or practice and was inherently beneath orthodox religion in its nature.
“To the godly missionaries who sought to instruct rural folk in Christian teachings, peasant religion was filled with demonic or pagan superstition” by which expression they meant false religion” (Klaits, 1987)
This extract was taken from the book, “Servants of Satan: The Age of The Witch-hunts” by Joseph Klaits. This source, can be considered as a primary source for this Literature Review as it factors in all the issues around the sixteenth century that led to the Pendle Witch Trials.
In supporting the notion that practicing witchcraft was not true religion nonconformists to Christianity were literally hunted down. Any misfortune or mishap that could be linked to witchcraft often was; and the perpetrators were labelled witches.
“It was against this background of seeking out religious nonconformists that, in March 1612, Nowell investigated a complaint made to him by the family of John law, a pedlar, who claimed to have been injured by witchcraft.” (www.broom01.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s)
To put this quotation into context for this review, the online source “Religious and Political Back Ground” explains that Roger Nowell was a justice of peace in Pendle, whose responsibility it was to report on suspected witches in the area.

Any claims of witchcraft, regardless whether there was tangible evidence or not, were immediately investigated.

The online source, “The Pendle Witch Trials”,(www.pendlewitches.co.uk) gives us a full overview of the two main witch families that were placed on trial and goes onto explain the circumstances behind why they were put on trial in Pendle 1612. This was a very useful source as it gave an understanding of how witches were used as scapegoats for any negative situation that affected the community.

To fuel public perception, satirical pictures were drawn and printed. In the book “Mysteries of the Unknown” by the Editors of, Time-Life Books, Amsterdam, I pulled a picture source to further speak to how witches were

demonized.

insert

“As far from grace as heaven from hell” is a powerful quotation under the picture that highlights the general propaganda used in that time. This is how people during 1612 saw people who were associated with witchcraft. This source is beneficial in terms of helping create the clear view in terms of the way people in power positions manipulated the public.
In putting together sources for this Literally Review it became clear that there were other influencing factors that led up to the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612. This was an important exercise to ensure that the task was presented in an unbiased manner. The introduction of various sources ensured that all issues were taken into consideration and that not only one party was held responsible for the trials.