Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Justice for the 1612 Lancashire witches
Pardon campaign for 10 hanged innocents
TEN people hanged for witchcraft more than 400 years ago could finally have their names cleared.
Eight women and two men swung from the gallows after being convicted in the infamous witch trials held in Lancashire and Yorkshire in 1612.
Now, in the run-up to Halloween, campaigners are calling for the Queen to pardon the Pendle Witches.
Robert Poole, a professor of history at the University of
Central Lancashire, said: “The Lancashire witches were the victims of a gross miscarriage of justice. They were convicted of an impossible crime, by methods that amounted to persecution, on the basis of patently false evidence which they were not able to contest. It’s high time they were given a pardon.”
Prof Poole, who wrote The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster, added: “The women had been kept in the dungeon of Lancaster Castle in appalling conditions, sometimes for months with no access to lawyers.
“These poor people were confronted in court by neighbours and their own family testifying against them. Confessions gathered through means of coercion and torture were used as evidence. They were ordinary people caught up in a religious and political persecution.” The two-day trials involved 12 people, mostly from two families, accused of 10 murders by witchcraft. One died in jail and one was cleared at trial. Nine were hanged in Lancaster and one in York. Blackpool Tower Dungeon, which has a Pendle Witches attraction, yesterday launched a Parliamentary petition for a “long overdue” pardon. Kenny Mew, general manager, said: “We want to right those wrongs done 409 years ago and fight to clear their names.”
Semra Haksever, an Eclectic Witch, is backing the bid. She said: “It’s about time they had their names cleared and legacy upheld. It’s important we fight for this pardon in 2021 to recognise how many innocent people lost their lives. They were mistreated, victimised, tortured and ultimately murdered by the authorities.” She added: “There is no such thing as a ‘bad witch’, our witchcraft is all about self-empowerment and acknowledging the energy that surrounds us all.”