A FULL AND TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE TRIAL CONDEMNATION AND EXECUTION SARAH BECKSDALE A WITCH

Transcription

1 A FULL AND TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE TRIAL CONDEMNATION AND EXECUTION OF SARAH BECKSDALE A WITCH Who was seized at Cookham on the 30 th of September, And being found guilty of witchcraft, was condemned to be hung, which was carried out on the morning of the Sabbath, before a crowd of many. Also her confession in which she admits to having lain with a score of demonic imps and pledged herself to Satan so as to gain the power of mischief which she then wreaked on several innocents. How she also caused the death of Jane Simons, who was but eleven, and practiced great harm against other women and children and beast, including her late husband who did die the year before. With her examination before Sir Jeremy Flint, Sir Frederick Underhill and Dr Jonathan Norrell. On Friday, the 1 st of October, the aforementioned judges did enter the town of Cookham and begin the trial of the accused, which is as follows. Her indictment being read, the content of which comprised not only of the murder through foul sorceries she had committed on one Jane Simons, but also of her suspected role in the death of her late husband, the much respected Daniel Becksdale, who worked as the blacksmith to the area, as well as many other mischiefs she had concocted which are unheard of, Sarah did plead innocence of all charges. The evidence was then called forward, the first of these the parents of the now deceased Jane Simons,

2 who were promptly sworn. Her mother, a woman by the name of Joanne Simons, did relate to the judges how on the 18 th of the month, she did turn away Sarah Becksdale who had come begging for food. The accused left casting evil looks at Joanne and promising dark retribution beneath her breath. The following day Joanne told the court she did see a dark shadow settle upon her daughter, though the weather was amiable and no clouds could be spotted, after which Jane did fall to the group convulsing and would not take of food nor drink and then died four days later. The next evidence, one Doctor Hyde, did relate that he had been summoned on the 21 st to examine the child only to find strange markings upon the skin which when pressed, did secrete a foul and noxious black bile. The good doctor then assured the judges that no such ailment had he ever heard of before and could only have come about due to some dark curse. As concerning the fate of Sarah s late husband, one William Durand was promptly sworn in and told the court how Mr Becksdale had on many occasions lamented to him his lack of progeny and laid the blame on his wife, whose womb had only once taken fruit, only for said child to be born dead. Mr Durand continued that while the death of Mr Becksdale had been sudden, he at the time had thought little of it, but on account of the new evidence coming to light of the malevolent practices of Sarah, did believe that she had cursed her husband and taken instead the Devil to her bedchamber. The fourth evidence called, one Rachel Moore, who lives next door to the accused, swore to have been awoken by the noise of demonic figures entering the abode of Sarah Becksdale and then heard many shocking and riotous noises echo outward from within. Several other neighbours then came forward and were sworn saying that they too had often felt there to be a presence alongside Sarah Becksdale when they saw her. The final evidence to be sworn, a man by the name of Samuel Scott, told the court how on the last day of August he had been driving his cart of goods down through Cookham towards Slough alongside his wife and two children when they had the misfortune to veer from the road into the property of Sarah Becksdale. Upon which Sarah did emerge and curse him and his family promising dark tidings and ill fates for the lot of them. Later in that same journey a great fright did take upon their two oxen causing them to run amok and upturn their cart. Their precious cargo of spices was lost and his youngest child did suffer a broken leg.

3 Upon this evidence presented the judges did confer, and in the short space of an hour return with a verdict of guilty to all counts of witchcraft and sorcery. The next day the accused was led to the town centre to meet her just and righteous end. Upon seeing the noose, Sarah Becksdale did fearfully and with great suddenness cry out her confession and beg herself upon the mercy of our Lord, in the hope of finding redemption for her most grievous and terrible sins. Her sentence was then carried out to the cheer of the good Christians assembled for the event.

4 Bibliography Primary Sources A full and true account of the tryal, examination, and condemnation of Mary Johnson a witch. At the assizes held at Coventry on Saturday July the 27th, by the honourable J. Trevers, and Baron Prise. London; T. Bland, An account of the tryal and examination of Joan Buts, for being a common witch and inchantress, before the Right Honourable Sir Francis Pemberton, Lord Chief Justice, at the assizes holden for the burrough of Southwark and county of Surrey, on Monday, March London; S. Gardener, A trial of witches at the Assizes held at Bury St. Edmund's in the county of Suffolk, on the tenth day of March Before Sir Matthew Hale, Knt.... Taken by a person then attending the court. Bury St. Edmunds; P. Deck, A full and true account of the apprehending and taking of Mrs. Sarah Moordike, who is accused for a witch. Being taken near Paul's Wharf, on Thursday the 24th of this instant, for having bewitch'd one Richard Hetheway, near the Faulken-Stairs in South wark. With her examination before the Right Worshipful Sir Thomas Lane, Sir Oven Buckingham, and Dr. Hambleton in Bow-lane. London; John Alkin, Cullen, Francis Grant. A narrative of the sufferings and relief of a young girl; strangely molested by evil spirits and their instruments, in the west: collected from authentic testimonies, with a Preface and Postscript. Containing Reflections on what is most Material or Curious, either in the History or Trial of the Seven Witches who were condemned and Burnt in the Gallow Green, of Paisley. Paisley; Alexander Weir, Cullen, Francis Grant. Sadducimus debellatus: or, a true narrative of the sorceries and witchcrafts exercis'd by the devil and his instruments upon Mrs. Christian Shaw, daughter of Mr. John Shaw, of Bargarran in the County of Renfrew in the West of Scotland, from Aug to Apr Containing the journal of her sufferings, as it was exhibited and prov'd by the voluntary confession of some of the witches, and other unexceptionable evidence, before the Commissioners appointed by the Privy Council of Scotland to enquire into the same. Collected from the records. Together with reflexions upon witchcraft in general, and the learned arguments of the lawyers, on both sides, at the trial of seven of those witches who were condemned: and some passages which happened at their execution. London; H. Newman, Great news from the west of England being a true account of two young persons lately bewitch'd in the town of Beckenton in Somerset-shire, shewing the sad condition they are in by vomiting or throwing out of their bodies the abundance of pins, nails, pewter, brass, lead, iron, and tin to the admiration of all beholders, and of the old witch being carryed several times to a great river, into which her legs being tied, she was thrice thrown in, but each time she swam like a cork, afterwards by order from a justice of the peace she was search'd by a jury of women and such signs and marks being found about her, positive oath was given in against her so that she is committed to jayl until the next assizes. London; T. M., 1689.

5 The Full and true relation of the tryal, condemnation, and execution of Ann Foster (who was arrained for a witch) on Saturday the 22th of this instant August, at the place of execution at Northampton : with the manner how she by her malice and vvitchcraft set all the barns and corn on fire belonging to one Joseph Weeden living in Eastcoat, and bewitched a whole flock of sheep in a most lamentable manner... : and also in what likeness the Devil appeared to her while she was in prison, and the manner of her department at her trial. London; D. M., Moore, Mary. Wonderfull newes from the north. Or, A true relation of the sad and grievous torments, inflicted upon the bodies of three children of Mr. George Muschamp, late of the county of Northumberland, by witch-craft: and how miraculously it pleased God to strengthen them, and to deliver them: as also the prosecution of the sayd witches, as by oaths, and their own confessions will appear, and by the indictment found by the jury against one of them, at the sessions of the peace held at Alnwick, the 24. day of April, Novemb Imprimatur, John Dovvname. London; T. H., The tryal, condemnation, and execution of three vvitches viz. Temperace Floyd, Mary Floyd, and Susanna Edwards. Who were arraigned at Exeter on the 18th. of August, And being prov'd guilty of witch-craft, were condemn'd to be hang'd, which was accordingly executed in the view of many spectators, whose strange and much to be lamented impudence, is never to be forgotten. Also, how they confessed what mischiefs they had done, by the assistance of the devil, who lay with the above-named Temperence Floyd nine nights together. Also, how they squeezed one Hannah Thomas to death in their arms; how they also caused several ships to be cast away, causing a boy to fall from the top of a main-mast into the sea. With many wonderful things, worth your reading. London; J. Deacon, Secondary Reading Ankarloo Bengt and Gustav Henningsen. Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries. Oxford; Clarendon Press, Bever, Edward. Popular Witch Beliefs and Magical Practices. In Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America, edited by Brian P. Levack. Oxford; Oxford University Press, Blecourt, Willem De. Sabbath Stories: Towards A New History of Witches Assemblies. In Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America, edited by Brian P. Levack. Oxford; Oxford University Press, Briggs, Robin. Witches and Neighbours: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft. London; Blackwell Publishers, Douglas, Mary. Witchcraft Confessions and Accusations. New York; Routledge, Goodare, Julian. The European Witch-Hunt. London; Routledge, Levack, Brian P. The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe. London; Pearson Education Limited, Roper, Lyndal. The witch in the western imagination. Virginia; University of Virginia Press, Roper, Trevor. The European Witch craze of the 16 th and 17 th Centuries. London: Penguin Books, 1969.