Contained in a letter of Mr G. Clark, to Mr M.T. touching an house haunted in Welton near Daventry.
Sir,
I send you here a relation of a very memorable piece of witchcraft as I suppose, which would fit Mr More gallantly. I first heard the story releated to Sir Justinian Isham by a Reverend Minister, of his own experience. Sir Justinian would have had me gone to the place, which I could not then do. But a little after going to visit a freind, and not thinking of this, my friend told me the story, the place being near him, and the principal man concerned in the story being a relation of his, and one that I myself had some acquaintance with. He had occasion to go to this man’s house for some deeds of land, and I went with him for satisfaction touching this story, which I had to the full, and in which I could not but acquiesce, though otherwise I am very chary, and hard enough to believe passages of this nature.
The story is this. At Welton within a mile of Daventry in Northamptonshire, where live together Widow Cowley the grandmother, Widow Stiff the mother, and her two daughters. At the next house but one, live another Widow Cowley, sister to the former Widow Cowley, Moses Cowley my acquaintance her son, and Moses’s wife, having a good estate in land of their own, and very civil and orderly people.
These three told me, that the younger of the two daughters, ten years of age, vomited in less than three days, three gallons of water to their great admiration. After this the elder wench comes running, and tells them, that now her sister begins to vomit stones and coals. They went and were eye-witnesses, told them till they came to five hundred. Some weighed a quarter of a pound, and were so big, as they had enough to do to get them out of her mouth, and he professed to me, that he could scarce get the like into his mouth; and I do not know how any one should, if they were so big as he showed the like to me. I have sent you one, but not a quarter so big as some of them were. It was one of the biggest of them that were left and kept in a bag. This vomitting lasted about a fortnight, and has witnesses good store.
In the mean time they threw hards of flax upon the fire, which would not blaze though blown, but dwindled away. The bedclothes would be thrown off the bed. Moses Cowley told me that he laid them on again several times, they all coming out of the room, and go but into the parlour again, and they were off again. And a strike of wheat standing at the bed’s feet, set it how they would, it would be thrown down again.
Once the coffers and things were so transposed, as they could scarce stir about the room. Once he laid the Bible upon the bed, but the clothes were thrown off again, and the Bible hid in another bed. And when they were all gone into the parlour, as they used to go together, then things would be transposed int he hall, their wheel taken in pieces, and part of it thrown under the table. In their buttery their milk would be taken off the table, and set on the ground, and once one panchion was broken, and the milk spilt. A seven pound weight with a ring was hung upon the spigot, and the beer mingled with sand and all spoiled, their salt mingled most perfectly with bran.
Moses’s mother said that their flax was thrown out of a box, she put it in again, it was thrown out again; she put it in again and locked the box, trying by the hasp or lid (as they use to do) whether it was fast, it was so. But as soon as her back was turned the box was unlocked, and the flax was thrown out again.
Moses said that when he was coming out of the parlour, he saw a loaf of bread tumbled off the form, and that was the first thing he saw. After a woman’s patten rose up in the house, and was thrown at them. He heard the comb break in the window, and presently it flew at them in two pieces. A knife rose up in the window, and flew at a man, hitting him with the haft. An ink-glass was thrown out of the window into the floor, and by and by the stopple came after it.
Then every day abundance of stones were thrown about the house which broke the windows, and hit the people, but they were the less troubled, because all this while no hurt was done to their persons, and a great many people being in the room the wheat was thrown about amongst them.
I was in the house where I saw the windows which were still broken, and the people themselves showed me where the several particulars were done. The grandmother told me that she thought she had lost half a strike of wheat, and the like happened to some fitches in the barn. One Mr Robert Clark a Gentleman being hit with the stones, bade the baker at the door look to his bread well, and by and by a handful of crumbs were thrown into his lap. They could see the things as they came, but no more.
At last some that had been long suspected for witches were examined, and one sent to the gaol, where it is said she plays her pranks, but that is of doubtful credit. I asked the old woman whether they were free now. She said that one night since, they heard great knockings and cruel noise, which feared them worse than all the rest, and once or twice that week her cheese was crumbled into pieces and spoiled.
I was there about May-day, 1658. This is all that I remember at present. I have heard several other stories, and two or three notable ones lately from men’s own experience, which in reason I was to believe as I did. But in my judgement this outgoes all that I know of, it having so much of sense and of the day time, so many and so credible witnesses beyond all cavil and exception.
I will trouble you no further, but commending you to the protection of God Almighty, I take my leave and rest,
Yours, G. Clark, Loddington, May 12th, 1658.
Saducismus Triumphatus: or, full and plain evidence concerning witches and apparitions. In two parts. The first treating of their possibility, the second of their real existence. By Joseph Glanvil, late chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty, and Fellow of the Royal Society. With a letter of Dr Henry More on the same subject. And an authentick, but wonderful story of certain Swedish witches; done into English by Anth. Horneck, preacher at the Savoy.
London: Printed for J. Collins at his shop under the Temple Church, and S. Lownds at his shop by the Savoy-gate, 1681.