Narrative of a Trial for Witchcraft, from some family papers.
In the year of our Lord 1679, I, being one of his majesty’s justices of the peace, was present at the assizes, held according to law in the town of Leicester. For many years the realm has been grievously afflicted by the diabolical crime of witchcraft, and great numbers of witches were, about the time of which I speak, convicted of dealing with evil and familiar spirits, and accordingly suffered the just penalties of our righteous laws.
On the second day of the assizes, there was a woman to be tried for this deadly sin, who, inasmuch as she differed from those poor and decrepit hags who had before been proven guilty, did cause that people would talk and think of nothing but her case; and as it was both wonderful and uncommon, I have judged fit to preserve a full and true account of all that then and there happened. This suspected person was in the second year of her widowhood; her husband had been a gentleman of repute, who left her a substantial household and estate.
When she was brought into court, she appeared of very comely and modest demeanour, and some thirty years of age or thereabout, and wore her widow’s weeds. She was charged by the name of Margaret Hubert, “That being reprobate and given over of God, the devil had seduced her to compact and league with him to work evil, and to inflict various and grievous torments upon John Burt and his household, more especially his daughter Alice.” And being called upon to plead, she stood up, and, with surpassing courage and firmness, said – “I am not guilty of this great crime. So help me God.”
Then they called John Burt, who was some seventy years of age, by trade a cordwainer, and he deposed – “That he lived in ease, and without any outward cares or vexations, till May last, which was about six months after that William, the husband of the said Margaret Hubert, died; but from the same beginning of May till she was committed to prison, he had no pleasure in his life, and while these torments lasted, he had been tempted to pray God to release him from the wretched burthen of his days.”
And all the people murmured at the prisoner, as the old white-headed man complained thus; but she only smiled a little, and remained silent. The deponent further said – “That on the evening of the 5th of May, his family being within, preparing for rest, and the whole house shut up, there came suddenly a violent noise of knocking at the door; that thereupon they demanded who was there, but receiving no answer, the knocking still continuing, they supposed it to be thieves, and winding a horn which was with them in the house, roused the town, and the neighbours coming in, there was no more noise that night. But it came again every evening after dark, in the same way, and they, fearing to open the door, looked out of an upper window, but saw nothing.
“This piece of trouble did continue till the middle of June, at which time the devil came with new and extraordinary assaults, by throwing of stones in at doors and windows, and down through the chimney head; also at night they wanted liberty to sleep, something coming and pulling down their bed-clothes and linen off their bodies; also their chests and trunks were opened, and all things strewed about.
“However, it was not till shortly afterwards, that they suspected who worked them all this evil and tribulation, and then the witchcraft settled upon his daughter Alice only, leaving the rest of the family free. This damsel was afflicted with strong and violent fits, which lasted often for an hour, during the which time she did vomit small stones, stubble, and various strange things, calling frequently on them who held her to take away Dame Margaret, for she was tormenting her; and ever when the fit was ended, she said it was Dame Hubert who had been there, and that as soon as she went out her pains ceased.
“Dame Margaret was told by some of the neighbours of these strange passages, and how the girl cried out upon her, and they willed her to bring an action of slander; but she would not, and held lightly of what they repeated. One day she came to see Alice, and rebuked her smartly for setting about this report, giving her some apples, fair and mellow to look upon; but after, on Alice eating a part of one, her fits came on worse than ever.”
All these things, and many more very curious, which I have not set down, were confirmed by the daughter in court, and numbers of worthy and creditable witnesses were brought, who spoke to the truth of the same. Also, it appeared that Dame Margaret, having many reputable friends of gentle blood, and those who thus charged her being humble people, it was long time slightly thought of, and held to be the fond fancy of ignorant, deluded folks; but at the last, the great noise it made, and the complaining of the poor that she would not have escaped trial had she been one of them compelled the justice to take cognizance of the charge. It seemed now, however, the Dame Margaret’s friends were backward to support her in her day of sorrow, for there were none near to sustain and comfort her; yet did she bear herself very courageously, and showed no fear.
The counsel who was hired to defend her cause, was a young man, hot-headed, and full of new fangled notions, who scrupled not to deny that there was any diabolical dealing in the business, affirming that the girl Alice was troubled with epileptic fits, and that of a certainty there was proof wanting that Dame Margaret did compass these things which were layed to her charge. But all this served little her cause, the court scarce showing patience to hear him unto the end, and the jury speedily finding her guilty.
Whereupon the judge bid her to renounce the devil who had so long strengthened her in her contumacy, and haste to confess and bewail her heavy sins – sentencing her body to be burned on that day week, publicly in the market-place. At the which door her cheek blenched a little; but she said firmly – “I will pray to God to forgive them who have thus slandered and murdered the innocent.” There were no wanting who maintained that it was innocence made her so confident, but most believed that devilish counsels upheld her.
[Dame Margaret maintains her innocence and is burnt at the stake. The next year a man called Walter Philipson confesses that it’s all his fault. He was in love with Dame Margaret but she didn’t return his feelings. So he dreamt up a plan with old girlfriend Alice Burt (“a bold, bad girl”) to “help me in various devices for alarming her father’s family, and they, in these credulous times, easily believed that it was the work of some enemy who had joined with the devil.” And because Alice was jealous it “made her hate her rival, and overstep the limits I wished to set to my plan.” He heard Margaret was to be tried and figured she’d be found innocent. When she wasn’t, he tried to intervene but it didn’t work (inc. much dramatic stuff about trying to get there and being trampled underfoot in the crowd at the burning). The man was (allegedly) taken into custody from his deathbed, but he died, and the judge decided to hang his body in chains “with great ignominy”.]
This affair made much stir in the country, and was the cause that from that time greater caution was observed in the trial of these suspected of witchcraft, seeing that wicked and revengeful persons might otherwise swear falsely, to the great detriment of the guiltless.
It appearing that John Burt had been entirely deceived by his daughter and her paramour, he was discharged, but lived only a very little time after his said daughter was hanged, which punishment she justly underwent. A fair marble in her parish church, testifies to the virtuous life, and most undeserved death, of the Dame Margaret Hubert. A.M.H.
Bristol Times and Mirror, 19th July 1845.