Devonshire Witches

by Paul Q. Karkeek

The Information of John Coleman of Biddiford, in the County aforesaid, Mariner, taken, etc. the 26th July 1682. The said informant upon his oath saith—That Dorcas Coleman his wife, has been a long time sick, in a very strange and unusual manner; and he hath sought far and near for remedy, and saith that one Dr. George Beare being advised with concerning her sickness in this deponent's absence (whilst he was at sea) the said Mr. Beare hath (as this Informant was told by his said wife and his uncle Thomas Bremincom, at his return) said that it was past his skill to prescribe directions for her cure, because the said Dorcas was bewitched. This informant further saith, that about three months last past, his said wife was sitting in a chair, and being speechless, he this informant did see one Susanna Edwards, of Biddiford, to come into the chamber under a pretence to visit her.—Whereupon this Informant's wife did strive to come at her the said Susanna, but could not get out of the chair, upon which this informant and the said Thomas Bremincom did endeavour to help her out of the chair, and the said Susanna did go towards the chamber door. And further saith, That when the said Susanna was come at the chamber door, she the said Dorcas (remaining speechless as aforesaid) did slide out of the chair upon her back, and so strove to come at her the said Susanna, but was not able to rise from the ground, until the said Susanna was gone down the stairs; and further saith, That the said Dorcas continued in such a strange and unusual manner of sickness ever since unto this day with some intermissions.

The Information of Grace Thomas, of Biddiford in the County aforesaid, Spinster, taken upon her oath the 3rd day of July, A.D. 1682 before us. The said informant upon her oath saith, that upon or about the second day of February which was in the year of our Lord 1680, this informant was taken with great pains in her head, and all her limbs, which pains continued on her till near or upon 1st day of August then following; and then this Informant's pains began to abate, and this Informant was able to walk abroad to take the air: But in the night she was in much pain and not able to take her rest. This Informant further saith, That upon or about the 30th day of September now last past this informant was going up the High Street of Biddiford, when this informant met with Temperance Lloyd of Biddiford aforesaid, widow, and she the said Temperance did then and there fall down on her knees to this Informant and wept—saying "Mrs. Grace, I am glad to see you so strong again." Upon which this informant said, "Why dost thou weep for me?" Unto which the said Temperance replied, "I weep for joy to see you so well again," as the said Temperance then pretended. This Informant further saith—That that night she, this informant, was taken very ill with sticking and pricking pains as tho' pins and awls had been thrust into her body, from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet; and this informant lay as though it had been upon a rack. And saith, that these pricking pains have continued upon her body ever since; and that her pains are much worse by night than by day. This informant further saith, That on Thursday 1st of June last in the night, she the Informant was bound and seemingly chained up with all her sticking pains in her belly; so that on a sudden her belly was as big as two bellies, which caused her to cry out, "I shall die;" and in this sad condition this Informant lay as though she had been dead for a long space (which those persons that were in the chamber with her, this informant did compute to be about two hours). And this Informant further saith, that on Friday night last, being the 30th of June, this Informant was again pinched and pricked to the heart with such cruel thrusting pains in her head, shoulders, arms, hands, thighs and legs, as tho' the flesh would have been then immediately torn from the woman with a man's fingers and thumbs. And further saith—That she was even plucked out over her bed, and lay in this condition for the space of three hours (as she was informed by some of those persons then in the chamber). This Informant further saith that upon the 1st day of this instant July, as soon as the aforesaid Temperance Lloyd was apprehended and put in the prison of Biddiford, she this Informant immediately felt her pricking and sticking pains to cease and abate. And saith—that she hath continued so ever since unto this time, but is still in great weakness of body. And further saith, that she believeth that the said Temperance Lloyd hath been an instrument of doing much hurt and harm to her body, by pricking and tormenting of her in manner as before set forth.

The Information of Elizabeth Eastchurch wife of Thomas Eastchurch of Biddiford, Gent., taken upon her oath, etc., the 3rd of July, A.D. 1682. The said informant upon her oath saith—That upon the 2nd day of this instant July the said Grace Thomas then lodging in this informant's said husband's house and hearing of her to complain of great pricking pains in one of her knees, she this informant did see her said knee, and observed that she had nine places in her knee which had been prickt, and that every of the said pricks were as tho' it had been the prick of a thorn. Whereupon this Informant upon the same 2nd of July did demand of the said Temperance Lloyd, whether she had any wax or clay in the form of a picture whereby she had pricked and tormented the said Grace Thomas. Unto which the said Temperance made answer that she had no wax or clay, but confessed that she had only a piece of leather which she had pricked nine times.

The Information of Anne Wakely, wife of William Wakely of Biddeford, Husbandman, taken the 3rd of July, A.D. 1682. The said informant upon her oath saith, That upon the 2nd of July Instant, she this deponant by order of Mr. Mayor did search the body of the said Temperance Lloyd, in the presence of Honor Hooper, and several other women. And upon search of her said body, she this informant did find in her secret parts, two teats, hanging nigh together like unto a piece of flesh that a child had suckt. And that each of the said teats was about an inch in length. Upon which this Informant did demand of her the said Temperance whether she had been suckt at that place by the Black Man? meaning the Devil. Whereto the said Temperance did acknowledge that she had been suckt there often times by the Black Man, and the last time she was suckt by the said Black Man, was the Friday before she was searched, viz the 30th of June last. And this Informant saith, that she had been attendant of the said Grace Thomas about six weeks last past; and that on Thursday, the 29th June last in the Morning, she this informant did see some thing in the shape of a Magpie to come at the Chamber window where the said Grace did lodge. Upon which this Informant did demand of the said Temperance whether she did know of any bird to come and flutter at the said window. Unto which question the said Temperance did then say, that it was the Black Man in the shape of a bird; and that she the said Temperance was at that time by the said Thomas Eastchurch's door of the house where the said Grace Thomas did lodge.

The like is deposed by Honor Hooper, servant unto the said Thomas Eastchurch, as appears by her information taken upon her oath the day and year above said before the said Thomas Gist, Mayor and John Davies, Alderman of Biddiford.

Temperance Lloyd—her examination taken the 3rd of July A.D. 1682.

The said informant being brought before us by some of the constables of the said borrough, upon the complaint of Thomas Eastchurch of Biddiford aforesaid, gent, and charged upon suspicion of having used some Magical art, sorcery, or witchcraft upon the body of Grace Thomas of Biddiford, spinster; and to have had discourse or familiarity with the Devil in the shape of a Black man; and being demanded how long since she had discourse or familiarity with the Devil in the likeness of a Black man, saith—That about the 30th of September last she met the Devil in the likeness of a Black man about the middle of the afternoon of that day, in a certain street or lane in the town of Biddiford, called Higher Gunstone Lane, and then and there he did tempt and solicit her to go with him to the house of the said Thomas Eastchurch to torment the body of the said Grace Thomas, which this examinant at first did refuse to do, but afterwards by the temptation and persuasion of the Devil she did go to the house of the said Thomas Eastchurch, and that she went upstairs after the said black man, and confesseth that both of them went up into the chamber where the said Grace Thomas was, and that there they found one Anne Wakely, the wife of William Wakely of Biddiford, rubbing and stroking one of the arms of the said Grace Thomas. And the said Examinant doth further confess that she did then and there pinch with the nails of her fingers the said Grace Thomas, in her shoulders, arms, thighs, and legs, and that afterwards they came down into the street together; and that there this examinant did see something in the form of a grey or braget cat; and saith that the said cat went into the said Thomas Eastchurch shop. The said Examinant being further demanded, whether she went any more unto the said Thomas Eastchurch house, saith and confesseth that the day following she came again to the said Thomas Eastchurch's house invisible and was not seen by any person; but there this examinant did meet with the braget cat as aforesaid, and the said cat did retire and leap back into the said Thomas Eastchurch's shop. The said Examinant being further demanded when she was at the said Thomas Eastchurch the last time, saith that she was there upon Friday the 30th of June last, and that the Devil in the shape of the said Black man was there with her; and that they went up again into the said chamber, where she found the said Grace Thomas lying on her bed in a very sad condition, notwithstanding which she this examinant and the said black man did torment her again: and saith and confesseth that she this examinant had almost drawn her out of her bed, and that on purpose to put the said Grace out of her life. And further saith that the Black man (or rather the Devil) did promise this examinant, that no one should discover her. And confesseth that the said Black man or the Devil did suck her teats, which she now hath in her secret parts: and that she did kneel down to him in the street, as she was returning to her own house and after that they had tormented the said Grace Thomas in manner as last above mentioned. Being demanded of what stature the said Black man was, said, that he was about the length of her arm and that his eyes were very big, and that he hopt or leapt in the way before her; and afterwards did suck her again as she was lying down, and that his sucking was with great pain unto her, and afterwards vanished clear away out of her sight. This Examinant does further confess that upon the first of June last, whilst the said Mr. Eastchurch and his wife were absent, that she did pinch and prick the said Grace Thomas with the aid and help of the Black man in her belly, stomach, and breast, etc., and that they continued so tormenting of her, about the space of two or three hours, with an intent to have killed her. And further saith that at the same time she did see the said Anne Wakely, rubbing and chafing of several parts of the said Grace Thomas, her body; although the said Anne being present at the taking of this examination doth affirm that she did not see the said examinant.

Whereas the said Temperance Lloyd hath made such an ample confession and declaration concerning the said Grace Thomas, we the said Mayor and Justice were induced to demand of her some other questions concerning other Witcheries which she had practiced upon the bodies of several other persons within this Town; viz.—

She the said examinant did confess that about the 14th of March, in the year 1670, she was accused, indicted, and arraigned for practising Witchcraft upon the body of William Herbert, late of Biddiford, husbandman; and that altho' at the trial of her life at the Castle of Exeter, she was there acquitted by the Judge and Jury then; yet this Examinant does now confess that she is guilty thereof, by the persuasion of the Black man and that she did prick the same William Herbert unto death.

And whereas upon or about the 15th of May, in the year 1679, she was accused before the then Mayor and Justices of the town of Biddiford aforesaid, for practising witchcraft upon the body of Anne Fellow, the daughter of Edward Fellow of Biddiford, gent, and although her body was then searched by four women of the town of Biddiford, and the proofs then against her not so clear and conspicuous the said Mr. Fellow did not further prosecute against her—yet this examinant doth now confess, that the said Black man or Devil with her, this examinant did do some bodily hurt to the said Anne Fellow, and that thereupon the said Anne did shortly die and depart this life.