Books
Books
1612 The Lancashire Witch TrialsA handsome illustrated introduction to the trials of 1612, written by Christine Goodier, former manager of Lancaster Castle - the very place where the accused were imprisoned, tried and condemned. Clear, concise and beautifully produced, it is the ideal first book on the subject and a fine souvenir of a visit to witch country.
Books
The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster.This is where the whole story begins: Thomas Potts, clerk to the court at Lancaster, published his account of the 1612 trials the following year, and every book about the Pendle witches leans on it. Historian Robert Poole has gently modernised the text and added an introduction, so you can read the original evidence - strange, chilling and often surprising - much as Jacobean England first did.
Books
A Cry of Innocence by Kate MulhollandKate Mulholland's novel walks the lanes beneath Pendle Hill in the company of the families whose names still haunt this landscape - their loves, their feuds, and the final betrayal that ended on the gallows at Lancaster in 1612. A vivid, sympathetic retelling of the Pendle story, written with real feeling for the place, and a favourite with visitors who want the history as a story well told.
Books
Mist over Pendle by Robert NeillFirst published in 1951 and never out of favour since, Robert Neill's classic novel remains the best-loved fictional telling of the Pendle story. Through the sharp eyes of young Margery Whittaker, newly arrived at the foot of the hill, it conjures a seventeenth-century Lancashire where the old fear of demons and witches is still part of daily life - and death. The book that sends more visitors up Pendle Hill than any other.
Books
The Lancashire Witch Conspiracy by John A. ClaytonJohn Clayton was born and raised in the Forest of Pendle, and it shows on every page of this substantial illustrated history. Drawing on years of original research, he unpicks the events of 1612 and the world of the families caught up in them, with fresh evidence and a distinctly local eye. At over three hundred pages, it is one of the fullest accounts of the Pendle story you will find.
Books
The Lancashire Witch-Craze by Jonathan LumbyWas there really a witches' coven on Pendleside? Jonathan Lumby digs into the strange case of Jennet Preston and the wider tragedy of 1612, setting Lancashire's witch-hunt against the great European witch-craze of the age. A thoughtful, persuasive account that offers some of the most satisfying answers yet to the question of why it all happened here.
Books
The Pendle Witches by Walter BennettWalter Bennett's short booklet has been a popular favourite over many years. It presents a concise yet extremely informative and readable account of one of the most notorious and renowned episodes in Lancashire history.
Books
The Pendle Witches Trail Visitor GuideA guide for visitors to this area of outstanding natural beauty. The guide explores the old villages under Pendle Hill where the events of 1612 took place. It takes you on the route that the accused would have taken, through the Ribble Valley to Lancaster Castle where they were imprisoned, tried for witchcraft and subsequently executed.
