Edmund Robinson's Story and Testimony, 1633-1634

Edmund Robinson was a ten-year-old boy who lived in Wheatley Lane, not far from Newchurch in Pendle. On All Saints Day [Nov 1], 1633, he told his father that he'd been abducted by a witch and taken to a sabbath at a nearby house called Hoarstones. Robinson senior eventually reported the incident to the authorities and his son was taken to Gawthorpe Hall for questioning. The story culminated in the Pendle witch trials of 1634.

Gawthorpe Hall
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The Examination of Edmund Robinson, Son of Edm. Robinson, of Pendle Forest, mason, taken at Padiham before Richard Shuttleworth and John Starkie, Esqs. two of his majesty's justices of the peace, within the county of Lancaster, 10th of February, A.D 1633: [The Julian calendar was still in use in at this time. In this calendar, the new year began on 25 March each year. It remained in use until 1752 when England adopted the Gregorian calendar.]

Who informeth upon oath, (beeinge examined concerninge the greate meetings of the witches) and saith, that upon All-saints day last past, hee, this informer, beeinge with one Henry Parker, a neare doore neighbor to him in Wheatley-lane, desyred the said Parker to give him leave to get some bulloes [wild plums], which hee did.

In which tyme of getting bulloes, he sawe two greyhounds, viz. a blacke and a browne one, came runninge over the next field towards him, he verily thinkinge the one of them to bee Mr. Nutters, and the other to bee Mr. Robinsons, the said Mr. Nutter and Mr. Robinson havinge then such like.

And the said greyhounds came to him and fawned on him, they havinge about theire necks either of them a coller, and to either of which collers was tyde a stringe, which collers as this informer affirmeth did shine like gould, and hee thinkinge that some either of Mr. Nutter's or Mr. Robinson's family should have followed them.

But seeinge noe body to follow them, he tooke the said greyhounds thinkinge to hunt with them, and presently a hare rise very neare before him, at the sight whereof he cryed, loo, loo, but the dogges would not run.

Whereupon beeinge very angry, he tooke them, and with the strings that were at theire collers tyed either of them to a little bush on the next hedge, and with a rod that hee had in his hand, hee bett [beat] them. And in stede of the black greyhound, one Dickinson wife stoode up whom this informer knoweth, and in the steade of the browne greyhound a little boy whom this informer knoweth not.

At which sight this informer beeinge affraid indevoured to run away: but beeinge stayed by the woman, viz. by Dickinson's wife, shee put her hand into her pocket, and pulled out a peace of silver much like unto a faire shillinge, and offered to give him to hould his tongue, and not to tell, whiche hee refused, sayinge, nay thou art a witch.

Whereupon shee put her hand into her pocket againe, and pulled out a stringe like unto a bridle that gingled, which shee put upon the litle boyes heade that stood up in the browne greyhoundes steade; whereupon the said boy stood up a white horse.

Then immediately the said Dickonson wife tooke this informer before her upon the said horse, and carried him to a new house called Hoare-stones, beinge about a quarter of a mile off, whither, when they were comme, there were divers persons about the doore, and hee sawe divers others cominge rideinge upon horses of severall colours towards the said house, which tyed theire horses to a hedge neare to the sed house. 

And which persones went into the sed house, to the number of threescore [sixty] or thereabouts, as this informer thinketh, where they had a fyre and meate roastinge, and some other meate stirringe in the house, whereof a yonge woman whom hee this informer knoweth not, gave him flesh and breade upon a trencher, and drinke in a glasse, which, after the first taste, hee refused, and would have noe more, and said it was nought.

And presently, after seeinge diverse of the company goinge to a barn neare adioyneinge, he followed after, and there he sawe sixe of them kneelinge, and pullinge at sixe severall roapes which were fastened or tyed to ye toppe of the house; at or with which pulling came then in this informers sight flesh smoakeinge, butter in lumps, and milke as it were syleing [pouring] from the said roapes, all which fell into basons whiche were placed under the said roapes.

And after that these sixe had done, there came other sixe which did likewise, and duringe all the tyme of theire so pullinge, they made such foule faces that feared this informer, soe as hee was glad to steale out and run home, whom, when they wanted, some of theire company came runninge after him neare to a place in a high way, called Boggard-hole, where this informer met two horsemen, at the sight whereof the sed persons left followinge him, and the foremost of which persons yt followed him, hee knoweth to bee one Loynd wife, which said wife, together with one Dickonson wife, and one Jennet Davies, he hath seene at severall tymes in a croft or close adioninge to his fathers house, whiche put him in a greate feare. 

And further, this informer saith, upon Thursday after New Yeares day last past, he sawe the sed Loynd wife sittinge upon a crosse peece of wood, beeinge within the chimney of his father's dwellinge house, and hee callinge to her, said, come down thou Loynd wife, and immediately the sed Loynd wife went up out of his sight. And further, this informer saith, yt after hee was comme from ye company aforesed to his father's house, beeinge towardes eveninge, his father bad him goe fetch home two kyne [cows] to seale [milk], and in the way, in a field called the Ollers, hee chanced to hap upon a boy, who began to quarrell with him, and they fought soe together till this informer had his eares made very bloody by fightinge, and lookinge down, hee sawe the boy had a cloven foote, at which sight he was affraid, and ran away from him to seeke the kyne.

And in the way hee sawe a light like a lanthorne [lantern], towards which he made hast, supposinge it to bee carried by some of Mr. Robinson's people: But when hee came to the place, hee onley founde a woman standinge on a bridge, whom, when hee sawe her, he knewe to bee Loynd wife, and knowinge her, he turned back againe, and immediatly hee met with ye aforesed boy, from whom he offered to run, which boy gave him a blow on the back which caus'd him to cry. 

And hee farther saith, yt when hee was in the barne, he sawe three women take three pictures from off the beame, in the which pictures many thornes, or such like things sticked, and yt Loynd wife tooke one of the said pictures downe, but thother two women yt tooke thother two pictures downe hee knoweth not. 

And beeinge further asked, what persons were at ye meeteinge aforesaid, hee nominated these persones hereafter mentioned, viz. Dickonson wife, Henry Priestley wife and her sone, Alice Hargreaves widdowe, Jennet Davies, Wm. Davies, uxor [wife]. Hen. Jacks and her sone John, James Hargreaves of Marsden, Miles wife of Dicks, James wife, Saunders sicut credit, Lawrence wife of Saunders, Loynd wife, Buys wife of Barrowford, one Holgate and his wife sicut credit, Litle Robin wife of Leonard's, of the West Cloase.

Edmund Robinson of Pendle, father of ye sed Edmunde Robinson, the aforesaid informer, upon oath saith, that upon All Saint's Day, he sent his sone, the aforesed informer, to fetch home two kyne to seale, and saith yt hee thought his sone stayed longer than he should have done, went to seeke him, and in seekinge him, heard him cry very pittifully, and found him soe afraid and distracted, yt hee neither knew his father, nor did know where he was, and so continued very neare a quarter of an hower before he came to himselfe, and he tould this informer, his father, all the particular passages yt are before declared in the said Edmund Robinson, his sone's information.