STAGE

The Witches of
1 Pendle
Rowena Akinyemi

Introduction

This ungraded summary is for the teacher’s use only

and should not be given to students.

The story
Jennet Device tells her story from the prison in
Lancaster Castle in 1634. Jennet was one of three
children in a poor family living in a Lancashire village. In
1612, aged nine, she went out one day with her sister
Alizon to look for bread. When the pedlar John Law
refused to give Alizon money, she cursed him and he spirit for any purpose. The first person to be hanged
fell ill. The angry villagers, frightened that Alizon was a under this law died in 1566. In a celebrated case in
witch, asked Roger Nowell, a rich and important judge, 1593, three people were condemned to death on the
to question her. Mr Nowell questioned Alizon and sent evidence of five children. Many more cases of children
her to prison. Then suspicion fell on Old Demdike, making accusations of witchcraft were to follow; often
Jennet’s grandmother, and she met the same fate. this was due to spite, hysteria or attention-seeking,
Jennet liked Mr Nowell, who was kind to her. and it is curious that the testimony of quite young
Some days later, Jennet’s mother and some friends children was considered seriously, when in other legal
decided to go to Lancaster Castle and set the two situations they were considered too young to give
women free. Jennet, angry at their mistreatment of evidence.
her, vowed to tell Mr Nowell about this plan. With her The high point of witch mania came in the early
brother James, she went to Mr Nowell’s home at Read 1600s, with a further surge of persecution in the
Hall and told him everything. Jennet’s mother and 1640s. After about 1660 the trials died down; the last
James were both taken to Lancaster Castle. known death was in 1660.
Some months later, the trial of the Lancashire The story of The Witches of Pendle is based on a
witches began. Old Demdike died before the trial, but true case, the trial of the Lancashire witches in 1612.
Jennet’s mother, sister and brother were all hanged as Of the twenty accused, ten were hanged, two jailed,
witches, as a result both of Jennet’s testimony and of and eight acquitted. It was the second largest mass
their own statements. death from witchcraft in England.
Jennet lived happily for the next twenty-one years
at Read Hall as a cook for the Nowell family. Then in Before Reading
1633 a child called Edmund Robinson accused Jennet Here are some ways to help your students approach
of witchcraft. Although he later confessed to lying, the story:
Jennet realized that she could never really be free of 1 Give students the title of the book and show them
her family and her history. With Mr Nowell dead, there the picture on the cover. Ask them to try and guess
was no one to protect her. Though the truth killed her what kind of the story it is.
family, lies would kill her. 2 Give students a copy of the text on the back
cover of the book, and of the story introduction
Background to the story on the first page. When they have read the texts,
Witchcraft appears in different places at different ask them a few questions about the story, or use
times, reflecting abrupt change and turbulence within the Before Reading Activities in the back of each
a society. This is especially true at a time when old Bookworm.
ideas and values are being rapidly replaced by new 3 Use the pre-reading activity in this worksheet.
ones. 4 If there is a recording of this title, play the first few
Witchcraft was officially acknowledged in England pages and stop at an interesting point.
in 1563, when a law passed under Queen Elizabeth
the First made death the penalty for invoking an evil

145 © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

 STAGE
The Witches of Pendle
1 Pre-reading activity

What do you know about witches?

1 Witches are
a) usually men
b) usually women.
2 Witches always have a cat
that helps them.
True or false?
3 Witches wear
a) special clothes
b) the same clothes as
everybody else.
4 Witches are usually old.
True or false?
5 A family can have more
than one witch.
True or false?
6 Witches can only go out
at night.
True or false?
7 If a judge decided that
someone was a witch,
what happened to them?

To the teacher

Aim: To stimulate interest in the topic of witchcraft, Part 2: Give each student the worksheet. Ask
and to bring out questions and assumptions about students to spend two or three minutes choosing
To the teacher
witches, that the text will answer, confirm or refute the answers that they think are correct and thinking
Time: About 5 minutes each part of an answer for the final question. When they have
Organization: Part 1: Ask the class: What do you finished, they should compare their answers with
know about witches? How do you know this? two or three people sitting near to them. When
Accept all contributions without comment, and everyone has had a chance to do this, tell them that
without indicating whether these statements agree they will be able to find the answers as they read the
with what happens in the book. This part is simply to book. Resist any temptation to answer the questions
arouse interest and establish a basis of ideas. now.

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 STAGE
The Witches of Pendle
1 While reading activity

Predicting the fate of different characters

What happens to these characters?

Eli za be th
and he dies,
Jennet She curses Mr Nowell
She is tried, but the judge decides she so she is put in prison.
e with her, and
is not a witch. Mr Nowell falls in lov
is the witch.
She goes to live at Mr Nowell’s house. he decides that Jennet
is a witch,
She runs away from her family because The judge decides she
she doesn’t want to be a witch. and she is hanged.

Old Demdike

Ja m es She escapes from prison and

a witch.
He is hanged as runs away.
him home and
Mr Nowell takes She is hanged as a witch.
looks after him. She dies in prison before she is tried.
s he is too young
The judge decide
a witch.
and stupid to be

To the teacher

Where: After reaching the end of Chapter 3 or four. Ask each group to try to agree on the fate
Aim: To choose and give reasons for the fate of the four characters shown, giving reasons for
of various characters in the story, based on the their answers. Show the possible fates of the four
development of plot characters on an overhead projector, or distribute a
Time: 10–15 minutes copy to each class member. If there is time, students
Organization: Divide students into groups of three can discuss across groups. Do not reveal the answers.

147 © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE

 STAGE
The Witches of Pendle
1 After reading activity

Character grid

Complete the table with the following symbols:

() Yes
() No
(>) Sometimes

RICH POOR ANGRY LUCKY FRIGHTENED HUNGRY KIND

Mr Nowell

John Law

Elizabeth
Device
Alizon
Device
James
Device
Jennet
Device

To the teacher

Aim: To confirm answers from pre-reading activity may be a cat, dog or other animal;
and review characters 3b Unlike the witches in cartoons, the witches of
Time: 15–35 minutes Pendle wear the same clothes as everybody else;
Organization: Ask students to look back at the pre- 4 False – James and Alizon are teenagers;
reading task and to decide whether their answers 5 True;
would be different now that they have read the book. 6 False – they go out at any time of the day.
To the
Then go teacher
through each question and check on the 7 Witches were hanged.
answers that students have arrived at. This could Now, give all students a copy of the worksheet.
lead on, if wished, to discussion about how witches Divide them into groups of three or four and ask
appear differently in cartoons or in the mythology of them to fill in the grid. When groups have completed
other countries. their grids, either regroup them for cross-group
Key: 1b Witches are usually women, although the reporting, or display a copy of each group’s grid in
witches of Pendle included one man, James Device; the classroom so that students can compare results
2 False – witches do often have an animal, but it for themselves.

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