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The 9 Year-Old Who Accused Her Own Mother Of Witchcraft | Pendle Witch Trials | Absolute History
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- čas přidán 14. 08. 2024
- This is an extraordinary story of the most disturbing witch trial in British history and the key role played in it by one nine-year-old girl. Jennet Device, a beggar-girl from Pendle in Lancashire, was the star witness in 1612 in the trial of her own mother, her brother, her sister and many of her neighbours; thanks to her chilling testimony, they were all hanged.
Although the events in this film may date back four hundred years, its issues resonate today as much as ever - when to believe our children, and how, in times of crisis, fear of evil can easily lead us to behave in ways which may corrode the very values that we most wish to protect.
Presented by Simon Armitage - poet, playwright and novelist - this film is peppered with his revealing insights into the characters’ emotional turmoil and cutting-edge use of animation, bringing this courtroom drama to life. Four hundred years on, the trial’s issues resonate as much as ever - when should we believe our children, and just how powerful can the fear of evil be?
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It's amazing to realize how ignorant and superstitious humans were just a few hundred years ago and scarier to think that future generations will consider us the same.
Because many of us are the same
Ignorant and superstitious a few hundred years ago? You've obviously never been to red states or a "MAGA" rally.
@Meijer Nelly MisterLumpkin was referring to these loony lefties/SJWs of today.
People haven't changed much. Though we do like to believe that we have.
I'm alive now and am amazed by how ignorant and superstitious people today are.
They’re portraying the girl as a toddler almost, but a nine year old is much bigger and smarter than they let on. Plus the key witness staying with the main accuser... no way there wasn’t any grooming going on there.
People were smaller back then
They also were pretty innocent and ignorant so I feel this is fairly accurate
you need to read up on your history
Not to mention being a better she was likely only ever taught home maker skills by the woman of her family
This happened in 1612 they married 9 year olds back then
Dangerous times. Be careful smiling at anyone who walks by. They might have a stroke or a heart attack and *boom*, you're a witch.
Yep, this is why intelligent people back then had to claim to be Christians and live the part even though they were atheist/agnostic.
Also you better hope men did not find you attractive. They may say they were bewitched..instead of admitting they are jerks who wanted to commit adultery.
she didn't smile at him - she begged for money and when he wouldn't give her anything, she CURSED HIM, knowing that as the daughter and granddaughter of 'wise women', she could scare people with curses. This backfired when the man had, perhaps from fear, a stroke. SHE HERSELF believed she had cursed him to death. Don't make a confidence trickster into a demure maiden being harassed by the ebul menz!
We're constantly amazed that our family survived this stuff. First, they were Scottish, Irish, and Welsh, and Catholic (from a very prominent clan in Scotland, they did get cursed by the Catholic Church at one point lol), second, insanity runs in my family, third, from all accounts, from writings back to the 1600s, they were all quite "handsome" or "beautiful" (funny enough, the women were usually described as handsome, the men as beautiful).
@@dougs7367 Intelligent atheist is an oxymoron, Well they may have intelligence, but no wisdom.
Evolution is the most absurd theory of all time, and requires much more faith to believe in, than God.
I get the impression that Jennet suffered physical and/or psychological abuse and that's why she was willing to turn against her family. She was considered a bastard and likely was not treated very well.
Probably she wanted to take revenge and having power over those who had power over her
The saying "raise crows and they will peck out your eyes" is commonly thrown around by parents when their children are not aligned with them, yet they do not stop to think that it was their own treatment (abuse) of the child that turned them against the parent? Also it does not help when one grows up in a society taught to be weary of witches and that those witches could be anywhere. Perhaps if she had been abused, then she believed her mother to be a witch (as what virtous human being would hurt their own child?).
PleaseTickle Me What does “homosexual” have to do with literally anything
actually if this is the same kid im thinking about it seems she was just acousing everyone around
yea i agree , but this si confusing 👍🏼
imagine giving birth to a snitch
You dont just give birth to a snitch, you raise a snitch.
Most regular people are snitches...and anyone who gets in trouble normally will tell to save themselves, depending on severity...but it us sad to raise your child and they snitch.
A "snitch" is an honest person serving the betterment of society. If someone snitches on you it's because you are a monster, and deserve everything you get, and probably more.
You say snitch like witches are a real thing. A snitch tells the truth. Considering witches have never been a real thing in the context that ppl of this time thought of. So this child was either treated badly or tricked into believing it. Kids believe in Santa. Like come on
@@jessi_bear Magic might not be real, but witches are and were very real. They administered folk medicine and presided over rituals which via poisons or placebo effect could actually cause real mischief. (see witchcraft for more information.)
I like the intermittent animations. Adds allot.
Me to
A lot
A lot NOT allot.
Quite right.
Jennet looks like a little demon herself.
It's amazing that if you wanted to get rid of someone you just had to throw a couple fits and blame it on witchcraft
And today you can fake a corona infection and tell the government that you were drinking coffee before with that person.
It depended a lot on your social status and what the political climate was then
I imagine that's where carens came from.
Hmmm...maybe this would get rid of Meghan Markle. 😆
@@clray123 And then... nothing happens? In one time period an entire family gets executed, in another time period life goes on. I wonder if there's a difference if we think really hard about it, lol.
The sad thing is it wasn’t entirely uncommon for children to be used in witch trials against their parents. They often were coerced into attacking their family members and sentencing them to absolute death.
This was the trial that first started using children as witnesses,Jennet was accused of witchcraft by a child as well later on
Communism/socialism does the same think. Look at Greta Thurnberg. She is also a messed up kid pointing her finger at adults. Simply because someone has scared the beejeebers out of her. The dimocratic party is all about fear mongering and demonizing. Wait till they get in power and start having trials of their"enemies".
@@clarioncall8449 God the ignorance that comes from you people is astounding
@@sloane4222 it's the truth why are u mad they're using that child for personal reasons tired of u Democrats y'all stupid asf and believe anything on TV or what one of the Dems say
as opposed to partial death
Jennet was terrified, traumatized, and especially, groomed to think and say as she did. Young and impressionable. This isn't even to mention how she was impoverished and with want.
She knew what happened at that Easter lunch because she was there, she knew there was no witchy business but she lied anyway. It doesn't matter how much she was coerced by an overzealous superstitious vigilante, all she would have had to do is tell the truth in court and she and her family would get to go home. She didn't want to go home, so she had her family killed instead. By all accounts she was smart, and knew what she was doing. Now as for her being impoverished, you are exactly right, she convinced a jury to falsely convict her family to death so that she wouldn't have to go home where they didn't have any food. I'm always looking to see the good in people, but you really have to ignore a whole heck of a lot to come to the conclusion that she was innocent and not filled with hatred of her family.
In all likelihood she died in prison.
Ottiti Spiti she was very likely badly treated by them.
We don't know that. Look at the McMartin Preschool Trial. Technically the children were trained to lie by accident simply by how they were interviewed. Knolls could have just coaxed and reinforced the information from the child quite innocently. In the McMartin case well over 300 children were believed to have been sexually abused in satanic rituals and none of it was true, and the poor people accused had their lives utterly destroyed because so called professionals in the 1980s had no idea what they were doing, and they had 400 years of societal development on Mr. Knolls. He might have totally believed he's rooted out a nest of witches, and he might have been as ethical as he knew how... or he also might have been a sadist, or sociopath. It's all blind speculation.
Jennet Device might have been dreadfully abused and been thriving under the attention, and actively plotting the downfall of her abusive family. That is not outside the skill set of a nine year old child. In fact that would make a great screenplay!
@B.D. Mercer Not for sure, though someone by her name may have died in prison at a later date on charges of witchcraft.
Lol the boy who was picking berries must have picked some psychedelic ones lol
Lol
@BobsAndVagene drugs were totally legal back then. He wouldnt have received any punnishment.
BlackHoleKitten 21 the boy was high as a kite
@ObjectivelyInoffensiveUsername you are a moron,,how the fuck could it be modern but also used back then..plus also no you are full of shit they have ALWAYS been available and used just not scientifically studied and proven
A lot of the witch trials had to do with ergot, which has those effects, believe it or not.
Simon Armitage's voice is so soothing it's taken me about 15 attempts to watch this without falling asleep ffs
We studied him a few years ago in English Literature and his poetry is as good as his speaking tbh its lovely to listen to
Me too! 😴
Due to catholicity my culture puts a lot of fear into children so they “behave” I have 3 cousins ages 22, 20 and 17 and they’re afraid of the dark, scary movies about ghosts and being alone in dark places. Two still sleep with a night lamp and the other sleeps with her 20 year old sister in the same bed because she can’t sleep alone. Don’t instill fear onto your children it makes them very unstable as grown ups and very anxious especially under religious circumstances. They *don’t* grow out of it.
(I assume you are latin and you know how impoverished latin villages are ) My parents they are brainwashed by culture and evangelism that them and i have been cursed and that's why my behavior and my relationship with them is not good(a few weeks ago they've found some bones around the house so that just feed their fears to witch and demons) I really wished they were a bit more "westernized" and trust more in science and psychology n not so much religion and pastors. But what can u do? They won't grow out of superstition.🤷
Vannsa Zeke Vannsa Zeke I'm very sorry. Especially since they might try to force more religion upon you. If you can find someone from your family that can be your support with a similar mindset it will help you a lot. I don't suggest a friend because overly religious parents have a way of sometimes isolating their children because they think that other things are bad influence. Your way of thinking shows you're very independent and that you have common sense, it might seem odd but not many people have this and thats why they fall under cults/extreme religion. There's nothing wrong in believing in a god, so if you find comfort in religion there's nothing wrong with that. But always have your own educated opinions over things so that no one can hurt you with fear.
Well, I must tell u I haven't grown up in a religious home, I had a happy content childhood, feeling safe and sound. But at night, I was afraid so much due to my own imagination. I had also a lamp at night. Nowadays, I am 32 and living alone but I feel much safer being able to look around at night, and not being in the total dark. I think it is due to instinct and common sense to be afraid at night. Now, the girls who sleep together... I dunno
I was also brought up Catholic, in a very Catholic country and I've never heard anything that extreme. That's not just religion. There's something weird if you can't sleep normally and independently beyond age 10
@@AlicePDaly they used fear as a way to control their behavior so the youngest lost her mom before she started sleeping on her own. And well she's terrified of sleeping by herself even now and its because of the fears her own mother instilled in her when she was younger about sleeping alone plus the trauma of loosing who she found comfort in.
I'm impressed with the straightforwardness of the guy who just outright explains how throwing a curse at someone can actually affect and harm them. In this case, the act of cursing someone caused their heart rate to go up enough that it triggered a stroke. Thus the curse caused a chain reaction that made the guy stroke out. As explained medically/scientifically.
"Why dont you want kids?"
The kids:
The child that is not loved in their home will set fire to it to feel some warmth.
For God's sake, people. You can skip to the very end, then hit the replay button. Then you will have no ads
Yay!!
That's a good trick. PersonalIy, I use no-tech solution - I just put something between me & screen.
Using this hack. Thank you!!
Witch craft lol jk 🙂
Not ALL heroes, wear capes! Hahaha
My step grand-grand mother used plants as medicine because my family was all about that. When her husband died, she lived alone in her house. I never thought of it as something bad until one day my grandmother and I passed by. I remember seeing a bunch of people in her house accusing her of being a witch. I look at my grandmother and asked her, who are they? As far I knew none of them were our family. My grandmother just kept silent and continue walking holding my hand. In the most dangerous parts of Honduras, I never thought the scene was traumatizing until now. When we came back to my step grand-grandmother, she told me that they had her against her will, and even though her life wasn't taking away. Now, I understand that If I had run to help her anything could happen. It just disappoints me that people are judgmental that it hurts.
I don't know why this suddenly came to mind, I even came back to this video to leave this thought:
*Why are we trusting those who wrote the records on this?*
I saw someone wondering why many of these 'witches' would, suddenly on finding a 'mark on the body,' instantly confess with no further torture needed. Many have put it down as 'finally breaking to end the torture' but the above question really has to be considered. It is just as likely those whom refused to confess up to this point... never confessed.
The 'mark' was simply an excuse the torturer gave when asked what caused them to break.
Jinx Dragon
Let me finish:
So they could continue to have the pleasure of examining female bodies under guise of checking for more marks that seemed to make people confess... Disgusting
They're not "trusting them". But they can't make up whatever they want either, they have to go based on the evidence. So if the only evidence is from the people responsible, they HAVE to go based on that except for places where they know for a fact it wouldn't have been accurate.
they believe at the time what theyre doing was good.
"I saw these two dogs that weren't running so I hit them"
wut
Yeah he said "I beat them with a stick" wtf kid
Bruh, he saw them running, what else was he supposed to do? Not beat them with a stick? What kind of twisted society would raise kids that don't do that?
damn they had the names Nutter and Bullcock in their family, no wonder people thought they were weird
PatPat Lewis it didn’t mean anything back then
@@shannon4191 No? Really? its obviously a joke. This is such a "Shannon" thing to say lol
Granny Demdyke 😂😂
Ah yes "The Nice and Accurate Prophesies of Agnes Nutter"- Good Omens
PatPat Lewis 😂😂😂 thanks for that
Amazingly there are still people with witch paranoia. My ex accused me of being a witch because I'm an atheist. And I gave him his wrinkles
Naw I doubt my ex is impotent
That's hilarious. Sounds like my ex. We're the freaks,right?LMAO!
The wrinkles thing made me laugh!that's crazy!
That's nothing; remember the Harry Potter drama when that series first came out? Tons of religious parents were FURIOUS because it "promoted witchcraft".
In a convention there was someone selling magnets saying there needed to be another Salem and it's really fucked up what some people think about that
Whose the creator of the animations in the documentary? I love them!!
Phoebe Boswell
www.phoebeboswell.com/commissions
Big up pheebz
@@Hello_Grendel thank you!
I love the animations too
@@Hello_Grendel weird that’s my name as well 😂 not exactly common
Maybe the peddled was already starting to feel the headache coming on and that’s why he rudely pushed passed Alison could have been having the stroke before she even cursed him
Maybe you're right, but we have no way of knowing it now. Unless you believe in heaven where you can ask God that question, that theory will never be proved or disproved.
yeah and everything would have been fine had she not been an idiot.
@@cerebrumexcrement It's unfair to judge her by modern standards though. I mean this was the 1600s they had no concept of strokes, the only way people understood the world was through the supernatural. Her thinking was totally logical considering the idea of witches was so widely accepted in society at the time
that's what I thought
Godamn, you fineeee 🔥
"Found nothing unnatural" after including midwives to the investigative team. I'm guessing that the earlier examinations had found perhaps a swollen Bartholin gland ( or mahaps a clitoris!), and possibly hemorrhoids or a pilonidal cyst- all things that midwives would have seen countless times.
Lots of people can't find a clitoris
I was thinking skin tags 🤷
I was thinking moles or even sores of some sort. I've gotten heat rash down there before when it's been particularly hot and humid. And they wore a lot of clothes, it's humid in England....
Not to mention stuff like acne (I once got a zit on the bottom of my ass cheek - WAS NOT FUN) and you can get ingrown hairs, stuff like that.
To say nothing of herpes and that sort of thing which wasn't even recognized by most people at the time...
[EDIT: Sorry if this is full of TMI but I'm just trying to make a point also I'm tired lol]
@@mksabourinable Once I flew from Phoenix to Milwaukee [$379] so my sister could dig an ingrown hair out of my rear. I was too embarrassed to ask my doctor to do it.
Moles were considered evidence of the entry point of demons or marriage to the devil generally determined by "witch hunters." Needless to say medical professionals and "TEN MIDWIVES" would have seen it all. I mean that seems like they created a wonderful scientific body. If someone wants to find the mark of the devil, they will. Everybody has a mole or scar that looks like Boris Johnson in some dark corner of their person.
27:36 I can't be the only one who loves how he said "many moons ago" it's not something you hear everyday. :)
I really enjoy the art style they picked for the animation. I think it fits perfectly. It gives an uncanny feeling. The same feeling of that time where everyone was suspicious of each other for being witches. It really added on to this episode.
It's strange watching a documentary like this as an American, we hear so much about Salem but so little about batshit insane witch trials in other countries.
The animation is creepy AF! I love it 😏
Ms.MonicaPyle yeah it’s kinda got a David Firth vibe
Reminds me of Edward gorey
That emoji at the end makes me feel weird in the context
I gotta wonder what that boy would've come up with as an excuse for why he didn't bring his homework to school.
11:51 I love how they placed that “creepy looking” doll in the road just to pick it up for scary effect 😂😂😂
I’m from pendle area and on Halloween ur not allowed on pendle hill police are all around it. But there is this big stone and a house on top of the hill it’s kinda creepy.
Why not allowed on the hill at Halloween ? I assume it's more to do with partying 🤣 Could have a terrific rave party up there at Halloween 🤣
It is not that you are not allowed on Pendle hill at Halloween it is that it attracts such a large number that the number of people allowed up is limited on H&S grounds.
Wow very interesting...why the big rock
No house on Pendle hill, nor is it closed on Halloween
This is the case which gave free reign to English law to use children as witnesses. This led directly to the Salem atrocities, as at that time, America was still under the rule of English law. Oh, and I live about 2 miles from this very spot; the Pendle witches have been part of my life since I was a child.
Cool. On my mother side we have the gift- even though is denied. Protestant superstition 😂
He literally says this in the video lmao.
That's fascinating in a horrific kind of way.
The child was already abused. Then she got exploited by the court. It’s just sad.
I'm so confused. People thought others where witches because of bad things happening to them, but where they not scared of what the "witch" would do if they accused them publicly of it?
The hysteria following an accusation almost always led to people claiming the bad luck they had after so and so was accused was proof of their guilt.
This whole hysteria about witchcraft reminds me of the McMartin preschool case back in the 80's. Children testified about outrageous unspeakable acts that did not happen. This also reminds me of the repressed memory nonsense that happened in the 90's. Even though no one was hanged, peoples lives were ruined because of lies from children. It is very easy to manipulate children. It is also very easy for people not to think rationally. We are reverting back to the time of Jennet Device-that's something that should frighten everyone.
When my daughter was say 3 or 4 I used to stack what we had for dinner or went out too by saying them in a certain order.
It wasn't even just the McMartin case. There were similar prosecutions across the country, all on either slim evidence or no evidence. Even law enforcement and prosecutors involved in the cases could be accused and prosecuted in turn. The convoluted origins of the whole nonsensical hysteria read a lot like the foolish pizzagater conspiracy now. People spent decades in prison, lost their reputations, relationships and property, and at least one person died in prison before being exonerated. We really aren't any different now than people were in the 1600s.
It was never proven that nothing happened with the Mcmartin case. Children don't just make up sexual abuse. Dumb comment
@@jolynne473 Sorry sweetie, but the McMartin case showed that the children had been coached by incompetent, dishonest social workers and law enforcement. I recommend reading "No Crueler Tyrannies". You'll see that children can inadvertently make up claims of sexual abuse. So I suggest you educate yourself.
@@chigal0926 I've actually researched this case thoroughly. You seem like a child hater anyway. So of course you don't give a care about what the children quite possibly went through.
Imagine cursing someone and then they drop and have a stroke right there
Honestly even i would be slightly shaken.
I once cursed at a girl I didn’t like when I was small. She was eating an icecream and I said that I wished she would drop it and she did. I was kinda happy atm but felt really guilty later on.
@@Grace-et6qj you witch jk
"Kids... do whatever kids do in parks these days." Simon Armitage clearly showing his knowledge of children.
I just realized this was the inspiration for the Agnes Nutter/Device family plot in Good Omens oh wow
I was like: "Device? Looks familiar... surely not related to Good Omens, right?"
Then the name Alice Nutter came around and I was like: "Those are an awful lot of coincidences...🤔🤨"
HOLY SHIT OH YEAH
Same!
Looked for this comment 😂
Watching Good Omens and hearing these names I thought” bit of a Pendle Witch vibe going on here “
You have to remember that people weren't that ethical in that period or didn't have the same knowledge about child psychology we do today. Just imagine how easy it is to influence a 9 year old, specially with fear. I know 9 year olds that still believe in Santa Claus. Also, I would argue that people tend to want to believe in the fantasy. The truth is always a bit more boring and dry. It would not be that surprising to me, that the little girl would constantly be surrounded by people talking about witches, how dangerous they are, and how her family is connected to witchcraft. Kids at that age are like sponges and will remember and repeat everything they see. More importantly at that age, a kid doesn't have the mental capacity to fully understand the repercussion of the situation, for her or her family.
Think of how many morons still believe in gods.
@That One Nowadays maybe.. But you have to remember that, at that time, there was zero education and zero knowledge about psychology, social influences, science, etc. as we do today. I don't think people around the girl or even the judge on trail was very objective on the matter. Everyone wanted to believe in the witches story, so assumption was already set. Also, I imagine it was very difficult for a peasant little girl to confess against the general statement of the town and against important (higher status) people. It would be much easier to go with the flow and just say what everyone is thinking.
bloody hell aren't you mister rational denying the existence of Santa now aren't we.
And force everyone else to believe in him.
And that makes it better how?
Fantastic documentary. Armitage is a captivating presenter, his delivery is somehow both poetic and informative. The animation is excellent. Thanks so much for this upload. More! Absolute history yes!
This guy is the perfect presenter for this one. I love this channel so much.
I love this channel. All the content is so interesting.
Imagine a time when a 9 year old girl can kill 10 people by calling them witches
We don't have to imagine it.
Right now, young women regularly have men killed by calling them rapists.
What matters is proof to find out if the accusation is true or not. We must look to evidence.
There were definitely some points where some subtitles would have been helpful especially when the two Scottish dudes got to chatting it up lol
Haha! Gosh, I must have adapted well as I am from England, living in Scotland and I understood them fine! Haha!
@@aliciastaley-best7763 youtubes auto captions dont know what non anglo english is LOL
"mocking is another word for sh!t"
Me: so thats why my mom says mocking alot
That gives the vegan mock tuna dish a new meaning.
I heard “muck” like “muck the stalls” in regards to barn work
my great x 10 grandmother was a convicted witch
Wow. That's so amazing to have that information about your ancestor. How incredible. I hope you'll make a little keepsake notebook or something with your info in for your family. Can you imagine having that passed down 200 years in the future, so precious !
How do you know, im curious
Poor thing 😞
@@jan-nn9ix yeah yeah, but how does she/he knows, cuz thats like pretty old information, like no one knows who their great +10 grandparents were
@@lauren1352 ancestory.com or info passed down from generations. Like if ur great granma was a princess that would be info passed on bc its pretty crazy
I love how it shows drawing of them, and the little girl's voice.
A child stings itself on a nettle. The mother shows it how to relieve the sting with a dock leaf. Oh look, she's a witch....Lets invent a religion whereby no one shall find the 'power' to heal themselves other than through the church via a clergyman.
You think witch hunts were bad? Imagine how much healing knowledge were in the minds of native people before we colonized them
Wait a minute. They were acquitted because the boy admitted he was lying, but the wrongly accused had to PAY for their own imprisonment? Surely the boys family should have had to pay for the imprisoned people as they put them there and then if they couldn't they should be the ones to rot in jail. That might be the craziest part to me, imprison ppl for over a year based on a lie then punish them even further
34:40 - For goodness sake, of course they were innocent. Attempted murder is nowhere near the same thing as attempted 'curse'. What an odd thing for him to say!
If I give you a bottle of poison and you go up and around giving it to people, but they don't die because the poison is fake, is it attempted murder or not?
Serena maybe depends on if you knew you were selling a fake product? 😂 I would think that if you were trying to sell something labeled as poison you would be an accomplice to murder, even if the poison didn’t work. The intent to harm was there so that may be evidence to prosecute, and even if it was just sugar water in a bottle labeled as poison,if you sold something claiming to harm someone it would be hard to say you were just joking around and you could be in trouble for selling a false product. It would be attempted murder if there were toxic chemicals found that didn’t kill the person but if it did I think you’d certainly get ratted out. Lol. 😂 sorry pal lmao
I liked the art style but portraying Jennet as a demon child is a little much for me. The adults around her were the evil ones, taking advantage of her and influencing her to destroy her family.
Rayvenne R agreed
True however do not mistake the possibility that she was already seen as the black sheep of her family.. she was an illegitemate and the youngest it’s possible her family didn’t give her the care that she wanted or needed.. that she was constantly reminded of the fact that hey i’m different from my brother and sister... maybe it was in part the influence of those around her that made her testify against her family and also in part her own disdain for her family that might have picked on her as the youngest and illegitemate child.. especially in those times it’s not that farfetched that her family would look down on her even if it wasn’t even her fault i think it was just a concoction of bad luck influence by outsiders and perhaps an actual existing disdain for her family that might have made her turn against her own family
I disagree. Her intelligence was well documented. She probably knew what she was doing and was driven by hatred of her family. She knew what happened at that Easter lunch, she knew there was no witchy business happening because she was there but she lied anyway. She knew what lying would lead to. Good people don't lie to a jury to falsely convict their family to death. It doesn't matter how much she was coerced by an overzealous superstitious vigilante, all she would have had to do is tell the truth in court and she and her family would get to go home. She didn't want to go home, so she had her family killed instead. Nobody lies that much for that long if they aren't okay with it. I'm not buying her innocence at all. Though I did feel bad for her when the tables were turned, even though it was karma. She probably died in jail.
I thought that maybe the girl had been abused, since it was pretty common in that time to treat kids cruely at same as adult people. Probably she was scared of the court but also che was scared to come back in that poor and violent environment.
@@N.a.r.i yep and when you also take into mind the fact she was a bastard child she was most likely abused to all hell
They were all killed just because the little girl’s heartless cruelty , this is such a sad real life story. I feel soo angry at how many people were killed unjustly.
@ 14:28, that beautiful library. I want to live there. Look at those ornate shelves. I don't read much but old books like those makes me happy
I think she hated her family, also I think in a way she felt out of place as she was from a different father, I think she knew what was going to happen to them, she just wanted to hurt them
Edit: but we will never know what really went down in her head and the reality of her family
Kinda think she must have had a pretty awful upbringing . Dysfunctional I guess we would call it now . Her older sisters brought men back regularly . Bizzarly she reminds me of Mary Bell , child who killed younger children . Mary Bell had a terrible upbringing . Weird connection to make possibly , but does remind me .
99fruitbat i agree.. i personally think it was a mix between all of the factors the fact she was an illegitemate in this time most likely ment that her family saw her as the black sheep. It’s not uncommon that a bastard child would be picked on often the mother being hated for having this child in the first place often leading to the mother in turn blaming the child for her own mistakes (aka going to bed with another man that she wasn’t married to) on top of that i also have no doubt that manipulation by the ones whom were holding the trial might also have played a part.. i’d guess that she did already dislike her family and that this manipulation only made her hatred worse as now she would see her own family as the ones who mistreated her and as evil witches. the fact that they state that she was a very well spoken girl makes me think that she defenitely knew what was going on people often underestimate what a child knows and doesn’t know.. perhaps she was even mentally unstable sociopathic or just born with some other issues that might have affected this seeing as they did say her mother was slightly deformed in the facial area.. i think by stacking all of it up and seeing how that time was that the girl might have even been glad to get rid of them due to the abuse that most likely she had lived trough till that point
@@litchtheshinigami8936 I definitely think she must have witnessed some very damaging stuff in her life . As I said before , reminds me very much about Mary Bell . Developing youngsters brains can be hard wired into dysfunction thru abuse . I used to work as a residential child care worker , saw some very sad situations .
I can see Pendle hill from my house.When I walk through town and past some one trying to sell me some thing saying no thanks, then they say have a nice day to me it sounds like a curse.
Have a nice day sounds like a curse. 🤣
Mick Keogh Here is what you should do. In the USA, in some southern states, when someone says to you “Bless your heart”, it really means “F#ck you”. So, the next time you tell someone “no thanks”, and they tell you to “have a nice day”, tell them, “Bless your heart!”
catherine mary I mean not really but okay
why they be making the kid look like she some sorta evil force from a horror movie lmao
Girl kills her own family with a most likely made up story then this story gets her arrested for witchcraft. Talk about carmaker
carmaker
Sorry karma
CaRmAkEr
Boneappletea
37:05 Very true...the park next to our downtown CVS was literally the gallows square during the Colonial era, and today it's where you snag some bug spray or Cheetos.
I first read Good Omens years ago, but it’s still so wild to here names like Alice Nutter and the Device family in a REAL historical witch trial. Neil did his damn research.
My grandmother traced our genealogy back to England before she passed on many branches, but one connected to these witch trials. This branch was from Lancashire, England where these events took place. Three adolescent boys migrated to this continent in the early 1700s on an Irish trade ship as indentured servants, and one boy is one of my ancestors. We are also descended directly from the black sheep family who came over with the original Pilgrims, John Billington, supposedly falsely accused of murder, because he despised the fundamentalist religious nature of the Pilgrims and was essentially falsely accused.
A very interesting presentation, augmented by the appropriate animations. I thoroughly enjoyed this programme but it is at risk of being spoiled due to too many adverts. Thanks for sharing !
I love the animations' and the sound effects. 'Really pulls you into the story.
I just found this channel and *LOVE* it! I love the research, interviews and historical references you guys do/use. Also you guys *_cover some pretty weighty material_* but make history *interesting and even fun.* If history was taught like this back when I was in school I would have *LOVED* it and looked forward to it. Sadly, it was not. 🙂
The documentaries are from the BBC. This channel did nothing except put many,many ads onto an already existing programme.
What actually happened:
Janet: “mommy can I have chocolate?”
Janet’s mother: “no, you can’t !”
Janet: “ummm judge she is a witch”
This is so well produced... just love the addition of those animations!
Nutter and Device? This must have influenced Good Omens.
Have to say, I'm impressed by the artwork and production quality of this documentary. I especially liked the path where Alison met the pedlar. The art is really creepy..grim...
The courtroom scene where Elizabeth was pleading her case was also very well done.. And the manner in which the child climbed on the table... ooo.. spooky.
The little girl was actually the witch all along
I studied abroad in the UK at Lancaster Uni and there was a student residence called Pendle College and the sign was of a witch lol I never knew the history behind it! This was a great doc as I could recognise some of the places in Lancashire but now I know some of the history! I was also in one of those castle prison cells (the old ones) during the tour and it is darn small and dark as night! Thanks
I was born and breed in Burnley (63 I was born ) and always lived in the shadow of Pendle hill .been on top a few times . Amazing story
Really love the hosts voice and his way of telling the story
Incredible video, fascinating story. As a historical fiction writer, you never fail to inspire a new idea.
I got to remember that excuse if I'm ever later for work...
my thoughts exactly lol. it's all in the details
OMG, I'm So Sorry for these INNOCENT SOULS. RIP DEAR ONES 🎈⚘🎈⚘🎈⚘🎈⚘🎈⚘💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
I really enjoyed the animations. Made alot of difference. 👍
I was born and raised in Colne, within sight of Pendle Hill. I traced my family history and I am related to Old Mother Demdyke. X
LOL. How sad!!
@@damstay what a strange response.
I'm related to the device's
harvey : Hey there, I am a doctor of medicine and stand in all glory beside Newton.
King - Go examine the nether regions of witches.
I'm going to guess it was out of spite for something her family did to her, it could have been minor or major, a one time thing or continuous but she wanted revenge, which is not so unusual for a child really, but I think she must have also been a sociopath or psychopath, putting her safety first, taking advance of opportunities to get rid of those who wronged her and she sounds quite charming and calm too. But really, children aren't as innocent as we make them be, they don't even need to suffer from a personality disorder to do something as wrong as her, they just need imagination and a need for attention or hate. Obviously, they're also heavily influenced by their environment and family; back then there was this constant fear of witches so it makes sense for them to even believe the lies they say. Unfair nonetheless.
She had to have a uncaring mind set to do that.
Well, it is natural to put your safety before others, or the human race would have gone extincted
@@Naharu. A child with no personality disorders would react in a panicked way. She was far too young to be able to present her case so calmly. I don't quite believe that a child suddenly understood concepts such as life, death and self-preservation but that she probably considered getting rid of her family and just seized the opportunity while also saving herself purely due to a psychotic behavior not due to a natural selfishness. Children may actually be quite selfish but the people in danger weren't strangers but family and children are, obviously, attached to their family and any child would try to save them but she didn't, quite the opposite in fact. I think the fear of losing her mother should have been greater than something like death, that maybe she couldn't even fully grasp just yet, if she was just a regular child.
The animations, interviews and on location sections add so much. So much effort, it makes the videos so interesting!
I love this episode with the drawings - it is so neat I have watched it a good 5-6 times now. DO MORE LIKE THIS
There is a fiction book called 'the familars' which is based around this. Its writen from the perspective of a young aristocratic wife who is having trouble having a living child. She ends up having Allison as her midwife to help her. It talks about the trails and paranoia around 'witches'. Even talking to your pet could get rumors started. Its not a bad read. Pretty easy to get through.
Sounds like a mass schizophrenia
Part of it was probably auditory hallucinations brought on by fear and the power of suggestion, since schizophrenia is genetic (I think)
Glad to see Ronald Hutton again. His understanding of the beliefs and rituals of the 15th and 16th centuries is a wonderful addition to our understanding of these times. His understanding and knowledge of both beliefs and their music and stories are unforgettable to the listener.
Aw wow...whomever did the post on this is bleeding brilliant! I adore this channel for its astringent views on history, but this? The shadowplay and animations are bang on. Love it.
I felt that Janice was probably abused and confused and that was why she testified against them.
In Appalachia old wiser women were called Grannies. They had skills learned from way back, lots of them from the natives in the area.
Fear politics, words and stories and the power they had.... that describes the last 4years of political mania in this country. It used to baffle me to think of how the Salem witch trials were able to take hold and spread across land and sea. Maniacal people cannot reasoned with.
I'm from Massachusetts, where Salem is. You have no idea how easily an entire town can get caught up in hysterical thoughts... that turn to actions.
"The law should allow liars to testify in court" lol. That can't be rife with problems
What could go wrong?
Have we ever considered that Jannet might sufer from Psycophaty? I could have been that she was brainwashed. It could be a bit of both. I guess we will never know...
I am sure there had to be serious abuse in that household, to make a little girl hate her mother so much
Odd to present the 1634 acquittals as being due to reasoning becoming more rational throughout the 17th century. It just presented a period of reduced interest in witch trials, probably for political reasons. Witch hunts in England reached their peak in the 1640s, after the Lancester trials, during the English Civil War. Matthew Hopkins' book "The Discovery of Witches", published in 1647, would go on to influence the witch hunts in the British colonies, especially those at Salem in 1692, which would dwarf the witch hunts of the early 1600s.
I love this dang channel sm. thank you for educating me with every video! 🖤
I love history!
I love the animations and the art style of the characters!
A child will say anything if angry enough. They can wish you dead for not getting a cookie. She must've gotten the "Malibu Barbie".
I love this guys voice... it’s completely distracting me from the story 😂
3:50 So they were mocking the house by calling it Mocking Tower?
@dindunuffin? promise {Face in palm} I know what he said, but with his accent, it sounds like he said Mocking instead of Mucking.
It was called Malkin Tower.
Well lucky me, malkin is my last name
In the town where i grew up there's a tree over a burn where they used to hang the witches.
That’s rly cool
I'm a modern day witch, and this makes me sad. I practice strictly light magic, it's saddening that people think all witches are evil and practice dark magic
I like how Edmund had to prove his reason for being late for over a year. Imagine coming up with such a great reason for being lateand having to prove it so publicly.