William Harrison Ainsworth, The Lancashire Witches

Stephen Carver (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Grace Moore (University of Otago)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1848 - 1849

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

The Lancashire Witches is set on and around Pendle Hill in early-Seventeenth-century Lancashire, with an introduction set in 1536. The Cistercian monk, Borlace Alvetham, is falsely accused of witchcraft by his rival, Brother John Paslew, and condemned to a lingering death. Alvetham escapes by selling his soul to Satan and returns as the warlock, Nicholas Demdike, during the Pilgrimage of Grace, to witness the execution of the now Abbot Paslew for treason. Paslew dies cursing Demdike's daughter and “that infant and her progeny became the Lancashire Witches.” The remainder of the narrative is set about a century later, when the ancient witch, Mother Demdike, wields tremendous supernatural power over the area, her evil family …

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943 words

Citation: Carver, Stephen. "The Lancashire Witches". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 July 2001 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=386, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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