The definitive Investigation  

                                                                           By Bookaholic  (Review from Amazon - 5 stars)

  The Lancashire Witch Conspiracy is a remarkable new book by John A. Clayton on the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612. He has undertaken extensive research to achieve what seemed impossible, bringing valuable new evidence to light. It was the largest witch trial in England at that time, surpassed only by Matthew Hopkins' reign of terror as the Witchfinder General nearly four decades later.

  No legal records have survived, but the Lancashire case was so sensational that a court clerk, Thomas Potts, was commissioned to write a pamphlet defending the hangings of eleven witches, mostly frail and elderly women. Designed to exonerate the judges from criticism, his account has perpetuated the myths surrounding magic and witchcraft.

  In the first half of his book, John Clayton details the history of Pendle Forest from the Norman Conquest until the reign of James I. He traces the lineage of Lancashire's landowning gentry, many of whom were instrumental in the accusations of 1612. John paints a picture of a rising gentry, stopping at nothing in their quest to gain more land. The contrast between their acquisitive lifestyle and the primitive conditions endured by the peasantry is shocking.

  The network of intermarriages and family feuds sowed the seeds of resentment among the common people, and in the latter part of the book Clayton probes the forgotten history of those accused of witchcraft. They were part of a vanishing culture, and their closeness to nature and old-time religion made them vulnerable to the forces of change. The term `conspiracy' is very apt in this case.

  For those with only a casual interest in the story, this book might be too in-depth. But anyone with a passion to know more about the history of Pendle and the fate of its witches will find it a richly satisfying and definitive study, taking us to the heart of the matter and asking all the right questions, while keeping its enduring intrigue alive for generations to come.

Format:  245mm x 190mm x 302 pages

Over 65 photographs, maps, plans and family trees etc. relating to the history of the most notorious witch hunt in English history.

Published Autumn 2007                            

2nd Edition

FREE P&P WITHIN THE UK!!!!!

The so-called ‘Witches’ Grave’ at St. Mary’s Church, Newchurch-in-Pendle.

Although this is indeed an early tomb of members of one of the Pendle

Forest Nutter families it does not actually relate to ‘witch’ Alice Nutter.

However, The Lancashire Witch Conspiracy uncovers clear evidence

showing that the youngest member of the Device (Demdyke) family

(Jennet Device) is actually buried in St.Mary’s chuchyard.

This is but one of many fascinating, and previously unknown facts

relating to the Pendle Witch story!