4 West Close
Trail
On foot, leave car at Four Alls Inn, and head over the road to pick up Higham Hall Rd sign, taking the back road.
Until the end where you can see the footpath (to blue car)
Over the road to pick up offical footpath.
Please stick to this footpath, although it does get boggy
As you walk down, you overlook West Close Clough (means narrow valley), where the Chattox's hovel would have been. (53"49'16.75N 2"17'32.61 W)
Please treat this site with respect.
Chattox on Trial
Chattox real name Mrs Anne Whittle and her daughter Anne Redfearn. They were accused and admitted making clay effigies of the Nutter family. More about the Nutters.
There is much in the Confessions of Chattox and her 'witchcraft', where you can read that Chattox said Demdike showed her, that she had bewitched to death, Richard Assheton, son of Richard Assheton of Downham esquire.
From King James Demonology: Modern Translation
Chap 5 Why more women practice the craft
"To some others at these times he [the Devil] teaheth how to make pictures of wax or clay. That by the roasting thereof, the persons that they beare the name of, may be continually melted or die away by continually sickness."
West Close Farm is reputed to have been their home . It looks a bit smarter now , 'described in Burnley Express' under headline "Witch way for des-res home?" 5pts
A cacher,called Biggwhit, had grandparents who lived at West Close "My grandad used to farm at West Close until he died and we had to sell the farm. The witches who 'supposedly' lived there were Anne Redferne and Ann Whittle (aka Chattox). No one lived there for a while after we left! If you walk down to the farm house from the north off Fir Trees Lane the road splits the two buildings. The building on the right is the old house but it was only 1/4 of the size it is now! On the left was the old barn. When we left we found a bricked up staircase leading into the attic that we didn’t know about!"
Some years earlier a quarrel had broken out between the two poor families. The Demdikes family home (Malkin Tower) was robbed and Alizon Chaddox was the prime suspect. Here is an example of distance - nowadays it seems a long way between the two homes, but in those days it would be only a few miles straight walk.
Elizabeth Device’s husband, John Device, arranged for Bessie to pay a yearly tribute of meal - provided she did no more harm. But John died shortly after, leaving the Demdikes to a life of poverty; old Mother Demdike and Alizon were forced to look for 'alms'. Richard Catlow believes that alms were more forthcoming in the Pendle. Yet rumours were rife about continued misdeeds of both the Demdikes and the Chattoxs.
