Sculpture Trail
START From the Car Park. Go through the village , and instead of turning left up the road, keep straight on, (sign: 'for walkers only') past possible New Malkin Tower, up past Moss Reservoir on your left, then at junction turn right for 50-100 yards where on the right it is clearly marked 'Aitken Woods ' There is a clear route round bringing you back to Aitken Woods sign.
The complete route back to the car park is almost exactly 5k.
Turning off main track into the trail, you see first a life-size figure of 'the witchfinder', modelled on the Judge Robert Nowell...
Keep your eyes peeled for plaques, each representing one of the poor wretches.
The explanations perpetuate many of the witch myths, rather than exploring what was really going on...
Elizabeth Device
The daughter of Demdike was known locally as Squinting Lizzie. She had a spirit dog, said to have been a witch’s 'familiar'. Having domestic animals as pets is of course not unusual, but was used by Roger Nowell JP as a clear sign that those accused were indeed witches. Hence the paw prints..
Katherine Hewitt
(Mould-heels) was the wife of John Hewitt of Colne, a clothier. She 'confessed' that at their meeting at Malkin Tower, James Device implicated her in the death of Folds wife's child, called Ann Folds, of Colne.
She was a bit better off than the others, as her husband was a clothier, and supplied yarn. Hence the weave pattern here.
Demdike
Old Demdike freely admitted to witchcraft, claiming that the devil had appeared to her 20 years earlier. Remember these were poor old souls, would do anything to give themselves a bit of power.
She wasn't very friendly to the other family in this tale -headed by Chattox, saying she and her daughter Anne Redfearn made images of Christopher, Robert and Marie Nutter, shortly before Robert's death. Demdike lived at Malkin Tower.
Present day wretches..
Alizon Device
Another old plaque belongs to the key character Alizon Device. Grandaughter of Demdike. Alizon confessed that she had been persuaded by her grandmother to allow a 'devil or familiar' in the shape of a black dog to come and suck on her breast.
The immediate events which led to the trials began on 18 March 1612 began when Alizon Device asked a pedlar to sell her some pins and was refused. He accused her of bewitching him when he was paralysed on one side shortly afterwards. . She was in the first group sent from here to Lancaster for trial. The 'pins' round here hand look like what we would now call 'nails'.
James Device
James was grandson of Demdike. His grandmother told him to bring communion bread from the church perhaps to use in remedies (to otjhers 'spells'!). Instead he ate the bread and on his return from church he describes “a thing in the shape of a hare” which threatened to pull him to pieces. Hence the hare. However there is a much more interesting tale....
James Device was on trial because he took out his revenge against the Townleys, who had thrown him off his land, as part of the enclosures. Sir John Townley had enclosed areas including Hapton and other nearby areas being enclosed were Horelaw nr Burnley, Hollinghey Clough, Hurstwood east of Burnley, Barnside and Rowley. He dug up the turf at Carre Hall where one of the Townley family (Mrs) lived - as some sort of protest. His younger 9yr old sister Jennet said in Court that he uttered curses and oaths at the time, for which he was convicted of being a witch. The Judge was a mate of Sir John Townley
Anne (Chattox) Whittle
Chattox, when questioned, admitted using witchcraft to take revenge on Robert Nutter, whom she alleged tried to seduce her daughter.
Called Chattox, because she chattered with her old teeth, it is difficult to know which of these plaques represent her.
The pointy one is the first plaque to find, the rams horn much later on.
Jane Bulcock
Along with her son John, was accused of practising ‘devilish arts’ on Jennet Deane of Newfield Edge so that her body wasted and she went mad. Jane was on the list of neighbours who were at the Malkin Tower gathering where, it’s said, they plotted to blow up Lancaster Castle, kill the gaoler and rescue the four women accused of witchcraft. In Court, mention was made of the gunpowder plot a few years previoulsy. If this was the case she would’ve needed some slowmatches or fuses. Hence the fuse. There was no actual evidence of such a conspiracy.
On a recent walk, an old friend of mine showed his family history of how June Bulcock was his 12th Great Grandmother.
Anne Redfearn's doll & pins
Anne Redfearn
You won't see this plaque any more (well we couldn't find it!). It represents Anne Redfearn.
Shuttleworth not only owned the land that Ann Redfearn lived on, but it was his manservant Nutter (who lived at Greenhead Manor) that first accused her of witchcraft. Shuttleworth should have been the judge for this trail but declined saying he was too involved.
Anne Redferne's first appearance in court, was late in the afternoon, charged with the murder of Robert Nutter. The evidence against her was considered unsatisfactory, and she was acquitted.!!!
She was not so fortunate the following day, when she faced her second trial, for the murder of Robert Nutter's father, Christopher, to which she pleaded not guilty. Demdike's statement to Nowell accused Anne of having made clay figures of the Nutter family. Witnesses were called to testify that Anne was a witch "more dangerous than her Mother (Chattox).[55] But she refused to admit her guilt to the end, and had given no evidence against any others of the accused.[56] Anne Redferne was found guilty. No much consolation that she got of the first charge, when she was hung for the second.
There is this fabulous sculpture of the wretches as they were carried away looking towards Pendle. They were carried like this on a cart to Lancaster, and the same cart used to take them to the gibbet where they were strung up and the cart then driven away, leaving them hanging.
This field in the centre of Barley may be the place John Bulcock stole the 'whether' - a sheep. The buildings are old enough. He was one of the accused who was said to have roasted the stolen mutton at the Malkin Tower gathering on Good Friday. They were accused of plotting the release the four witches that had been taken to Lancaster Castle Gaol. If you see a plaque with a sheep's head - this is who/what it refers to
Thanks to Mark Harvey (details) for use of several of these photographs.
Many of these characters talk about having 'familiars. 'Familiars' pop up in Macbeth. The familiar of the First Witch takes is in the form of a cat - a grey cat - 'Grimalkin or Greymalkin'. Or Tibb..