In the north-west of England, a mist-wreathed hill and villages with old stone houses invite you to trace the country’s most unsettling legends. Welcome to Pendle, a region where mystery lovers can walk in the footsteps of witches, explore wild landscapes, and push open doors to places steeped in troubling tales. As Halloween approaches, this little-known Lancashire destination offers an escape as otherworldly as it is fascinating. But here, behind the ghost stories, the past is far from a mere legend.
A Witch Hunt Fueled by Fear and Superstition
At the start of the 17th century, an accusation of witchcraft could cost you your life. In England, King James I had intensified the crackdown with a law passed in 1604, which prescribed the death penalty for certain practices of witchcraft, even when they had not resulted in any deaths. The elderly, the poor, or those reputed to possess healing powers were particularly exposed to suspicion.
It was in this climate that the Pendle affair burst onto the scene. In March 1612, Alizon Device, a local healer, encountered a travelling peddler, John Law, who collapsed shortly afterwards. Law’s son denounced the young woman to the authorities. She would later acknowledge some responsibility for the incident and point the finger at several other residents, including her grandmother Elizabeth Southerns and Anne Whittle, a healer with whom she had been in conflict.
The magistrate Roger Nowell’s inquiry soon gathered momentum. A gathering held on Good Friday at the Device family home was interpreted as a witches’ gathering and led to further arrests. Among the accused was Alice Nutter, a relatively well-off woman whose case stood in stark contrast to that of the other defendants.
The testimony of Jennet Device, aged only nine, played a decisive role in the convictions. She accused her mother, her brother, her sister, and her grandmother. In total, nine of the twelve people tried in this case were found guilty and hanged.
The suppression of witchcraft continued for several decades. In England, it was not until 1736 that the laws criminalising these practices were repealed.
From Lancashire Villages to the Dungeons of Lancaster Castle
Today, visitors can traverse the landscapes associated with this case thanks to several walking routes, notably the Pendle Witches’ Way and the Lancashire Witches’ Walk. These routes permit exploration of the villages where some of the accused lived, as well as the sites tied to their arrest and imprisonment.
In Newchurch-in-Pendle, a small village at the foot of the hill, traces of this history remain visible. Representations of witches decorate some houses, while horseshoes and holly recall old beliefs meant to ward off bad luck. The Church of St. Mary also attracts curious visitors. Its cemetery houses an imposing stone tomb nicknamed the Witch’s Tomb, sometimes linked to Alice Nutter. This attribution remains uncertain. A sculpture in the shape of an eye, known as the Eye of God, also adorns the church tower and is said to have been intended to protect the village from malevolent forces.
Farther on, Ashlar House, a stone dwelling in Fence, constitutes another important stop. According to local historian Stephen Oldfield, interviewed by the BBC, it is the only building still standing in the area where the accused are known to have entered.
The walk finally leads to Lancaster, where the medieval castle rises, the site where prisoners were held before their trials. Visitors can explore the dungeons, cramped and damp spaces that give a sense of the conditions of detention of the era.
The region also cultivates its mysterious reputation. Visitors report feeling a sense of unease on Pendle Hill, whose summit rises to 557 metres and is frequently shrouded in mist. Historian Stephen Oldfield describes this atmosphere as singular: “There has always been this atmosphere and this unsettling presence on Pendle Hill.”
Accounts of unexplained phenomena draw fans of dark tourism, especially as Halloween approaches. Yet behind the ghost stories, the site’s historical interest remains essential. For Stephen Oldfield, those condemned were, above all, vulnerable individuals, caught in the beliefs of their time.
