“Sometimes, it wasn’t witchcraft. It was just women being slightly inconvenient.”

🏰 Setting the Scene: 1612, Lancashire, England

Pendle Hill is still there today - looming, brooding, dripping with gothic energy.
But back in 1612?
It was home to poverty, plague, superstition, and the kind of vibes where if your cow died, your milk soured, or your husband dropped dead after cheating on you...
You blamed the woman next door.

And if she had a limp and an attitude? Witch.

🧙♀️ The “Coven” of Pendle

Twelve people (mostly women) were accused of murder by witchcraft.
The drama? Immaculate.

At the centre of the cauldron were two legendary matriarchs:

• Elizabeth Southerns, known as "Old Demdike" (80, blind, and fabulous)

• Her rival, Anne Whittle, aka "Old Chattox" (witch feud level = scorched earth)

They were both local healers, both poor, and both had opinions.
And in 1612, that was enough to be declared dangerous.

⚖️ What Sparked the Witch Hunt?

One young girl, Alizon Device (Demdike’s granddaughter), cursed a pedlar who refused to sell her pins.
He collapsed on the road.
Boom. The town loses its damn mind.
Next thing you know - entire families are dragged into the mess.

The charge?
Witchcraft, heresy, murder, shape-shifting, animal familiars, satanic pacts, and general “witchy behaviour.”

(Which, let’s be honest, sounds like a typical Friday at Naturally Wicked HQ.)

🗣️ The Testimony Was WILD

• Children testified against parents

• Rival witches ratted each other out

• They were accused of turning ale sour, killing cows, and walking funny

• One said she turned into a dog and back again

• Another claimed she made clay poppets and chanted curses

Honestly? Slay.

But back then?
It was enough to get you hanged.

🕯️ The Trial: A Witch's Worst Nightmare

Held at Lancaster Castle, the Pendle Witch trials were brutal.

• No defence lawyers

• Hearsay = gospel

• Spectacle over truth

• 10 of the 12 were sentenced to death

On August 20th, 1612, they were hanged.
Not burned - hanged like criminals, not witches.
Because justice had already left the building.

💔 What It Really Was?

• Women. Poor. Loud.

• Healers, midwives, herbalists

• Independent and inconvenient

• Living in a world that hated them for it

So yeah. They were witches. But not the kind you fear - the kind you become.