The The Pendle Witches

With the ascension of James VI of Scotland to the English throne as King James I, came a new wave of persecution against those who practised witchcraft. Although many in Britain believed in witches, they were more often or not indifferent to them, believing them to be neither good or bad. However, James was a great believer in witchcraft, believing all those who practised it were evil, and he vowed to destroy the practice. With …

…possible now, to look back and accuse him of having ulterior motives in ignoring what might have been an obvious chance of revenge. However, with the evidence given, and the confessions obtained, it seems that there is little he could have actually done to ignore the situation. This kind of trial was not unusual for this period, as it was a time of great distrust of the unknown, fuelled by the beliefs of the king.