Discovering the Pendle Witches – Talk and Book Signing

Name: Discovering the Pendle Witches – Talk and Book Signing
Start: 2025-08-29T13:00:00+01:00
End: 2025-08-29T14:30:00+01:00
Location: Gawthorpe Hall

Schedule

Fri Aug 29 2025 at 01:00 pm to 02:30 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Gawthorpe Hall | Burnley, EN

On 20 August 1612, ten people from Pendle in Lancashire were executed before a vast crowd at Lancaster’s Gallows Hill. The condemned and their associates had endured six months of accusations, imprisonment and torture; their treatment was such that one of them died in Lancaster Castle’s dungeons while awaiting trial.
Today, a thriving tourism industry exists in and around Pendle, yet virtually everything we know about the case originates from a single source: Thomas Potts’ book 'The Wonderful Discoverie of Witches', published in 1613 and in blatant favour of the prosecution. Carol Ann Lee will discuss the approach she took in writing about the case for her book 'Something Wicked, the Lives, Crimes and Deaths of the Pendle Witches'.
Along the way, we will learn more about the people involved, separating fact from fiction, and examining why their stories still hold us spellbound today. Carol's new book will be on sale at Gawthorpe Hall on the day, and she will happily sign it for you.
This talk is linked to the exhibition 'An Account of Life: Gawthorpe in the 1600s', where an original copy of Thomas Potts' 1613 book is on display. Carol Ann Lee is a bestselling author, whose books have been the basis for two major television series (White House Farm and A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story).
£8 booking essential, includes admission to the Hall