William Harrison Ainsworth’s fictionalised
account of the Pendle Witch trials, which occurred in his native
Lancashire during the 16th century, adds a number of overtly
supernatural elements. As a result, the novel had a significant impact
on the traditional appearance of the witch in the popular imagination,
including the trademark black clothes and pointed hat.
The novel is based on Thomas Potts’s The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster (1603),
an edition of which had recently been edited by Ainsworth’s friend, the
antiquary James Crossley. Crossley’s edition of Potts’s book is
available to download here.
The illustrations on this page are by John Gilbert.
http://gothictexts.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/the-lancashire-witches-1848-by-william-harrison-ainsworth/
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