BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT IN NORFOLK.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 509, 19 September 1857, Page 4

BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT IN NORFOLK.

The following case is furnished to the ' Times' by a Norfolk Magistrate, to whom the application was made, and who vouches for its authenticity and to its having taken place on the day" named :— " November 17th, 185(3. J. 8., who farms about 40 acres of land in the parfsh-of Hbckiiam, makes application to Mr. , a Magistrate, as follows:— -T. B. : Your Worship, I come to ask your advice concerning of my wife. .Mr. —— : What's the matter? X, B.: Why, your Worship, she's harassed about night and day—-continual worrying—like wind teasing her stomach, and like a sow with all her young pigs a-pulling her to pieces. 'Mr.— : I .don't'see .whatl I can do for that. Why don't you send for a doctor ? ■ J. B.: Docror, sir? We've been to all the doctors about. We've spent every shilling to get remedy. All my family known it, poor dears. We'ie wholly done up: Mr. : Still I don't see how I can help you. J. B.: Well, .sir, it's thought by many people in the p irish that my wife's bewitched; that its put upoii_ B iur by evil-disposed persons through envy. '1 here's a family named L , who got turned out when when we was put in, and we think it's through tliem that they set old Mrs. C. to do it.

Mr. —- : Who is Mrs. C. ? . J. B. : She's an old woman, your Worship, who lives near the Lion and she have the character of being a witch, and I thought I'd step down and ask your Worship whether you would give me a grant to have her proved. Mr.—— : How is she to be proved ? J. B.: Why, sir, I thought you could have her swum. I've heard say that if they be witches, and if you take a line (not to do them any harm, but just to swim 'em) then, if they be witches, they wont sink. I've heard say that there was a gentleman at- who had one swum in the river. I don't know exactly how it finished, but I heard she didn't live long after it. He had it done right public. Her name was Pointer. They tied her clothes about her legs and used her decent. She had a line put round her waist, and one on each side, to keep her from sinking, if she was an upright woman; but if she's a witcli they can't sink her no how. Old Mr. L , who done it, jumped upon her, but couldn't sink .her no how ; when her head was down her heels was up, and when her heels was down her head was up. They do say, your Worship, that sich folks are increased about in the world, and if you have so many, as even one in this or any other parish, ihey do a sight of harm. Almost every one who sees my wife sa\s they never ' seed' such a complaint, and call out that she's certainly bewitched. She fare (appear) haunted night and.day. She fare dried up like a crisp. She say,' Will, I can't lie still—l might as well try to sink a bladder in water.' J I do hope your worship will grant the police to tak« old Mrs. C. all of a sudden—by surprise like—and I take her to a pit, and swim her (not to hurt her). If she's an upright woman she'll sink, and if she not sink it will prove her guilty. Mr. : According to this, she won't gain much even if she is ' upright.' But now, 8., seriously, how can you believe such nonsense 1

(Here followed an argument, in which/he brought forward the witch of Endor, the demoniacs of the New Testament, &c. It ended in the applicant being apparently ' convinced against his will,' and, therefore, ' of the same opinion still.') J. B. (returning to the charge) : Well, your Worship, at least I hope you'll take her to a room, and have her stripped, and see if she have anything j bad about her. Mr. : What is she likely to have bad about her! Why, sir, some say that they have imps about them, but I don't know. Mr. —— : What is an imp 1 * J. B.: I don't know, Sir, unless it be some bad • spirit or other from the power of old Satau ; but I never seed one Mr. : But now (ell me why you fix upon this poor old woman, Mrs. C, in particular? J. B.: I'll tell your Worship how we come at it. My wife was advised to send for the woman ——, of , who is wonderful clever in these things.. She came and told us to take some particular liquid and put it in a bottle, with some hairs out of the noddle of my wife's neck, and the parings of her fingernails and toe nails (these were cut quite close) and seme old horseshoe nails. (These, you see, Sir', are little schemes which go from one generation to another; there's always something io be- learned out of the weiikest and ignorantest.) Well, Sir, we set the bottle on the fire, and we waits while it's ; boiling and burning, andjwhat not; and when it ! we look out of the window, and the evil- , 'disposed person stands before us. Last Friday night was a mouth that my wife done this; and after she done: it she got out of bed, as she do sometimes, to take a drop of drink or a little magnesia, | and she looked out of the window, and there she saw the woman C standing before the window, at I a most unseal.-ible hour, in the moonlight, iv an ! agony sort of state. I Mr. : What became of her ? J. B.: I don't know, Sir ;my wife got into bed, and I suppose some one came and took the woman away. We had not seen her since, but our girl says that she has heard her rattling at the door. Mr. : Weli, 1 can't listen to any more sucli nonsense.

J. B.: Ask the squire's gamekeeper, sir, and ask Tnm T, steady, not fast-talking men. Let. the squire call these men before him. Give me them writings if you please, sir, and let me take them to the cleryman and the squire? We wished to come to you first. :

■Mr. : I have been merely writing down what you said, but you must not trouble the squire about such rubbish. J. B.: Sir, If our squire knew that there was any such bad things as witchcraft in th* parish, he wo uld have it altered; because you know, Sir, I have to pay the rates and taxes, hard and fast. Mr. : I really can't listen to you any longer. J. B.: What Sir! am* t you going to have it proved? Can't you, at any rate, have her hitched to the union house? That might be a benefit. Mr. : I will make inquiries, and will do what is advisable. [Exit applicant, protesting against anything short of full proof by " swimming her.I'] The district policeman has since informed me that on .a certain night he was asked by J. B. to come and watch his premises, under pretence that his ducks were stolen. He did so, but discovered afterwards that they were " working their spell," and they wanted him to see the witch appear. He saw no one. The old woman C. is harmless and respectable, and so infirm that she cannot possibly have been so far as J. B.s house for a very long time past. The " bewildered " woman herself has since described to me me what she saw—viz., the woman C , " whinnying" like a dog shut up, not barking nor howling, but "whinnying," and moving her hands like a dog's paw when sitting up. Mrs. B told me that she knew all her afflictions to come fronv God, but she does not understand why He sends such persons as the witch to witness them."

The writer gives several other equally absurd instances to show that the belief in witchcraft is very general among the poor, and not uncommon in a class above 'them.' '