The Witchfinder's Sister
Page 29
But it is Joseph’s name that I am taking with me, when the boat leaves in a few short days – the name he gave me, which for safety I have left out of this account. I will take my husband’s name, and not much more: a bag of coins, some hard biscuits, several limes, a clean cap and apron for when I arrive. I will leave behind the name of Hopkins, along with this that I have written: both are heavy, and I have carried them far enough now. It is time for a new beginning, for new work in an honest place. I like the sound of it, where I am headed. It is a quiet village, a place of little consequence. But they have named it Salem, which, as you know, means peace.
From John Stearne’s book, A confirmation and discovery of witch-craft, the part that touches on my brother’s methods; on his death, and his afterlife.
And in truth, concerning him who is dead, who likewise was an agent in the business, for my part, I never knew that he either unjustly favoured any, or received bribes or used such extremity as was reported of him; only at first, before he or I ever went, many towns used extremity of themselves, which after was laid on us. And I do not deny but at first he might watch some; but to my knowledge, he soon left it, or at least in such a way as to not make them uncapable: but if he ever did at first, evidence was not taken till after they rested.
But to my knowledge, we have both been much injured in words, and he since his death: but I am certain (notwithstanding whatsoever hath been said of him) he died peaceably at Manningtree, after a long sickness of a consumption, as many of his generation had done before him, without any trouble of conscience for what he had done, as was falsely reported of him. And though many of these things may seem very strange, and hardly to be believed, yet this is the very truth; and that he was the son of a godly minister, and therefore without doubt within the covenant.
Author’s Note
Matthew Hopkins left only a sparse trail of paper behind him. This book is necessarily a work of fiction, woven between the fragments of record that remain. Although little evidence remains of Matthew as a private individual, we know more about his activities as a self-styled witchfinder. I am particularly indebted to Malcolm Gaskill for his brilliant and accessible work in compiling and assessing Matthew Hopkins’s life.
Bridget and her son, Joseph, are invented. It seems probable that Matthew’s father married only once, but for the purposes of this story, I have given him a second wife. Yet while the Alice I’ve written about is fictional, Matthew Hopkins may well have had a sister. His father, James, was ordained in 1609 and presented to the living of Great Wenham in 1612. We know that, within four years, three sons had arrived – James the younger, Thomas and John – but by the time the elder James died, there were six children, including Matthew. One of the other siblings may well have been a daughter, and this would explain her slight presence in the record.
Little is known about Matthew’s schooling and early life. There was enough money in his family for him to have followed his father and brother to Cambridge for training as a minister, yet he did not. I have suggested a reason why.
The places Hopkins visited and the names of his victims have been pieced together from assize records and pamphlets of the time – not all of which agree. In order to tell Matthew’s story, I have played down the role of John Stearne; but his book, A confirmation and discovery of witchcraft, quoted at the end of this novel, has been a key resource in corroborating the shocking facts of what happened to women like Rebecca West – who really did testify against her mother at the Chelmsford trial, presumably after intimidation and suffering that can barely be imagined.
Rumours of Matthew having been swum as a witch and drowned are now dismissed as myth; likewise the theory that he escaped to America. It is likely that he simply died of consumption, though I’ve given him a different end.
The documents that open some of the chapters are compiled from historical sources relating to the witch trials Matthew Hopkins instigated between 1645 and 1647. The extracts on the detection of witches are in fact by a minister who was protesting against Matthew’s methods; the minister deliberately kept his descriptions vague, fearing that if given more detail, people might mimic what they read.
In the 1640s England had not yet adopted the Gregorian calendar, meaning that the New Year began on 25 March. Following the pattern of most histories, this book dates years from 1 January.
Glossary
Assizes – Courts that sat at intervals in each county of England in the seventeenth century. They were less frequent than quarter sessions, and were used to try more serious crimes.
Daily book – A journal or record kept by many godly men and women in the seventeenth century. The books often blended discussion of personal or political events with spiritual reflection.
Godly – The term adopted by Puritan Christians in the seventeenth century to describe themselves. The godly were opposed to Catholicism, and favoured further reform of the Church in England.
Imp – A familiar spirit, often disguised as an animal, supposed in the seventeenth century to be sent to a witch by Satan, to seal their pact by sucking blood from a ‘teat’ on the witch’s body.
Lady Day – Falling on 25 March, this was one of the quarter days of the year, when rents were collected. In the seventeenth century, Lady Day was also officially the first day of the new year.
Natural – A term used colloquially in the seventeenth century to refer to any person seen as neurodivergent. The term may have been used to describe those with conditions as varied as autism, Down’s syndrome or learning difficulties.
Searching – A method of identifying witches, during which the suspected woman would be physically searched for ‘teats’. Often found in the genital region, these would be used as evidence of an imp having visited the woman to suckle.
Swimming – An ordeal by water, used to identify witches. The hands and feet of the suspected woman would be tied, and she would be lowered into a pond or river. It was supposed that an innocent woman would sink, as was natural, while a guilty woman would float – the water having rejected her. Matthew Hopkins and his accomplices were rebuked for allowing swimming to be used as a method of detection at the Suffolk assizes in August 1645.
Tendring Hundred – An ancient administrative division of Essex, named for the village of Tendring, which is at the centre of the area. Manningtree lies at the northern edge of the Tendring Hundred.
Watching – A method of identifying witches, during which the suspected woman would be placed on a stool in the middle of a room and observed for hours. The purpose was ostensibly to wait for her imps to come to her to suckle.
Witch bottle – A charm, often containing hair, nail clippings, pins, stones, thorns, knotted threads and similar objects, which were placed in a bottle and concealed within a dwelling, with the aim of repelling witchcraft.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to offer the following people my heartfelt thanks:
My agent, Nelle Andrew, for her astonishing energy and belief, and the fabulous rights team at PFD.
My UK editor, Katy Loftus, for her boundless patience and cheerfulness, and for loving this book from the start.
My US editor, Kate Miciak, for her unwavering enthusiasm and dedication.
Emma Brown, Isabel Wall and all at Viking for their hard work and creativity; Julia Maguire and everyone at Ballantine Bantam Dell, for just the same.
Hazel Orme, for a sensitive and rigorous copyedit.
Justine Stoddart, for making a photoshoot feel suspiciously relaxing.
All from the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester – and particularly John McAuliffe, for telling me to go away and write this book.
Susan D. Amussen, for sharing her intuitive and detailed understanding of the period, and her excellent reading recommendations.
Sarah Batten and Hester Pode, for lending extra pairs of eyes and thoughtful suggestions.
All my friends and family who have given me advice, space and support of every kind; who rema
ined polite when I said that I was writing a book, and refrained from asking me (too often) when I was going to finish it. You know who you are.
My parents, for the years of financing and forbearance, and constant, unstinting love.
My little brother, for allotment times when I needed them the most, and for being as unlike Matthew Hopkins as it’s possible to be. Cheers, Pod.
THE BEGINNING
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First published 2017
Copyright © Beth Underdown, 2017
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Map created by Jeff Edwards
ISBN: 978-0-241-97806-1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Contents
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
Map
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Author’s Note
Glossary
Acknowledgements
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