A Wonderfull Discoverie

Jenet Device was born sometime around 1603 in Pendle, Lancashire. At this time, religious tension was at an all time high, with local magistrates eager to report witches and other recusants (those who refused to attend the anglican church) to gain favour with the king.

Lancashire was regarded as a wildland compared to the south, and was home to a rich cultural tradition of families of wise women who made a living as healers, advisors and beggars; Jenet was born into one such family. Her grandmother, known coloquially as ‘Demdike’(derived from demon woman) was infamous in the local area, and had a well known rivalry with another such family, and another elderly matriarch known as ‘Chattox’.

In 1612 both families became known to the local