HELEN BARRELL revisits the case of alleged Essex witch Ann West and one 18th century historian’s explanation for the accusations levelled at the unfortunate woman
Simon Young, in his “Fairies, Folklore and Forteana” column (FT396:27) wonders what the witness of alleged witch Bess Clarke really saw on encountering her familiars, which included a demonic black rabbit and a greyhound with long legs that turned into a headless four-year-old boy. He has “not the slightest idea.”
And yet, back in the 18th century, a certain vicar-historian in Essex was convinced that he could explain at least some of the phenomena that came out at the witch trials.
In 1748, Rev Philip Morant published the first volume of his exhaustive (and some might say exhausting) book . There isn’t a great deal of forteana to be found among its pages, which are mostly concerned with who owned what manor and when. Of course, where certain lords of the manor were involved embraces the weird.
