The Lancashire Seven: Possessions, Exorcisms & Executions

Oct 1, 2023

In 1600s Britain, the clash between old traditions and the Protestant reform led to a clandestine market for charms and conjurers. Nicholas Starkie's encounter with demonic entities and the controversial exorcist who helped him. The exorcism of Cleworth Hall and the possession of a young musician named William Summers. The story of Darryl and the Lancashire 7, questioning the role of witchcraft. 16th-century men's beliefs surrounding possession and contrasting approaches to exorcism. The political background of Nottingham and its connection to the events.

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ANECDOTE

The Starkie Family and Cleworth Hall

Nicholas Starkie inherited Cleworth Hall through marriage in 1578 and started a family.
His children, John and Anne, began experiencing strange fits in 1594.

ANECDOTE

Edmund Hartley and the Children's Fits

The Starkie children's fits worsened, leading Nicholas to employ folk healer Edmund Hartley.
Hartley's charms initially worked, but his inappropriate behavior caused friction.

ANECDOTE

Hartley's Magic and Dee's Reprimand

Hartley's demands increased, and he used a magic circle, causing Nicholas to seek other help.
Nicholas consulted John Dee, who advised against dark magic.

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In the late 1500s, Britain was, spiritually speaking, in something of a confusing place for the average citizen. With the protestant reform in full swing, many old traditions were being unceremoniously cast aside by the officials, whilst still being clung to by the public, leading to a thriving underground trade in charms and trinkets and the quiet trade of conjurers, folk healers and those ministers willing to indulge the old Catholic rituals. In Cleworth Hall, an estate manor on the outskirts of Manchester, the owner, Nicholas Starkie was forced to dig into this deep underground market, when he found his household ravaged by a host of demons. Fortunately there was an exorcist willing to help, though with his ministry as controversial as it was, it would not be long before the officials would sweep him away with all the other traditions that they felt no longer had a place in a society that was rapidly changing, seemingly at times, without a rudder.

SOURCES

Darrell, John (1600) A True Narration…. The English Secret Press, London, UK.

More, George (1600) A True Discourse…. Richard Schilders, London, UK.

Harland, John & Wilkinson, T. T. (1867) Lancashire Folk-Lore. Frederick Warne & Co. London, UK.

Almond, Philip C. (2004) Demonic Possession & Exorcism in Early Modern England. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Orchard Halliwell, James (1642) The Private Diary of Dr John Dee. John Bowyer Nichols & Son, London, UK.

Young, Francis (2014) A History of Anglican Exorcism. I.B. Tauris, London, UK.

Walsh, Brendan C. (2021) The English Exorcist: John Darrell & The Shaping of Early Modern English Protestant Demonology. Routledge, London, UK.

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