Letters from a Witch’s Clients January 25, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
In 1859 a unique witchcraft source appeared in the British newspapers. Durham police had raided the house of one Mrs Leadpiper and had seized a number of letters from her supplicants. To our great good fortune the Durham Chronicle published several: and the article was then picked up by other papers from Cornwall to Luton. There follow the letters themselves. Here we have a unique nineteenth-century moment: the words of the clients of the witch as they came from the pen, without any intervening interpretative filter.
A woman has lost a pony: ‘Please to give me descrepebius of them who took it and send me thire names so that I may no my enemya and that I may catch them dowing sum think els. I hope you will make them suffer that thay will not do the like to neither me nor no person else, and If you send me word back that I may now the parsons I shall come over on puipus to pay you some more mony the first opportunity.
Isabella Barrow wants a young man: ‘dow what she promised me and I will not forget you as soon as i see himm’.
Elizabeth Pearson who wants Mr W… but has a rival: ‘I think my Sell that he is very carlas and I should like you to ster him if you please.’
Benjamin Clark needs a ‘consultancy’: ‘Well dear Elizabeth I take the opportunity of Writing a line two to you hoping it to Find you In good health as I am in the Preasand time But Elizabeth I hard that you and your Lover had Faun out I think if you are Willing I Will Fall into hes Place if you are Willing I Will come on Sunday First the 25 Day I Come if you are Willing Right Back and to tell if you are Whilling and Right soon as you can For if you Right back me I Will meet you acomins to your house on Sunday the 25 Day So if I am Welcome Right as soon you can and If I am Not Welcome send line or tow sill no more at From you intend Direc yon Letter Benjamin Clark to the Care of Clark Old Grange Row Carville Near Durham.
Britain being Britain there is a fifty percent that somewhere in a vault in the Co. Durham these letters survive. Anyone up to going to look for them: drbeachcombing At yahoo DOT com
