Something Wicked

On 20 August 1612, ten people from Pendle were executed before a vast crowd at Lancaster‘s Gallows Hill. They had endured months of imprisonment and torture so extreme that one of the group died while awaiting trial. Virtually everything we know about the case originates from a single source: Thomas Potts‘ Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches, hurriedly published in 1613 and distinctly skewed in favour of the prosecution. Until now... After four centuries of superstition and surmise, Sunday Times bestselling author Carol Ann Lee brings an entirely new perspective on this case. Using her skills as an award-winning true crime author, Lee examines the evidence against the two central warring families - each headed by a fiercely independent widow - uncovering the reality of their lives, exploring the trial and executions and exposing society‘s fears and prejudices against ‘cunning women‘. This is a ground-breaking book that takes the reader on a spellbinding journey into the dark heart of England‘s largest and most notorious witch trial.