The Witches

of Pendle
GROUP 5
Group members
Phạm Thị Yến Quỳnh
Lê Ngọc Bảo Trân
Nguyễn Võ Thùy Duyên
Trần Thị Ngọc Huyền
Trần Đoàn Thảo Vy
Contents
1. Author
2. Brief summary
3. Characters
4. Plot
The Author & the story
The Author
 Rowena Akinyemi is British
 A published adapter and an author of children's books
 Famous works: Love or Money( 1989) , Under the
Moon ( 1992) , The Witches of Pendle ( 1994) ...
 Now lives and works in Cambridge
The story
 Based on a true
case, the trial of
the Lancashire
witches in 1612.
 First published in
Oxford
Bookworms 1994.
Brief summary
Jennet Device told her story when she was a
prisoner in Lancaster in 1634.

Jennet was born in 1603 into a poor family

living in a Lancashire village near Pendle Hill,
made a living by begging.

She lives with her mother Elizabeth,

grandmother Old Demdike, sister Alizon, and
brother James.
In 1612, aged nine, she and her sister met
pedlar Jonh Law.

Her grandmother and sister were later sent to

prison at Lancaster because of the evidence
that they were witches.

The judge of this case was Roger Nowell, a

rich and important man in Lancashire. Jennet
liked him because he was kind to her.
Jennet's mother and her friends decided to go to
Lancaster and set the too women free.

The plan didn't work out when Jennet told Mr. Nowell
everything because of their horrible treatment of her.

Jennet’s mother and brother also taken to prison for

their testimony accusing them of being murderous
witches.

A few months later, the trial of Lancaster witches

began. Old Demdike died before the trial, Jennet's
mother, sister and brother were all hanged.
For the next 21 years, Jennet lived happily as a
cook in the Nowell family.

In 1633, she was imprisoned in the same place

where her family was executed.

A ten-year-old child called Edmund Robinson

accused Jennet a witch.

Though he confessed to lying later, Jennet

realized that she can't escape her family's
history.

The truth killed her family, lies would kill her.

Characters
1. Jennet Device: protagonist
- A little nine-year-old girl
- Was born in a witch family but not a
witch
Proof: “… you are different. You’re my
daughter, but you’re not the daughter of
my husband.”
- Was treated poorly by her mother
- Aspired the warm and always wanted
to be loved
- Characteristics: a naive child, honest,
good-natured
 2. Alizon Device: minor character

- Jennet’s sister: 18 years old

- Was a witch with a big dog
- Had no awareness about the
consequences that she had done as
a witch
Proof: “… I cursed the child, but I
was sorry when the child died.”
- Characteristics: filial, hot –
tempered, honest

14
 3. James Device: minor character
- Jennet’s brother: 13 years old
- Was a witch with a dog called Dandy
- Had some problems about his brain
Proof:
• “James said, ‘You cursed a child, too!’ and
suddenly sat down on the floor and began
to laugh loudly.”
• “…‘The child died, the child died,’ he said
again and again.”
- Characteristics: chicken-hearted,
honest
15
4. Elizabeth Device: minor character

- Jennet’s mother
- A witch
+ Clay pictures : “She made a clay picture, and then
she broke it, and Mr Robinson died a week later.”
(Page 5)
+ A dog called Ball
- Always treated Jennet and James violently
Proof:
• “My mother went cross the room to
James and pulled his hair. […] She hit
him over the head.”
• “She got up and began to hit me. She
hit me over the head and pulled my
hair.” ( page 5)
- Characteristics: irritable, cruel, rude,
bitter, unfilial
 5. Old Demdike: minor character

- Jennet’s grandmother: nearly 80 years old

- A witch
+ “Got some teeth from dead bodies at the
church and buried them under the ground”
+ With a dog and a cat
- Characteristics: difficult, bad person.
Proof:
- “My grandrnother was a difficult old woman, and I didn't
like her” – Roger Nowell said. ( Page 3)
- “She was nearly eighty years old and she was a difficult
old woman. Without Alizon, she was more difficult because
my mother didn't take care of her”.
( Page 4)
- “She asks people for money and food, and I help her.”
…”She cursed a child once, and the child died later that
year.” ( Page 4)
 6. Roger Nowell: protagonist

- The judge for all the villages near

Pendle Hill
- A rich and important man in
Lancashire
- Took care of Jennet while her family
were in the prison and after they died
- Characteristics: integrity, charismatic,
patient, kind-hearted, warm
Proof:

-“Are you cold, little one?’ …'Come in, and sit near the fire.”
(Page 3)
- “Don't be afraid” ( page 4)
- “Mr Nowell listened quietly to my grandmother” ( page 5)
- “Roger Nowell looked at me with his warm brown eyes. “Very well,” he
said. “Come home with me, and we can talk.” ( page 6)
- “Mr Nowell took me home to Read Hall.”… “I learned to cook for the
Nowell family” ( page 9)
7. John Law: minor character

- A pedlar: 50 years old

- Hated Alizon and her family:
“I don't want to give you money”… “I don't
like you and I don't like your family. A lot of
bad women, you are, and your father was a
bad man, too.” ( page 2)
- “Go back to your dirty family!” ( page 2)
- Cursed by Alizon
“A dead man! A dead man!”… “Dead before dark, John Law!”
She looked down at her dog and put her hand on its head”. ‘Go
after him, dog’ she said. ‘Go after him and get him!’ ( Page 3)
“He's not dead,” “but he's very ill.” ( Page 3)
- Characteristics: mean, rude
PLOT
 Exposition

Jennet Device is in the prison of Landcaster becauses

she is a witch.
Jennet lived in Malking Towel with her grandma,
mother, and siblings
Jannet’s family was poor, they were hungry.
 Complication / Rising Action

• John Law was cursed by Alizon

• Alizon, Old Demdike confessed their crimes
• Jennet’s mother and brother were both taken to
Lancaster Castle
 Climax

• Jennet told the truth to Mr. Nowell

• Elizabeth and James were sent to the prison in
Lancaster Castle
• Jennet went to Read hall to live with Mr.Nowell’s
family
• Jennet was accused by Edmund Robinson
 Resolution

• She could not escape from the prison and

her dead family
 Falling Action

• Mr.Webster visited Jennet who was in the

prison with 19 other women
Thank you!