St Mary’s, Newchurch in Pendle
The following is a brief update to the post ‘Liqueur, Witches and Black Cats’.
The village of Newchurch in the Lancashire district of Pendle was mentioned in that post in connection with the story of the Pendle Witches whose trial and execution took place in 1612.
The village sits below Pendle Hill. The hill was not visible to the eye when we visited the area a couple of days ago and found it smothered in a dense fog. We did, however, manage to visit St. Mary’s church in the village for a short time. We left for home before darkness fell as the road had disappeared completely!
St Mary’s church dates from around 1544 although a small chapel already existed on the site from the 1200s onwards. The church tower is particularly notable for the ‘Eye of God’ device to the bottom left of the Star of Bethlehem pictured above.
The church has a strong connection to the Pendle Witches. Many of them lived within the parish. The church is also notable for the grave of the Nutter family which is situated to the right of the main entrance. Members of the Nutter family were interred in the grave several hundred years ago.
The grave is also alleged to be the final resting place of family member, Alice Nutter who had been tried and executed as an alleged Pendle Witch. However, witches were not knowingly buried on consecrated ground.
Headstone
Nutter family vault
Skull motif
Alice Nutter is commemorated by a small statue in the nearby village of Roughlee where she lived.
The villain Grimalkin
First, Second and Third Witch together:-
‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air’.
(Act 1, Scene 1, Line 12 of Macbeth).
FOOD, FILMS 'N' TINGS 