We’re very fortunate to count The History Cyclist as one of our customers. He’s not averse to stopping for a caffe latte and sometimes, a light lunch, as part of his extensive travels by road bike around the Vale of Belvoir.
There’s often a mission to these rides as The History Cyclist (aka Rob) also loves to explore the wealth of history right here on our doorstep. His enthusiasm and storytelling are compelling, so we asked THC to post some exclusive content for Cafe Allez!.
The first fruits of this can be seen on video on our Facebook page : the story of The Belvoir Witches.
We also thought it’d be good to post his more detailed account here: do check out St Mary’s church in Bottesford when you have the opportunity, along with Belvoir Castle itself of course, as both play key roles in this story:
“Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.” Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I
The 14th century church of St Mary’s in Bottesford is quite a gem. The “Lady of the Vale” boasts not only the highest spire in Leicestershire but is also one of the largest village churches in the country. Its magnificence is surpassed only by its intriguing history. The tombs of the Earls and Countesses of Rutland from Belvoir Castle fill the chancel on a monumental scale. On the memorial to Francis Manners is the only reference to witchcraft to be found in an English church: the “wicked practice and sorcery” of Joan, Margaret and Philippa Flower, the Belvoir Witches, is recorded in the marble.
Francis and Cecelia Manners the 6th Earl and Countess of Rutland inherited Belvoir Castle and its vast estate in 1612. They belonged to one of England’s noblest families, were close friends of King James I and by all accounts were generous with those on the payroll including the long serving Joan Flower and her two daughters Margaret and Phillipa from Bottesford.
Tragedy struck the Manners’ family when Francis and Cecelia’s two sons fell gravely ill and died. Had it perhaps not been for King James’s influence on the couple they might have dismissed as tittle tattle the gossip in the Vale about their sons’ demise being caused by witchcraft. But the King was a firm believer that witches represented evil on earth and had written a best selling book on how to find them, so when the finger of blame was pointed by the good people of Bottesford, the Earl and Countess were persuaded.
Only two of “the Belvoir Witches” went to trial. The ‘official‘ version is that Joan Flower requested that her guilt be tested by ordeal on the way to Lincoln Castle. She was required to eat holy bread which as such could not be swallowed by a witch and it was claimed that she choked and dropped dead in agony on the spot. She probably really died as a result of the treatment meted out to her by her captors which could have included the ordeal of being bound and thrown into deep water; a sophisticated investigative technique known as “swimming a witch”. Her two daughters faired a little better and made it to Lincoln. They were interrogated in the castle for five weeks before ‘confessing’ to being in league with the devil along with their mother and their pet cat “Rutterkins”.
Their trial took place in early March 1619 at Lincoln Assizes and was presided over by two senior judges appointed by King James I himself. Unsurprisingly they were convicted and went to the public gallows outside Lincoln Castle walls where, according to a contemporary ballad, “they died in shame by strangling twist”.
