Collection: Local Studies-Lending

William Harrison Ainsworth was one of England's greatest writers of the mid-19th century. This text takes the facts from the witch trials of 1612 to weave a story of Mother Chattox, Old Demdike and Alice Nutter as the witches of Pendle Hill.

Set in the Forest of Pendle, this book is a tale of the miserably poor and ignorant, where superstition was dominant and accusation abounded.

It is 1860, and Hannah Morley and her widowed mother have fallen on hard times. They have moved from the country into cheap lodgings in Blackfriars Lane, Manchester, and become deeply concerned for the welfare of a child who lives next door. Meanwhile, Hannah finds work at the sprawling Bronton w...