Forest of Rossendale. 273 



pleased, turned or twisted her eyes upon the girl, who began to 

 squint from that moment, and was never afterwards able to look 

 straight before her. 



In Harland and Wilkinson's " Lancashire Folk-Lore," (pp. 208-9,) 

 the following account is given of the killing of a Rossendale Witch 

 or Wizard : — "Some years ago I formed the acquaintance of an 

 elderly gentleman who had retired from business after amassing 

 an ample fortune by the manufacture of cotton. He was possessed 

 of a considerable amount of general information — had studied the 

 world by which he was surrounded — and was a leading member of 

 the Wesleyan connexion. The faith element, however, predomin- 

 ated amongst his religious principles, and hence both he and his 

 family were firm believers in witchcraft. On one occasion, 

 according to my informant, both he and the neighbouring farmers 

 suffered much from loss of cattle, and from the unproductiveness 

 of their sheep. The cream was bynged [soured] in the churn, and 

 would bring forth no butter. Their cows died mad in the 

 shippons, and no farrier could be found who was able to fix upon 

 the diseases which afflicted them. Horses were bewitched out of 

 their stables through the loopholes, after the doors had been 

 safely locked, and were frequently found strayed to a considerable 

 distance, when they ought to have been safe in their stalls. 

 Lucky-stones had lost their virtues ; horse-shoes nailed behind the 

 doors were of little use ; and sickles hung across the beams had no 

 effect in averting the malevolence of the evil-doer. At length 

 suspicion rested upon an old man, a noted astrologer and fortune- 

 teller, who resided near New Church, in Rossendale, and it was 

 determined to put an end both to their ill-fortune and his career, 

 by performing the requisite ceremonials for 'killing a witch.' It 

 was a cold November evening when the process commenced. A 

 thick fog covered the valleys, and the wild winds whistled across 

 the dreary moors. The farmers, however, were not deterred. 

 They met at the house of one of their number, whose cattle were 

 then supposed to be under the influence of the wizard ; and having 

 procured a live cock-chicken, they stuck him full of pins and burnt 



