WITCHCRAFT IN DORSET. 37 



Dorchester on the 10th September, 1660,* and was in the following 

 terms : 



" It is ordered by this Court that Sr. John ffitz James, knight, 

 " Robert Coke Esqre., Thomas Moore Esqre., Walter ffby Esqre, 

 " and Winston Churchill Esq., ffive of ye justices of ye peace of this 

 " county or any two of them doe take care, That the busines 

 " concerninge the witchcraft and consultation with the devill and 

 " evill spiritts in Sherborne in this county bee with all speede 

 " examined, (and any) concerned in ye said busines bee by them 

 " or any two of them bound to the good behaviour. And to 

 " appeare att the next Assizes and Gen r all Gaole deliv r y to bee 

 " holden for this county to answere ye same. And that they alsoe 

 " binde over As aforesaid such p'sons of those as by them are to be 

 " nowe examined as they shall thinke fitt. And alsoe such p r sons 

 " to p r secute against them as they shall alsoe thinke (fit) and 

 certifie their said Examinations and Informations att the Assizes." 



Such trials sometimes ended disastrously for the witches, and 

 executions were, I believe, not uncommon in olden times. 



Sometimes, however, the courts were satisfied by the accused or 

 suspected persons merely finding security for their future good 

 behaviour, as the following extract from the Somerset and Dorset 

 Notes and Queries (vol. 2, p. 62), relating to Gillingham Manor 

 Court, will shew : 



" 2 Elizabeth, Maij 7, Lib' i Decenne. Decinnar'i bui ven't & 

 " p'sent q'd qued'm Cecilia Lambert vid' inhi'tans inf Decenn' p'd 

 " est mulier male fame & gravit' suspect' de incantand' Et i'o p'cept' 

 " Cecilie ad prox' cur' inferre duos sufficient' manucaptor' p' bona 

 " gesta ipsius Cecilie sub pen' exilij de hoc man' io." 



It is interesting to find from this extract that exclusive jurisdiction 

 in such matters was not reserved for the assize courts or the justices 

 of the peace, but was sometimes given, at all events in Queen 



* It will be noticed from this date how unusually late the summer 

 assizes were held in this year ; the reason being in all probability that 

 suggested by the above correspondent namely, the train of festivities 

 following upon the Restoration. 



