The Dæmon of Burton, or, A true relation of strange witchcrafts or incantations lately practised at Burton in the parish of Weobley in Herefordshire certified in a letter from a person of credit in Hereford. 1671 Approx. 7 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 3 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2004-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A23809 Wing A12 ESTC R7457 12380172 ocm 12380172 60739 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A23809) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 60739) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 267:1) The Dæmon of Burton, or, A true relation of strange witchcrafts or incantations lately practised at Burton in the parish of Weobley in Herefordshire certified in a letter from a person of credit in Hereford. J. A. [2], 5 p. Printed for C.W., London : 1671. The letter is dated and signed at end: Hereford 1 March 1670, J.A. Reproduction of original in Huntington Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Witchcraft -- England. 2003-09 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2003-09 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2003-10 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2003-10 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-12 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion THE DAEMON OF BURTON . OR A true Relation of Strange Witchcrafts or Incantations lately practised at Burton in the Parish of Weobley in Herefordshire . Certified in a LETTER from a Person of Credit in Hereford . LONDON Printed for C. W. in the year . 1671. bout the fire as before , and a continual noise of Cat heard all night , but never seen . Afterwards the Tenant having in a Room a heap of Malt and another of Vetches , the two percels were found next morning exactly mingled together and put into a new heap . Another time she had baked a Batch of Bread , and laid the Loaves over night on a Table , next morning the Loaves were all gone , and after search made , they were found in another Room hid in Tubs and covered with linnen Cloathes , and all this while the Tenant had the keys of the doors in her pocket , and found the doors in the morning fast lock'd as she left them over night ; So also her Cheeses and meat were often carried out of one Room into another , whilst the doors were fast lock'd , and sometimes covey'd into the Orchard . Then the Tenant having set Cabbidg-plants in her Garden , in the night the Plants were pull'd up , and laid in several formes , as Crosses , Flower-de-luces , and the like , she caus'd them to be set again , and the Ground finely raked about , to the end they might see if any footsteps might be discovered in the morning , when the Plants were found pull'd up as before , and no track or footstep to be found or perceived ; The Plants were set a third time , and then they continued unmoved . She had in her Cheese chamber many Cheeses upon Shelves and a Bag of Hops in the same Room , one night the Cheeses were all laid in the Floor in several formes and the Hops all strewed about the Room , and the Chamber door found fast lock'd in the morning . Another night in the Buttery there were several dishes of cold Meat left upon a hanging Shelf , in the morning the Tablecloath was found orderly laid on the Floor , and the dishes set on it , and most of the Meat eaten , onely a manners bit lese in every Dish ; yet there were silver Spoons which lay by the Dishes and none of them diminish'd . At another time she had left half a rosted Pig , which was design'd for breakfast next day , when the Pig was call'd for , there was not one bit of either Skin or Flesh left , but the Bones of the Pig lay orderly in the Dish , and not one of them unjoynted or misplac'd . Whilst these and many other such pleasant tricks were play'd in the Rooms that were lock'd to make a discovery of any deceipt , if possible , the entrance of the doors were all strew'd with sifted ashes , and no footstep or track of any thing was found in the morning , when such pranks were play'd in the Room . One night the Tenant having bought a quart of Vinegar in a Bottel , she set it in her Dairy-house , where there was six Cows Milk , In the morning she found her Bottle empty , and her Milk all turned and made into a perfect Posset , with the Vinegar ▪ And the Cheeses were sometimes convey●d by night out of the Cheese-chamber , and put into the Trines of Milk in the Dairy-house . The Tenant had likewise divers of her Cattel that dyed in a strange manner , among others a Sow that leap'd and danc'd in several unusual postures and at last fell down dead . The Hagg having thus for above a moneth together almost every night acted the part of Hocus pocus Minor , lay quiet for some moneths , and then began to act the Major and do greater mischiefs ; and to this purpose , one night as the Tenant and her Maid were going to bed , and passing by the Hall , which was dressed with green boughs , tyed on the Posts , after the Countrey fashion , they were all of a flame , and no fire had been made in that Room of a fortnight before , nor any Candle that night ; but the fire was soon quenched by throwing water on it , yet an outcry being made the neighbours came in and watched the House all night . Not long after a Lost of Hay , dry and well Inned , was set on fire in the day time and was most of it burnt , with the house it lay in , and no way could be found how it should come to pass , but by the same black hand . And after some time a Mow of Pulse and Pease was likewise fired in the day time and all the grayn either burnt or spoiled , and in the middle of the bottom of the Mow were found dead burnt Coales , which in all the Spectators Judgements could not be convey'd thither but by Witchcraft . After these dreadful fires , which did endanger the whole Village had they not been at length quench'd by a numerous company of the Neighbours , who came in to the Tenants assistance , the poor Tenant dirst stay no longer in the House , but quitted it , with all her losses , when one Iohn Iones a valiant Welchman of the neighborhood would needs give a signal proof of his Brittish Valour , and to that purpose undertook to lye in the House , and to incounter the Hagg , to which end he carried with him a large Baskethilted Sword , a Mastive Dog and a Lanthorn and Candle , to burn by him ; he had not long lain on the Bed with his Dog and Sword ready drawn by him , but he heard great knocking at the Door , and many Cats as he conceived came into his Chamber , broke the Windows , and made a hideous noise , at which the Mastive howll'd and quak'd , and crept close to his Master , the Candle went out , and the Welchman fell into a cold sweat , left his Sword unused and with much a doe found the door , and ran half a Mile without ever looking behind him ; protesting next day he would not lye another night in the House for a hundred pounds . I have omitted one Passage worth relating , the Tenant upon a Friday night about Midsomer had bought a dish of Strawberies , which she set up in a pewter dish in her Buttrey for next day , when she looking for them , found both dish and Strawberies gone , they searched for them all Saturday and found neither dish nor Strawberies ; on Munday morning , when the Tenant was rising from her Bed , she found the dish on the Beds foot , but no Strawberies . Now Sir there is as yet no discovery what Feind 't is that has acted these Vilanies , but 't is believed time will do it . Whilst these things were thus acted hundreds of people , both Ministers , Gentlemen , and others , came to the House to see and hear the passages . These Particulars , with many others omitted , I received from eye Witnesses of unquestionable credit , and reputation , and you may no more doubt the truth of them , than distrust the affection of Sir. Your most humble Servant . I. A. Hereford 1 March 1670. FINIS .