| Anne Levingston | A woman from Wapping in the county of Greater London, who is accused by Abraham Vandenbemde of hiring Joan Peterson to bewitch her long sick aunt and godmother, Lady Powel. Levingston was thought to have "received from her (the said Peterson) certain powders, and bags of seeds, to help her in her law suits and to provoke unlawfull love." Lady Powel, who had no children of her own, left her estate to Mrs. Levingston. After the accusations of using witchery to gain Lady Powel's estate, Levingston was publicly disgraced and lost the inheritance. After several physicians and surgeons testified that Lady Powel had been afflicted with numerous serious illnesses for many years and that she had therefore died of natural causes, Levingston was vindicated and proclaimed innocent.(3-4, 6-7) | THe said Abraham Vandenbemde with other the said confederates (having laid a Plot to take away the life of Mrs. Anne Levingston, because the Lady Powel had given her an estate which some of them expected) in December last repaired to one Jone Simpson, and proffered her 10 l. in hand, and 500 l. more in Hillary term following, if she would swear that Mrs. Levingston had used sorcery & withcrast to take away the Lady Powels life. And on the 10 of Jan. then following, one Anne Hook (who pretends her self to be a cunning woman) being imployed by the said confederates, did perswade her thereunto, offering her six score pounds, and half the money which the said Vandenbemde and the said Cr[...]mpton were to give her and her husband for making their Affidavits, if she would do the like. But the said Simpson abhominating so wicked a practice, to take away an innocent Gentlewomans life, discovered the Plot; for which conspiracies of the said confederates, a speciall Supplicavit was granted out of Chancery, to bind them to the good behaviour and other legal prosecutions are still depending against them. But the said confederates not resting there (in further prosecution of the Plot) did imploy the aforesaid Hook, to procure witnesses to swear what they desired: who accordingly about January last came to the above-named Jone Peterson, at her house in Spruce Island near Wapping and there made offer of 100 l. to her, to swear, that the said Mrs. Levingston had received from her (the said Peterson) certain powders, and bags of seeds, to help her in her law suits, and to provoke unlawfull love (as the said Jone Peterson did affirm before her triall.) But she refusing to do the same, the said confederates to prevent the punishment, which justly and vnavoidably must have befallen them, in case the said Peterson should have revealed this their practice, as Simpson (before) had done the other, they lay a new design, to anticipate the same, as followeth.
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On Munday the 5th. of April instant, two Bills of indictment were preferred against her at Hicks-hall, and found by the Grand-Jury, upon which indictments upon the 6th. of April, she was arraigned before Mr. Recorder (who is of Councel for the conspirators,) and on the 7 of Apr. she was tried; at which triall the said confederates (who before had spent three weeks time at Wapping in procuring witnesses) were present, with three Councellors to prosecute the said Peterson. Then the Court proceeded upon the first indictment, which was for bewitching the Lady Powel to death; whereupon many women persons of mean degree (and of ill fame and reputation) were produced against her, and interrogated by the said Councel, according to the Briefs delivered unto them, wherein were all the witnesses testimonies, written before hand. And being asked what she had to say for her self? (upon her knees) she took God to witnesse that she never knew the Lady Powel nor the house where she dwelt, nor was any wise guilty of her death; and delivered a paper of such witnesses as she had to defend her, desiring that they might be called, whereupon Dr. Bates, and Dr. Colledon Physitians, together with Mr. Stamford, and Mr. Page Chyrurgians, and divers other persons of good quality, testified the disease, manner of sickness, and the cause of the said Ladies death, which were the Dropsie, the Scurvey, and the yellow Jaundies, and that they wondred how she was able to live so long, having most of those diseases growing on her for many years before; amongst which evidences the innocency of (Mrs. Levingstone) formerly by the confederates maliciously aspersed and bespattered, was now fully vindicated, to their great astonishment, trouble, and disgrace. () |