| George Durrant | A man from Wivenhoe in the county of Essex and the husband of Annaball Durrant. Durrant is allegedly bewitched by Mary Johnson, as is his two year old daughter and his wife. Durrant's daughter becomes ill after she accepts a compliment (she was called a "pretty child") and a "peece of bread and butter" from Johnson. The illness is extreme and lasts about eight days before the child dies. Annaball is herself bewitched, suffering from labour-like pains for around eight months, and a strange bout of lameness and stiffness. Durrant's bewitchment begins after she shrieks and cries out that Mary Johnson would be at his death; he claims "It comes, it comes, Now goodwife Johnsons Impe is come, Now she hath my life." He appears in this extremity while his wife testifies against Johnson, an act he encouraged, and an act which allegedly cost him his health. (24-25) | The Information of Anaball the wife of George Durrant taken upon oath before the said Justices, April 29. 1645.
THis Informant saith, that about ten moneths since, going from Wivenhoe towards Fingeringhoe, in the County of Essex, by the way Mary Johnson the wife of Nicholas Johnson met with this Informant, whom this Informant never saw before to her knowledge; And this Informant leading her Child upon her hand, being about two yeers old, and perfectly well: the said Mary Johnson took occasion of her own accord to commend the said Child, saying, it was a pretty child; and stroaked it upon the face, and gave it a peece of bread and butter, and so left this Informant. And this Informants child did eat a peece of the said bread and butter: and within half a quarter of an houre after, her said child shricked and cried out it was same; And this Informant carried her child home, and had the advice of one Mr. Dawber a Chirurgeon, who could find no naturall cause of its lamenesse; and so the said child continued for the space of eight dayes shricking and tearing it self, and then died. And further, this Informant saith, that immediately after the death of her child, she was taken with extreme pains in her body, sometimes every day or at least every third day, for the space of seven or eight moneths together as if she had been to be delivered of a child, but was not with child; And this Informant saith, that setting up of broome in an out-house presently after her child was dead, she had the perfect representation of a shape, to her thinking, like the said Mary Johnson and was struck with a lamenesse in her Arms, and such a stiffnesse that three or foure that came to help her, were not able to bow her Arms: and this Informant continued speechlesse all that day and the night following, and had such a weaknesse in the rest of her limbes, that she was carried into her house by some of her friends, and continued by the space of a fortnight, being before untill this present (as she conceived) in perfect health and strength: And further this Informant saith, that she being
charged by the Constable by vertue of a Warrant to give this her Information before the said Justices against the said Mary Johnson this day: this Informants husband called her up in the morning, wishing her to make her ready to go before the said Justices; And presently after he gave a great shrick, and said the said Mary Johnson would be his death, and had a great swelling risen up in his breast, and now lies sweating, and in great extremity. And at this very instant a noise was heard in the Roome where her husband lay like an Hornet, and thereupon her husband cried out, It comes, it comes, Now goodwife Johnsons Impe is come, Now she hath my life; And forthwith a great part of the wall in the said roome fell down. And this Informant saith, that she doth verily beleeve the said Mary Johnson was the cause of her childs death: And that she is now the cause of her husbands extremity. () |