| Margaret Hooper | A woman from Edmundbyres in the county of Durham, who allegedly possessed, and the wife of Stephen Hooper. Together, Stephen Hooper and Margaret Hooper have a young son. Margaret Hooper begins to act strange upon returning home from the village Hanstonueth, causing concern in her household, noticeably in her husband. She begins to talk to herself, and "continued as if she had beene one bewitched, or haunted by an evill Spirit."(Anonymous 248) Stephen Hooper becomes desperate to cure her, and tries to convince his wife to focus on God, and to pray with him. However, over time, Margaret Hooper becomes more troubled until one day, she experiences a fit, which causes such a fright for Stephen Hooper that he sends for her sister. Together, Stephen Hooper and Margaret Hooper's sister confine Margaret Hooper to her bed, where she foams at the mouth, and shakes so badly, that the chamber and the bed shook with her. Stephen Hooper begins to pray for his wife again, and within a half-hour, she is much recovered, although still complains that she followed by a beast without a head or tail that no one else can see. Stephen Hooper still implores his wife to pray with him, which she did, and seemed fine for a week. However, after this time, Margaret Hooper begins to rage again, and has little memory of her fits, "to the great griefe of her husband." One night, Margaret Hooper wakes from a violent fit, and calls out for Stephen Hooper, claiming to "see a strange thing like unto a snale."(Anonymous 247) Stephen Hooper tries to comfort his wife, but she remains fearful, asking him "doe not you see the Devill?" When Stephen Hooper counsels her to think of God, she tells him, "if you see nothing now, you shall see something by and by." Shortly after this, a great noise is heard in the street "as if it had beene the comming of foure or five carts." Looking up, Stephen Hooper sees a monster (Anonymous 245) coming towards their bed, "much like a beare, but it had no head nor taile," and was significantly taller. Stephen Hooper attempts to attack the beast with a stool, but it simply bounces off the monster as if it were a feather bed. The beast turns its attention to Margaret Hooper, stroking her on the feet three times. It then takes her out of the bed and rolled her around the chamber and under the bed. Finally, the apparition causes Margaret Hooper to put her head between her legs, and rolled her around like a hoop through the house, and down the stairs. Her husband does not dare go after at her, but instead weeps to see her carried away. The hall was filled with "an horrible stinke [...] and such fiery flames." Eventually, Margaret Hooper calls out to her husband, claiming the spirit is gone, and she comes up the stairs back to him. Together, with the rest of the household, Stephen and Margaret Hooper pray. During these prayers, the window is mysteriously opened, and suddenly, Margaret Hooper's leg's are thrust out the window, "so that they were clasped about the post in the middle of the Window betweene her leggs." As well, a great fire appears at her feet "the stink whereof was horrible." Her husband, and his brother decide to "charge the Devill in the name of the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost to depart from her, and to trouble her no more," pulling her off the window. Margaret Hooper then cries out that she sees "a little child," (Anonymous 246) and upon looking out the window, a little child is seen, "with a very bright shinning countenance," that he outsides the candle. All present "fall flat to the ground," and pray. The child vanishes, and Margaret Hooper believes she is freed from her possession.(2 - 6) | VPon the 15 day of November now last past 1641. there is a yeo man of good and honest reputation, dwelling in the towne of Edinbyres upon Darwent [...] in the Bi|shopprick of Durham, whose name is Stephen Hooper, a man of good wealth, and also welbeloved of his neighbours, who being sicke, and lying in aweake estate, sent his wife whose name was Margret Hooper to a farme which hee had in a village, called Hanstonueth, some three miles off, at whose comming thither, it seemed all things were not according to her minde. Thus continuing there one day and something more, shee returned home to her hus|band, partly agreeved at such things as shee thought her husband might reforme, if God lent him life, now when she was come home to Edenbyres, shee found her husband recovered to an indifferent health, to whom shee began to use very much idle talke, as wee concerning the same farme as also concerning an old groat, which her sonne being a little boy had found about a weeke before, thus she continued as if she had beene one bewitched, or haun|ted with an evill Spirit, untill the wednesday at night fol|lowing, which night she tooke her rest something indif|ferently untill the morning, at which time she began with much vaine speech to disquiet her husband, and to vse much idle talke, but her husband seeing her in such a mind, and finding that she was, as it were desperate; he perswa|ded her to cal upon, God & that being the Creature of God, she should not forget to call upon her Creator in the day of trouble, wherefore he councelled her to pray with him, and to say the Lords Prayer after him, which shee partly did, but the devill who alwayes doth build the Chapell, so much as he may to [...] gods Church, began to with|draw her from prayer, and to p[...] her in minde to [...] most fearefull fort, for the groat, which he Sonne had lately found, as also for her weding Ring, desiring to see them with all speed, her husband made no great hast thereunto, but continued in prayer that it would please God to send her a more quiet spirit, and to strengthen her that fairh might speedily uanquish such vanitie in her, but the more he prayed and perswaded her to prayer, the more shee seemed to bee as it were troubled with some e|vill spirit, calling for the old groat, which her husband neglected to shew her, whereat shee began with a uery s[...]ne and staring countenance to looke on her husband in most wonderfull sort, that he was sore affrighted at the then he called for her sister, for that he was not able to keepe her in the bed, which when her sister and others were come into the chamber, they kept her downe ui|olently in her bed, and forthwith shee was so sore tor|mented that shee foamed at the mouth, and was shaken with such force, that the bed and the chamber did shake and move in most strainge sort, her husband continued praying for her deliuerance, so that within one halfe houre after her shaking was past, she began to tell them shee had beene in the Towerne to beat away the beate which followed her into the yard, when shee came from H[...]sten-[...]rth, which to her thinking had noe head, then her husband and frinds wished her to leave those uaine imaginations, perswading her that it was nothing but the lightnesse of her braine, which was become Idle for want of rest, wherefore her husband and friends exhorted her to say the Lords prayer with them, which she did, and after tooke some rest, and thus she continued untill the Satter|day following, in which time she continued raging, as it were distract of her memory, which came by fits, to the great griefe of her husband, friends, and neighbours, yet upon the Satterday there was some hopes of her recovery, for that she tooke some reasonable rest, to the comfort of her husband and friends, and upon the Sunday she seem|ed to be very patient, and conformable untill midnight at which time the candle which was set burning in the same Chamber was burned, she then suddainely awaking, cal|led to her husband, and cryed out saying, that shee did see a strange thing like unto a snale, carrying fire in a most wonderfull sort, whereat her husband was amazed, and seeing the candle was cleene burnt out, called to his Brothers and Sisters that were in the house, with other of their friends watching, and sitting up to comfort her, if her extreame fit should any way molest her, who hea|ring him call, come in, and brought a candle lighted, and set it upon the table, which stood neere where the wo|man lay, She began to wax very fearefull, saying to her husband and the rest, doe not you see the Devill, where|at they desired her to remember God, and to call for grace that her faith might onely be fixed upon him, to the van|quishing the Devill and his assaults, Hell (quoth shee) if you see nothing now, you shall see something by and by, and forthwith they heard a great noise in the street, as if it had beene the comming of foure or five carts, and pre|sently they in the chamber cryed out saying, Lord helpe us, what manner of thing is this that commeth here, then her husband looking up in his bed, espyed a thing com|ming to the bed, much like a beare, but it had no head nor taile, halfe a yard in height, and halfe a yard in length, her husband seeing it come to the bed rose up, and tooke a joynt stoole, and strooke at the said thing, the stroke founded as though he had strucken upon a fether-bed, then it came to the woman, and stroke her three times up|on the feet, and tooke her out of the bed, and so rouled her too and fro in the Chamber, and under the bed, the people then present, to the number of seaven persons, were so greatly amazed with this horrible sight, that they knew not what to doe, yet they called still upon God for his assistance, but the candle was so dimme, that they could scarcely see one another, at the last this Monster, which wee supposed to be the Devill, did thrust the wo|mans head betweene her leggs, and so rouled her in a|round compasse, like an hoope through the other Cham|bers, downe an high paire of staires into the Hall, where he kept her the space of a quarter of an house, her hus|band and they in the Chamber above, durst not come downe to her, but remained in prayer, weeping at the stai[...]es head grievously lamenting to see her so carried a|way, there was such an horrible stinke in the Hall, and such fiery flames, that they were glad to stop their noses with cloathes, and napkines, then the woman cryed out calling to her husband, now he is gone, then quoth he in the name of God come up to me, and so even upon the suddaine she was come up so quickly, that they greatly marveiled at it, then they brought her to bed, and foure of them, kept downe the cloathes about the bed, and con|tinued in prayer about her, the candle in the Chamber could not burne cleare, but was very dimme, and sudden|ly the woman was got out of the bed, and the Window at the beds [illeg.] head opened, whether the woman unpind the Winddow, or how it came to passe, they knew not but it was opened, & the wamons leggs after a miraculous man|ner thrust out of the Winddow, so that they were clasped about the post in the middle of the Winddow betweene her leggs, the people of the Chamber heard a thing knock at her feet as if it had beene upon a tubb, and they saw a great fire, as it seemed to them at her feet, the stink where|of was horrible, the sorrowfull husband and his brother, imboldened themselves in the Lord, and did charge the Devill in the name of the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghost, to depart from her, and to trouble her no more, then they laid hands upon her, and cryed to the Lord, to helpe them in that their and so pulled her in a|gaine, and set her upon her feet, then shee looked out of a winddow and began to say O Lord (quoth she) me think I see a little child, but they gave not regard to her, these words she spake two or three times, so at the last they all looked our at the winddow, and so they espyed a thing little child, with a very bright shi[...]ning counte|nance, [...] a great light in the Chamber, and the can|dle burned very brightly so that they might one see ano|ther, then they fell [illeg.] flat to the ground, and prayed the Lord that he had so wonderfully assisted them, and so the child vanished the woman being in better fe|ling of her selfe, was laid in her bed, and a ked forgive|nesse at Gods hands, and of all that shee had offended, acknowledging that it was for her [...], that she was so , of the evill spirit, and God be thanked she hath beene ever since, in some reasonable order, for there hath beene with her many godly learned men, from divers places of the Countrey.() |