Witch Hunter

12th January, 1632

2006-10-31T23:59:00.001Z

The Journal of Witch-Hunter Captain William Dashu.

14th January, 1632

2006-10-31T23:58:00.001Z

As narrated by Witch Hunter Captain William Dashu, appointed by the Arch-bishop of Canterbury to find, expunge, cleanse and otherwise purge all witches, heretics, deviants and enemies of God in the county of Hampshire.

Today we rode out of Canterbury, headed for Hampshire. I am accompanied by two knights, three zealots who had heard of our Holy purpose, and a hired mercenary by the name of Rupert Adémar. I know little of him, save that he seems to have been of noble birth once. Perhaps the youngest son of a landowner, or on the run - I do not know. Whoever, his Grace the Archbishop has given him consent to ride with us, and recommended him to me as a stout fighter. Though it is by God's will and cleansing flame that I shall purge the heretics we shall find, rather than simply by the sword, so that their souls can be purified and sent unto God.

For he who dwells in dark shall be damned
Forever beyond the reach of His guidance
And those with light shall ne'er be harmed
And angels shall facilitate his work, with sword and burning lance
Purging the unworthy from this good Plain.

From The Scripture of Redemption

The fortified castle of Canterbury (above)

3rd February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:57:00.003Z

We arrived at the borders of Hampshire today. Crossing the border, we reached Stanfled, a fortified town, and rested there for the night. We also met a travelling priest, Father Blane, who agreed to accompany us in our mission. The lord of the castle was very accomadating, especially after learning of our purpose. We shall rest here for a short while before moving on.

"The dusty road that the traveller must walk,
The silence booming all around,
Companions speak, yet no-one will talk
Walking alone, travelling without sound."

Part of 'The Lonely Road', a song sung by minstrels

The fortified gates of Stanfled Castle.

5th February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:57:00.002Z

Today we left behind the hospitality of Stanfled, moving north-westwards towards Chalton. The retinue were in good spirits, and so far we have not met opposition in the forms of highwaymen or brigands; nor shall we, God willing; for we can not do to have our holy work impeded by vagrants and miscreants. The Judgement of God must be wrought upon the heretic, the sinner and the disbeliever, and I can not afford to have time wasted in pointless battle with highwaymen.

"For those who turn to the dark,
And shun & reject the light,
Take heed! listen! hark!
You shall be damned in endless night"

9th February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:56:00.003Z

Today we were ambushed by highwaymen on Middleton Lane, 3 vagrants who attempted to loot us. The encounter was short and swift, with one of the villains slain by Rupert, and the others fleeing. Ordinarily we would have given chase to bring them to justice for daring to attack those who do God's work, but we cannot dally. We are sheltering in some old ruins tonight, and hope to reach Chalton by the 11th, barring any other incidents.

"Only in the fires of righteousness can the stain of darkness be purged"

11th February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:56:00.002Z

We arrived in Chalton this morning. Having learnt of our presence and mission, I have already had the local priest, a Father Arnop, come to me in confidence. Apparently, a Susannah Hanson has been acting oddly recently, displaying such symptons as crying out and collapsing, and shaking uncontrollably and violently. I believe that she may be possessed, though I will have to verify this. I have sent one of the knights, Thomas Bodenham, and two of my followers to arrest her. She will be interrogated tomorrow.

The gate of Chalton's watchtower.

12th February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:55:00.001Z

We interrogated Susannah Hanson today, having left her in gaol all night. I interrogated her for five hours, but the witch is stubborn, with the fire of Satan in her eyes, and did not confess. Seeing as she will not confess voluntarily, I believe we will be forced to use more physical methods to bring her into the light of God.

17th February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:54:00.004Z

I have reason to believe that our witch-hunt in Chalton is not at its closure. The villagers speak of a daemon ravaging them at night, an unholy spirit that attacks and kills their young. I believe, as do many villagers, that it may well be a warwoolf, though I will have to try and trap the foul beast. Rupert and I will venture out tonight to try and trap the foul beast. I pray that God will be with us.

Rupert Adémar.
(click to enlarge)

"And again in respect of punishment - the greater punishment is due to the greater blame" - The Malleus Maleficarum

14th February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:54:00.003Z

Having left the heretic in gaol for two days, I interrogated Susannah Hanson again. She was much more co-operative, confessing to various crimes including;

Devil-worship
Occult practices
Consorting with daemons
Deviating from the path of light

I have spoken to the local lord, and he has agreed that she shall be imprisoned for two years, and four appearences in the pillory, since her crimes, heinous as they are, did not dabble into actual magikal practices, rather straying from the Light of our Lord.

The stairwell leading down to the dungeon.

"Only the fires of purity can cleanse the encroaching dark"

18th February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:53:00.001Z

Last night, we failed to catch the warwoolf, though both Rupert and I sighted it. Rupert opened fire on it, but was unable to stop the daemonic beast, which fled into the woods. I am beginning to take a liking to this mercenary; he certainly seems pure of heart, and is valuable to have in a fight as well.

We tracked the warwoolf, but its pawprints were erased by light rain, no doubt conjured by the foul beast. Rupert and I have arrested five likely suspects, based on our own observations, the locations we saw the warwoolf at, and the villager's claims.

"At once a man, yet not a man,
Beast hidden away within
The shape-shifter is forever damned,
Carrying their eternal sin."

A drawing of a werewolf

19th February 1632

2006-10-31T23:52:00.001Z

We have discovered the root of the evil in Chalton! The local cobbler, a man named Avery Harrington, has The Mark. He was also seen leaving his residence around the time the warwoolf appeared, and no-one saw him until morning. We are keeping him locked up, away from the good people of Chalton, so he is no threat to them any more. Tonight, we will witness the transformation, proving that this is the true source of evil here. The only punishment for such heinous crimes against both the people of Chalton, and God himself, is burning. I will oversee the transformation and subsequent death personally, so as to prevent the foul witch from escaping the wrath of God.

"Only the fires of rightousness can truly purge and cleanse the darkness."

20th February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:51:00.001Z

Damnation! The cobbler did not transform, after we chained him to a stake in the town square, and left him under armed guard all night. The taint must be worse than I ever dared imagine - for a werewolf who can change shape at will, rather than being bound by the movement of the sun and moon, is surely the most dangerous heretic possible. As such, I will burn Avery Harrington tonight, so as not to give him any time to escape. This foul monster must be destroyed, for the protection of all around here who are true to God.

"And the Power of God is stronger than the Power of the Devil, so divine works are more true than daemonic operations" - The Malleus Maleficarum

21st February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:50:00.001Z

We burnt the cobbler last night, having tied him to a stake with silver chain to ensure he did not transform and attack us to try and escape - for a werewolf is a dangerous beast, and even more so when it knows it is about to die. Thankfully, the chain held true, and Harrington failed to transform, dying screaming like the beast he is. Satisfied that the evil in Chalton has been halted, I intend to move on tomorrow to our next destination - the village of Clanfield.

Witch Hunter Captain William Dashu
(click to enlarge)

30th February, 1632

2006-10-31T23:49:00.001Z

We arrived in the town of Clanfield after an uneventful journey. We have taken a room in the inn, and I intend to start investigating tomorrow.

"The pure of heart cannot fail when blessed with the Grace of God."

7th March, 1632

2006-10-31T23:47:00.003Z

The village seems untainted from my investigations - evidently the Grace of God is pure here. However, a small group of villagers are suspicious about the local herbalist, Marcus Apesley. I must confess I find nothing impure about the man, but I must question him anyway. I dispatched Rupert and one of the knights to bring him to me, where I will interrogate him tomorrow.

"Those who will not repent are eternally damned, for without the blessings of God, how can they ever hope to ascend to Heaven?"

8th March, 1632

2006-10-31T23:47:00.002Z

After interrogating the herbalist for two days, I am convinced that there is no taint in him, and that he is not consorting with devils, as the accusers suggested - if anything, he seems more devout than some others we have encountered on our journey. I have released him. I suspect that perhaps the group had more material than religious reasons for the denouncement, and as such I have locked the accusers in the stocks for three days. While I am grateful to villagers for their reports on possible witches, accusing such a devout man as Apesley, possibly for material reasons, certainly warrants a mild punishment.

The stocks, useful for lesser punishments.
(click to enlarge)

"The witch-hunters are those most courageous of men, ordained by God himself to cleanse his lands of the impure and heretical" - from an unknown text

18th March, 1632

2006-10-31T23:46:00.001Z

I am satisfied that the grace of God is with this town, the only occurance of note being the false accusation. My men and I intend to move on to Annurferin tomorrow. With any luck, we should arrive there by the end of the month.

31st March, 1632

2006-10-31T23:45:00.001Z

We arrived in Annurferin today, after an uneventful journey. Night was setting as we arrived, and the town was lit by a myriad of torches on the wooden wall, giving off a shining aura of light. Annurferin is a great town, ringed by a wooden wall and shallow ditch, and guarded at all hours. Yet despite the precautions, I still feel that there is some evil here. For can not evil reach nearly anywhere, such as the serpent in the Garden of Eden? Only the pure of heart can use their faith in God as a shield against the darkness, and a spear to drive back the blackness.

The gate guards were all too happy to let through a man of God, especially after learning of my mission. We have decided to reside in a house rented to us for a short while, and I intend to start my investigations here on the morrow.

The great beacon of Annurferin, lit in times of war to warn neighbouring towns of impeding attack.
(click to enlarge)

3rd April, 1632

2006-10-31T23:44:00.001Z

My hand has already been forced into arresting two people - a man named John Sloam, and a woman of the name Joan Holt. I suspect that Sloam is guilty of practicing witchcraft, and Holt of assisting him in various endeavours related to the above crime. Both of them are now imprisoned, and I will interrogate them after leaving them for a day or so. I have found that the foul heretics are so much more talkative after days alone in the dark. With the weaker-willed witches, this often eliminates the need for physical torture, and speeds up the process of purging these inhuman scum.

The dungeon where the witches are imprisoned.
(click to enlarge)

6th April, 1632

2006-10-31T23:43:00.001Z

I interrogated the captives yesterday, though to no avail - these devil-worshipping scum have iron tongues gifted by the devil. I have ordered my men to prepare the main chamber in the dungeon for my more thorough interrogation. As God is my witness, I will break these witches. None can hide in the darkness for long, for the beams of God's light always prevails against the encroaching darkness.

"Sin which comes from definitive malice is heavier than sin which comes from ignorance" - The Malleus Maleficarum

9th April, 1632

2006-10-31T23:42:00.001Z

One of the captives has named another, claiming that a local, Janus Hermot, is the witch. I have arrested Janus as well, locking him in the dungeon. I will question him on the morrow.

One of the doorways into the Keep, leading down to the dungeon.
(click to enlarge)

12th April, 1632

2006-10-31T23:41:00.001Z

I believe that, after extensive questioning, Janus Hermot is innocent. I still need to carry out a few enquiries in the town, but from my questioning I am sure that he is innocent of these most heinous of crimes.

15th April, 1632

2006-10-31T23:40:00.001Z

I have released Janus Hermot, having found him innocent of the crime of witchcraft, and aquitted him of all charges. However, the other two, Sloam and Holt, are still in gaol, as I believe that they may well be witches, or at least involved in witchcraft. I will interrogate them again tomorrow, though it seems that the devil gives these two unholy strength. The main chamber has been converted into a torture chamber, and so I may well resort to physical torture soon.

18th April, 1632

2006-10-31T23:39:00.001Z

The woman, Joan Holt, has confessed. After an hour in the strappado, she gave her confession - that Sloan had forced herm to assist him in various blasphemous rituals, such as cavorting with demons on Midsummers eve, and summoning forth a spirit to do his bidding. She maintains that she has never entered into any unholy pacts herself, instead being forced to help Sloan under pain of death and damnation at the hands of the devils he summoned forth. Father Blane was with me, and has written down her confession as she spoke. However, I intend to administer one last test - the Trial by Holy Bread. Father Blane has already requisitioned some from the local church, and so tomorrow we will determine before God whether her confession is true, or not.

"Those who are not completely steeped in blasphemy may yet be saved, and their souls purified, and sent unto God."

19th April, 1632

2006-10-31T23:38:00.001Z

Holt is innocent. I carried out the Trial by Holy Bread this afternoon, forcing her to eat a loaf of holy bread. She did not choke, and so her body is pure, for those tainted by witchcraft cannot stand the holy essence of the bread, and their body forces them to reject it, thereby proving their guilt. Tomorrow, she will repent in front of Father Blane, and then we can release her, and focus our attention on the chief witch, Sloan.

Father Blane
(click to enlarge)

20th April 1632

2006-10-31T23:37:00.001Z

Holt has repented, and been released. Now, we have only one witch left to prove guilty or innocent. Given the testimony of Holt, I suspect that he is guilty, especially given his unwillingness to talk. I intend to leave him for a few days before resuming my interrogation. I may have to resort to more persuasive measures than I have implemented so far.

Joan Holt repenting
(click to enlarge)

28th April, 1632

2006-10-31T23:36:00.001Z

Damnation! Sloan is proving hard to break, refusing to confess. I first administered the Test by Water, forcing Sloan to retrive a golden ring from the bottom of a cauldron filled with boiling water. Three days later, his arm was scaled, thereby proving his guilt, yet despite my promptings, he has not confessed. He has been in the torture chamber for 4 days now, and still he denies the truth.

30th April, 1632

2006-10-31T23:35:00.001Z

Unfortunately, Sloan died this morning, still without a confession. It is only himself he has damned, for when Judgement is wrought upon him, his soul will descend to Hell for his wicked crimes. Evidently the demonic powers that held his tongue could not protect him against the righteous interrogation and torture of the witch hunters. For are we not ordained by God himself to purge these witches? We cannot be held accountable if they would rather be eternally damned, than repent, and perhaps manage to transcend to Heaven rather than fall into Hell.

3rd May, 1632

2006-10-31T23:34:00.001Z

We left Annurferin today, moving south-west towards Ailesbury. Merely a small hamlet, we need to stop for supplies, since it is on our road anyway. It is inhabited by Puritans, and so I doubt that we should need to stay there for more than a few days. However, this mission is ordained by the Archbishop of Canterbury himself, and so it would be careless, nay, disrespectful, to ignore a village simply due to what I have been told of it.

11th May, 1632

2006-10-31T23:33:00.001Z

We arrived in Ailesbury today at noon. I intend to stay here for two days before moving on. We are staying in a modest house, and tomorrow I shall aquire the supplies we need, before moving on to continue with God's work.

12th May, 1632

2006-10-31T23:32:00.001Z

By the Powers of Heaven! Is even this puritan community not immune to the foul taint? While aquiring supplies, we encountered an onld woman by the name of Edith Patel. She stocks various herbs, including M. Autumnalis, which is often better known as the devil's herb! I have seen before that many of the plants she has are used in blasphemous rituals to talk to demons. And, as if this is not proof enough, she wears The Mark on her arm, in plain view! It is either a powerful or insane witch who dares to show her allegiance in public. We have already taken her away, and I will try to extract a confession from this she-devil.

13th May, 1632

2006-10-31T23:30:00.001Z

See how the darkness is banished by the light! The heretic Patel has confessed, admitting that she consorts with demons and devils, begging them to bring misfortune upon others. As the Bible says, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live "(Exodus 22:17), and as such she shall be burnt at the stake.

11pm: Damnation! The foul taint must have spread, or else she has the entire village under her thrall! As we were preparing to burn the heretic in cleansing flame, most of the village arrived. I engaged in a heated debate with the local blacksmith - he, and the other villagers, claimed that Patel was innocent. Questioning the judgement of a witch hunter! I refused to release her, showing the evidence, but they were not convinced. The argument escalated, and some of the villagers drew daggers and axes. Refusing to relent, I set alight the pyre anyway. Seeing their demonic mother dying, the mob attacked us! I confess that I was shocked by this at first, having been blind to their true allegiance. We fought back, killing five of them, but the numbers were in their favour, forcing us to flee from the village. However, they have killed not only two of the zealots accompanying me, but also one of my knights, Percival Hopkins, and Father Blane! It is a brazen heretic indeed who dares to attack a witch hunter, let alone murder two of his retinue! Hopkins was ordained by the Archbishop of Canterbury to accompany me on this most holy mission, and Father Blane was a man of the Church! By God, how can the darkness be so bold as to murder a man of the cloth? This will not stand, these devil-worshippers will pay for this! We are headed back towards Annurferin, where I will speak with the local Lord, and pertain his assistance.

The late & lamented Father Blane

(click to enlarge)

20th May, 1632

2006-10-31T23:29:00.001Z

We have arrived in Annurferin, and I spoke to the local lord as soon as we arrived. While sceptical of this heresy at first, he eventually relented after I began to suspect that the taint may have even reached here. I now have half of the garrison of Annurferin under my control; 50 armed soldiers, 5 horsemen and 15 archers. With these reinforcements, I intend to set back to Ailesbury on the morrow. This heresy cannot be allowed to survive - Ailesbury must be cleansed.

26th May, 1632

2006-10-31T23:28:00.001Z

We are camped just outside of Ailesbury, having fast marched here. I intend to storm the village tomorrow, and raze that witches' lair to the ground. The taint must be purged at all costs - I cannot allow such a blot on the landscape of our fair England. It is a dark day indeed when an entire village is corrupted, but we must do what we must. For the Glory of God.

27th May, 1632

2006-10-31T23:27:00.001Z

This haven of evil has been cleansed, the village of Ailesbury erased from the map. I ordered the garrison of Annurferin to attack at sunrise. We stormed the village, breaking down the gates. The demon-worshippers who inhabited that place of debauchery and blasphemony ralied against us, attacking us as we moved inwards. The Grace of God was with us, and as the Malleus Maleficarum states, "And the Power of God is stronger than the Power of the Devil, so divine works are more true than daemonic operations." The heretics were poorly armed, and unable to face down the trained soldiery of the garrison of Annurferin, and slaughtered in droves like the cattle they are. Both Rupert and I led the attack from the front. I used all of the shot I had prepared for my pistol, as well as killing at least seven other of these Satan-worshippers, including that arch-heretic, the blacksmith. Casualties were minimum, with only three soldiers being killed by the enemy, and another ten injured. We burnt the village to the ground, and took the few survivors prisoner - two men, five women and three children. The women and children shall be hanged, and the men burnt alive, when we return to Annurferin.

As I watched the flames consume what was left of this den of debauchery, I was glad. For the power of God must prevail against the darkness, and my soul rests easier knowing that this community was exposed for what it was, and is now all but exterminated.

The tapestry made after the event to commemorate Captain Dashu's purge of Ailesbury.
(click to enlarge)

Disclaimer, and other boring stuff...

1990-01-02T00:01:00.001Z

To my dear readers,

Just a quick note from myself, Ben, the author of this blog. Mainly a disclaimer, so not particularly interesting...

Please note that all of the above material herein is fictional, and the product of my own over-active imagination. Any references to persons, either alive or deceased, is purely unintentional. Also, this blog reflects 17th Century views and ideology, and as such may come into conflict with modern views. This is necessary due to the time period the journal is set in, to ensure the correct atmosphere and "feel" for the blog. As such, any offence caused is unintentional, and I hold no responsibility. This blog was created as part of one of my modules at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and they are exempt from any responsibility regarding this blog. All work in this blog is Copyright under Creative Commons:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.

Well, I think that about covers all legal routes (so please don't bring a lawsuit against me).

Bibliography:
Nigel Cawthorne, Witch Hunt: History of a persecution (UK: Arcturus Publishing, 2003)
Heinrich Kramer & James Sprenger, The Malleus Maleficarum - The witch hunter's handbook (UK: Bracken Books, 1996)
The Witch-hunters, http://shanmonster.com/witch/hunters/index.html, Shantell Powell

Thanks to all of the above - their work was a great help, both during this project and the research I've been doing for ages now!

Also, you can download two other pieces composed by myself just below. I was going to use them as well as "The witch-hunter", which is in the embedded player, but due to them being .midi rather then .mp3, and any multi-track player being scarce and usually incredibly annoying to get working, I couldn't include them as I intended. So, just in case anyone's interested, you can download them here. As with all other material, they are copyright under the Creative Commons licence.
The Star
Twilight in Venice

Finally, thanks to anyone who actually read this out of their own interest - I may continue updating it, but first I'm thinking of adding a counter after it's been assessed to see if it's worth it. I've enjoyed writing this, and I hope that anyone reading it has enjoyed it as much as I did creating this.

-Ben, 21/12/2006