Cover of The Lancashire Witches Book 1 by William Harrison Ainsworth Ebook The Lancashire Witches Book 1
Ebook · Fractal Press

The Lancashire Witches Book 1

Author
William Harrison Ainsworth
Language
English
Length
290 pages
ISBN
9781836102328
Published
10 March 2026
Imprint
Fractal Press
  • witchcraft
  • Pendle witches
  • 17th-century England
  • curses
  • superstition
  • Gothic fiction
  • historical drama
  • persecution
  • Reformation
  • family tragedy

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Description

The Lancashire Witches is based on the true story of the Pendle witches of 1612, weaving witchcraft, curses, and family tragedy into the turbulent backdrop of England’s Reformation. When Abbot John Paslew refuses a stranger’s demand to baptize his child, a curse sets off a chain of demonic bargains and persecution. William Harrison Ainsworth blends history, superstition, and Gothic suspense to explore fear, vengeance, and societal upheaval.

Author

William Harrison Ainsworth (1805–1882) was the great Victorian showman of historical romance — a novelist who filled magazines and bookstalls with highwaymen, witches, Tudor courts, and London underworlds. Rookwood made Dick Turpin a legend; Jack Sheppard turned a thief into a popular hero; The Lancashire Witches brought the Pendle trials back to feverish life.

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