Thirteenth Century Moot Court Records
KINGSTON LACY MANORIAL RECORDS • 30 MAY 1232
The widow Alicia Payntere has been delivered to the court on the presentment of a case of witchery.
It has been presented that Widow Payntere did approach Agnesse Abbott, the wife of Ricardo Abbott, asking for milk for feeding her hungry children. The court hears that Widow Payntere has lost her husband, Pedro Payntere, about one year past and that she is left with seven children and that her own beast has given up milk. Because of the bad terms between the two women, Widow Payntere was denied milk and in anger she did curse Agnesse Abbott, her children and her beasts in words that did cause great fright and fear. It is also presented that within seven days of this happening the beasts of Agnesse Abbott became ill with a fever and did die. The evidence of several people from the tithing of Cougrove and others from without has been presented to the court and it has been found that a rightful justice is unclear and that by custom the court orders that the Widow Payntere does suffer an Ordeal of Fire and that she should be kept under the watch of the bailiffe and the constable who should present her for judgement in the appointed time.
Letter from Alice Maud Baker to her parents
My dear Mother and Father,
I am writing to you from my little room at the very top of the house. I am sorry you have not received a letter sooner but we have been very recently getting ready for the visit by King Edward next month. You would not believe how much there is to do, what with getting Master Ralph, the young squire, ready for the great day and, of course his sisters, Miss Daphne and Miss Viola.
Every morning I rise at four thirty and dress in my uniform. I’m sure you would be very proud of me. I have to be so careful when blacking the grates and laying and lighting all the fires in the family’s bedrooms, lest I get dirt on it. Nanny inspects us regularly and, believe me, Mother, woe betide any of us who has so much as a tiny mark on our clothes.
I do miss you all, even though Kingston lacy is a beautiful grand old house almost like a palace. I still yearn for our cottage sometimes. There are so many rooms here and the park land seems to stretch on and on for ever. Every time I look out of my window I think about all those stories you used to tell me about the old times. The Roman road is only a stone’s throw from here and the medieval Manor Court is also nearby.
When the evening mist settles over the grass and the trees, it is easy to imagine those days gone by. I wonder if life was easier then…..
Dorsetshire Folk Lore
Wise Woman A Dorsetshire peasant and master consulted the wise woman or “cunning-man” of the neighbourhood whenever he believed himself or his property to be under the “evil eye”. People visited them from afar for the efficacy of their spells and charms.
Ref: Particular wise woman who picks her herbs at midnight on the full moon as they are more potent then. She stands in front of a trap with a sick patient in it and makes great flourishes in the air with a willow wand, probably exorcising some demon. Possibly suggestions of an evil eye and flourishing of the wand are only adjuncts to play on the ignorance of her patients. Real cures come from herbal remedies.
Superstitions
It is unlucky to turn back to fetch something once a journey has started.
A dry summer never begs its bread – a fine dry summer is good for crops, particularly wheat.
Let the blood stand still as the waters did in the River of Jordan, in the name of the father etc. Amen – nose-bleeding charm.
Omens signified by magpies: One for anger, two for mirth, three for a wedding, four for a birth.
A snake skin worn on the hat or bonnet – a remedy for headache.
You should never eat pig’s brains as it makes you tell all that you know.
Cuckoo – if heard after Midsummer’s Day or in church you won’t live the year out.
If a woodpecker is heard frequently in a wood (laughing cry) it is a sign of rain.
A bee (dumble dore) denotes the arrival of a stranger during the day.
When sticks of wood are placed together and kindle or blaze up without interference, it is a sign that a stranger will come.
If clothes are put on inside out, it is a sign you will receive a present.
A Friday’s dream on a Saturday told is sure to come true if it’s ever so old.
Two legged foxes – human beings.
Some folks are always behind – always late.
Two legged blackbirds – human stealers of fruit.
The Story of Alicia Payntere and Agnesse Abbott: 1232
The story so far….
“Trouble has been brewing down at Cowgrove ever since Ricardo Abbott (also known as John) stayed out late after ploughing his furlong. He claimed to have been innocently doing a good deed – helping the widow Alicia Payntere to fix her roof to avoid having to pay further heriots (taxes) to the Lord of the Manor. Alicia’s husband Pedro died a year ago leaving her with seven children, and, as is the custom, a large heriot to pay in order to stay on in the house.
While he was doing the necessary repairs, Ricardo claimed he was afflicted with a terrible headache. Now it just happened that Alicia knew a bit about strange ailments – indeed, some, Ricardo amongst them, claim she is a Wise Woman in a long tradition stretching back to her Celtic ancestors. So when Ricardo got the headache, Alicia prepared a special potion. She took a dried snake skin from her medicine chest and sewed it carefully into the back of Ricardo’s hat.
Now unfortunately young Bethit, the youngest of Ricardo’s four children, happened to witness this curious bit of healing at a time when she should have been off bird-scaring. She dutifully reported to her mother, Agnesse Abbott, that she had seen her father with the widow woman bending over him doing something to his hat.
Nothing was said for some time but things went from bad to worse for Alicia. In spite of Ricardo’s help, she failed to get the house repaired in time and found herself out on the streets, living in the woods with her seven children. No one yet knows why the Tithing Man who should have helped her, failed to do so (unless, of course, Ricardo is the Tithing Man??)
Her children were cold and starving. In desperation she started to beg and found her way to the door of Agnesse Abbott’s house. She asked politely for milk. Her own cow had dried up and there was nothing she could do about it. We assume she had already tried some of her own herbal remedies on it.
Agnesse Abbott, because of her own feelings of jealousy towards Alicia, refused her. It must be said that it was a bad day for her. She had been thinking about her baby who had recently died and was feeling sad and tense. Added to that her children had been disturbing her – the boys rushing around climbing trees and shouting and the little girl running in and out of the house, letting the dust fly in and disturbing the fire. By midday she had had enough. But there was her arch-rival Alicia with her vast brood asking for milk. Never!
Alicia waited outside and may have left. But her children began to cry and complain at the means of their reception. Alicia persisted and tried again to no avail. As her children cried even louder, Alicia muttered something under her breath and left.
Did she really curse Agnesse’s children and animals? Agnesse was sure she had. Within the week the girl grew sick. Then Ricardo arrived home and reported that one of the oxen had gone lame. In the morning it was dead. The curse had worked!
Agnesse began walking all around the village, talking to neighbours and canvassing their views on Alicia. But they were not sure…