ladder. Therefore he decided to write a book about witchcraft and witches which
was the King's favorite subject. He called it The Wonderful. Discovery of Witches
...
Thomas Potts Thomas Potts lived in the 17th century. He was a clerk. He wanted to be well-seen by King James the 1st. He also wanted to climb up the social ladder. Therefore he decided to write a book about witchcraft and witches which was the King’s favorite subject. He called it The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster. In this book, he wrote the whole trial of the witches of Pendle. He quoted the King’s book, Demonology. The king read his book and it made Thomas Potts popular.
Before coming to the Pendle witches trial he was a clerk in London. But after the trial and the publication of his book, he received “considerable royal favor”. The King was keenly interested in the breeding of hounds so Potts wrote a book about it and was awarded. Three years after the trial, he was granted "the office of collecting the forfeitures on the laws concerning sewers, for twenty-one years". This position gave him the authority to appoint deputies. He was the clerk of the witches trial, and all we know about it is attributed to him. It's also thanks to him that the story went to London. Indeed, the story became popular even overseas. After the trial, Potts was promoted by the King. Potts wrote the trial story in order to make it famous, in showing all the little evidence and in manipulating it to
CUSEY Valentine and THERESY Cécile
bring about a spectacular show trial. He described Elizabeth Device as a monster, with her eyes squinting. But when Jennet Device testified against her, he said he was impressed by her testimony. The trial had a big impact all over England because lots of children testified all over the country in different trials after that.
