- Joined
- May 8, 2009
- Messages
- 2,095
- Reaction score
- 268
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Website
- undeadwhispers.yuku.com
Another historical scenario...
During the era of the English Civil War, the Anderwick Family of North Yorkshire were landed gentry. One of them, Peter Anderwick, was more-or-less pressured into wedding the daughter of a prominent Protestant. This was the family's way of protecting themselves if matters went particularly bad. Well, they did and most of the family fled to France as the Roundheads took over.
Peter Anderwick proclaimed himself loyal to Parliament, and his marriage helped insure his safety. It helped that he himself had done nothing much at all during the Civil War, certainly nothing that could be construed as pro-Royalist. Given that Yorkshire was very much pro-Royalist this helped make him unpopular with his tenants and the townsfolk. His cruelties did the rest, and made an enemy of his wife as well.
Around 1648, he got very very sick but recovered (which surprised and disappointed many). However, his personality took a turn for the worse. Increasingly he spent his time hunting with a huge hound. Rumors began to spread, and when others began to die of the same sickness (presumably) that failed to kill the squire, those rumors included tales of witchcraft.
So it might have remained, if not for Peter's wife.
Her father was now a magistrate, and she denounced her husband as a witch in 1650. An investigation commenced, but when officials came to arrest Peter Anderwick they found he had committed suicide. His large hound was nowhere to be seen, although some claimed to view it haunting the Moors. Peter's widow spent the rest of her days at the estate, more and more of a recluse until she died shortly after the Restoration amid legal efforts by the Anderwick family to reclaim their property. Curiously, she burned most of her legal papers.
Legends include the idea that Hound was Peter's familiar, or even that the Hound was Peter himself. Others claim that his wife was the witch, framing her husband while still another legend insists it was his wife's family who murdered Peter, making it look like suicide.
Does this make sense, do you think? Thanks in advance!
During the era of the English Civil War, the Anderwick Family of North Yorkshire were landed gentry. One of them, Peter Anderwick, was more-or-less pressured into wedding the daughter of a prominent Protestant. This was the family's way of protecting themselves if matters went particularly bad. Well, they did and most of the family fled to France as the Roundheads took over.
Peter Anderwick proclaimed himself loyal to Parliament, and his marriage helped insure his safety. It helped that he himself had done nothing much at all during the Civil War, certainly nothing that could be construed as pro-Royalist. Given that Yorkshire was very much pro-Royalist this helped make him unpopular with his tenants and the townsfolk. His cruelties did the rest, and made an enemy of his wife as well.
Around 1648, he got very very sick but recovered (which surprised and disappointed many). However, his personality took a turn for the worse. Increasingly he spent his time hunting with a huge hound. Rumors began to spread, and when others began to die of the same sickness (presumably) that failed to kill the squire, those rumors included tales of witchcraft.
So it might have remained, if not for Peter's wife.
Her father was now a magistrate, and she denounced her husband as a witch in 1650. An investigation commenced, but when officials came to arrest Peter Anderwick they found he had committed suicide. His large hound was nowhere to be seen, although some claimed to view it haunting the Moors. Peter's widow spent the rest of her days at the estate, more and more of a recluse until she died shortly after the Restoration amid legal efforts by the Anderwick family to reclaim their property. Curiously, she burned most of her legal papers.
Legends include the idea that Hound was Peter's familiar, or even that the Hound was Peter himself. Others claim that his wife was the witch, framing her husband while still another legend insists it was his wife's family who murdered Peter, making it look like suicide.
Does this make sense, do you think? Thanks in advance!
