Could the Pendle witches cat have been found?

Fantastic story for the wilds of Pendle this morning as engineers have unearthed a 17th Century cottage, complete with a mummified cat which dates from the times of the Pendle witches.

BBC News reports that the cottage was discovered near Lower Black Moss reservoir in the village of Barley, in the shadow of Pendle Hill.

Archaeologists believe that cottage could have belonged to one of the Pendle witches as the building contained a sealed room, with a mummified cat bricked into the wall.

It is believed the cat was buried alive to protect the cottage's inhabitants from evil spirits.

Simon Entwistle, an expert on the Pendle witches, said: "In terms of significance, it's like discovering Tutankhamen's tomb.


The engineering project has been put on hold while archaeologists investigate the site
"We are just a few months away from the 400th anniversary of the Pendle witch trials, and here we have an incredibly rare find, right in the heart of witching country. This could well be the famous Malkin Tower - which has been a source of speculation and rumour for centuries.
"Cats feature prominently in folklore about witches. Whoever consigned this cat to such a horrible fate was clearly seeking protection from evil spirits."

Pendle's residents in music festival uproar-or more angry local people

Don't you just love the local newspapers?

This is a brilliant piece from the Lancashire Telgraph's Jon Livesy on how Pendle locals were kept awake by the sounds blaring from a music festival over the weekend.

The Small Trees Festival, which featured a number of DJs, was held in a field opposite Trawden Recreation Ground, on Friday and Saturday nights.
Adrian Lord was granted a Temporary Event Notice for the event from Pendle Council after he suggested it would be a ticketed private party for less than 490 people.
So people who live nearby were shocked when a handful of large tents were pitched on Friday, with music blaring out until 1am on both nights.
Jacqui King, who lives half a mile away in Leyland Close, said she could hear the noise from inside her home, which is double-glazed.