Table Of ContentThe English Exorcist
In 1598, the English clergyman John Darrell was brought before the High
Commission at Lambeth Palace to face charges of fraud and counterfeiting.
The ecclesiastical authorities alleged that he had “taught 4. to counterfeite”
demonic possession over a ten-y ear period, fashioning himself into a miracle
worker. Coming to the attention of the public through his dramatic and
successful role as an exorcist in the late sixteenth century, Darrell became
a symbol of Puritan spirituality and the subject of fierce ecclesiastical
persecution. The High Commission of John Darrell became a flashpoint for
theological and demonological debate, functioning as a catalyst for spiritual
reform in the early seventeenth- century English Church.
John Darrell has long been maligned by scholars; a historiographical
perception that this book challenges. The English Exorcist is the first study
to provide an in-d epth scholarly treatment of Darrell’s exorcism ministry
and his demonology. It shines new light on the corpus of theological
treatises that emerged from the Darrell Controversy, thereby illustrating the
profound impact of Darrell’s exorcism ministry on early modern Reformed
English Protestant demonology. The book establishes an intellectual
biography of this figure and sketches out the full compelling story of the
Darrell Controversy.
Brendan C. Walsh is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of
Queensland, Australia. His research interests lie primarily in the area of
early modern Reformed English Protestant demonology, focusing on the
themes of demonic possession, exorcism, spiritual healing, and diabolic
witchcraft.
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The English Exorcist
John Darrell and the Shaping of Early Modern English Protestant
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Brendan C. Walsh
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The English Exorcist
John Darrell and the Shaping
of Early Modern English
Protestant Demonology
Brendan C. Walsh
First published 2021
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Walsh, Brendan C., author.
Title: The English exorcist : John Darrell and the shaping of early
modern English protestant demonology / Brendan C. Walsh.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2020. | Series: Routledge
research in early modern history | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020011159 (print) | LCCN 2020011160 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367894016 (hardback) | ISBN 9781003018995 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Darrel, John, approximately 1562– | Exorcism—
England—History—16th century. | Puritan movements—
England—History—16th century. | England—Church
history—16th century.
Classification: LCC BV873.E8 W35 2020 (print) | LCC BV873.E8
(ebook) | DDC 274.2/06—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020011159
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020011160
ISBN: 978- 0- 367- 89401- 6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978- 1- 003- 01899- 5 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
Stylistic Elements ix
Acknowledgements x
Introduction 1
The John Darrell Controversy in Scholarship 5
The Reformed English Protestant Church 8
The Devil as Divine Instrument 11
Primary Sources 15
Interpreting the Darrell Controversy 17
Notes 23
1 Katherine Wright and the Birth of an Exorcist 34
The Possession of Katherine Wright 37
Cunning Folk 39
Puritans and Exorcists 41
Spiritual Remedies 42
Prayer and Fasting 45
Ungodly Behaviour 49
Battling the Devil 50
Spiritual Reflection 53
Conclusion 54
Notes 55
2 Thomas Darling, the “Boy of Burton” 61
The Bewitchment of Thomas Darling 63
Burton- upon- Trent 64
Witch- Hunting 65
Demonic Possession in Godly Spirituality 70
The Dispossession 73
vi Contents
Possession as Theatre 77
Performative Inspiration 78
Repossessed 81
The Most Wonderfull and True Storie 82
Conclusion 84
Notes 86
3 “The Lancashire Seven” and the Periphery of Early
Modern English Protestantism 92
Lancashire 93
The Possession of the Starkie Household 94
Magic Fair and Foul 96
Edmund Hartley’s Downfall 98
The Cleworth Devils 102
Mass Possession 107
The Lancashire Seven in Print 108
Conclusion 111
Notes 112
4 William Sommers and Godly Reformation in Nottingham 117
The Possession of William Sommers 119
The Dispossession 121
Scriptural Precedents and Early Modern Conceptions
of Demonic Possession 124
Darrell at the Pulpit 126
Revolution in Nottingham 128
Fall from Grace 130
The Commission 132
The Second Commission 135
Conclusion 137
Notes 138
5 The High Commission 142
Charges Laid 144
Constructing the Case 147
Taking the Stand 148
The Ecclesiastical Court 152
The Puritan Print Campaign 154
Delivering the Verdict 156
The Church’s Print Campaign 158
Demonological Debate 160
Conclusion 162
Notes 163
Contents vii
6 The “Sceptic” and the “Exorcist” 168
Harsnett the Theologian 170
Spiritual Conflict 172
Rhetorical Strategies 174
Miranda, et non Miracula 178
Exorcism as Confessional Propaganda 182
The Denham Exorcisms 185
Harsnett and Early Modern Drama 186
Witchcraft, Melancholy, and Possession 188
Conclusion 192
Notes 193
7 Godly Conferences and Demonological Discourse 200
Deacon and Walker 201
Polemical Objectives 202
Godly Brotherhood 205
Dialogicall Discourses and A Summarie Ansvvere 206
Scriptural Interpretation and the Cessation of Miracles 209
A Metaphysical Attack on Demonic Possession 212
Demonic Obsession 217
Spiritual Jurisdiction 220
Conclusion 222
Notes 224
8 Ecclesiastical Reform and the Shaping of English Protestant
Demonology 230
The Possession of Mary Glover 231
The Church’s Counterattack 235
King James and the Hampton Court Conference 237
Ecclesiastical Reform 239
Demonological Scrutiny 243
The Afterlives of the Darrell Controversy 247
Conclusion 250
Notes 251
Conclusion 259
Reinterpreting John Darrell 260
The Impact of the Darrell Controversy 261
Notes 263
Appendix A: The Witchcraft Act of 1604 265
Notes 266
viii Contents
Appendix B: Canon 72 of the Church of England 267
Bibliography 268
Primary Sources 268
Secondary Sources 279
Index 293
Stylistic Elements
References to the Bible are presented in the standard form of [Book]
[chapter]:[verse]. E.g., Romans 1:25. This work uses the King James Bible,
unless otherwise stated.
All dates in this book take the year to commence on January 1, but no
attempt has been made to convert dates occurring before September 14,
1752 to the Gregorian Calendar.
When quoting early modern sources, this work retains the original spell-
ing. As a result, v and u, along with j and i, are often used interchangeably
and without any consistency. Similarly, there is no fixed spelling for vowel
sounds (i and y are frequently substituted for one another). Printed English,
prior to the mid- seventeenth century, is not known for its uniformity, so
odd variations in the spelling of particular words should be expected. The
best approach to comprehending early modern English is to read each word
phonetically. Modern variances of early modern words are only provided
in- text when the exact meaning is unclear. In these instances, the format is:
original spelling followed by [modernised spelling].
Naturally, the author takes full responsibly for any errors in transcription.
Many early modern texts featured in this book do not carry page num-
bers. In such instances, the signature (a group of consecutive pages) is cited.
A signature bore a letter, numeral, or other identifying symbol to help the
binder position them correctly. In citing pages from texts of this nature, this
book provides the signature (sig.) first, then the number of the leaf within
the signature, and finally r (recto, the front of the leaf) or v (verso, the back
of the leaf). For example, sig. A4v identifies one page and sig. A4r–A7v
indicates a range of pages.
