Note 689 — How Dame Elianor Cobham Duchesse of Glocester, for practising of witchcraft and sorcery, suffred open penaunce, and after was banished the realme into the Ile of Man.

This yere (1442-3) dame Elyanour Cobham, wyfe to the sayd duke, was accused of treason, for that she, by sorcery and enchaunment, entended to destroy the kyng to thentent to aduaunce and promote her husbande to the croune: vpon thys she was examined in sainct Stephen’s chapell, before the bishop of Canterbury, and there by examinacion conuict and iudged to do open penaunce, in iii. open places, within the cytie of London, and after that adiudged to perpetuall prisone, in the Isle of Man, vnder the kepyng of Sir Ihon Stanley, knyght. At the same season wer arrested as ayders and counsailers to the said duchesse, Thomas Southwell, prieste and chanon of saincte Stephens in Westmynster, Ihon Hum, prieste, Roger Bolyngbroke, a conyng nycromancier, and Margerie Jourdayne, surnamed the witche of Eye, to whose charge it was laied, that thei, at the request of the duchesse had deuised an image of waxe, representyng the kyng whiche by their sorcery, a litle and litle consumed, entending therby in conclusion to waist, and destroy the kynge’s person, and so to bryng him to deathe, for the whiche treison, thei wer adiudged to dye, and so Margery Jordayne was brent in Smithfelde, and Roger Bolyngbroke was drawen and quartered at Tiborne, takyng vpon his deathe that there was neuer no suche thyng by theim ymagined, Jhon Hum had his pardon, and Southwell died in the toure before execution: the duke of Gloucester toke all these thynges paciently, and saied litle. Hall.