The Lancashire Witches
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Widely considered to be a masterpiece of nineteenthтАУcentury gothic literature, William AinsworthтАЩs The Lancashire Witches begins in 1536 with a fateful confrontation atop the notorious Pendle Hill. Falsely accused of witchcraft and condemned to death, Nicholas Demdike sold his soul to Satan in exchange for his escape and revenge. But even as he sees his rival executed, DemdikeтАЩs daughter is cursed to be a witch and a mother to witches.
Many years later, Mother Demdike is feared throughout Lancashire for her dark powers. Her innocent granddaughter Alizon is determined to draw the Demdike family back to the church. But as Alizon falls in love and the secret of her birth is revealed, a conflict among rival witches leaves her fate hanging in the balance, until their cursed fate once again returns them all to Pendle Hill.
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William H. Ainsworth was an English historical novelist born in Manchester. He trained as a lawyer, but never practiced professionally. He met publisher John Ebers while completing his legal studies in London, who introduced him into literary and dramatic circles, and later became his father-in-law. After a failed attempt at making a career in the publishing business, Ainsworth devoted himself to journalism and literature. He died in Reigate, Surrey, England, in 1882, and was buried in LondonтАЩs Kensal Green Cemetery.
