Windsor Witch Trials and *The Merry Wives of Windsor*

Topic: Windsor Witch Trials and The Merry Wives of Windsor

1. Verified Sourced Facts

• The EarlyPrint database records TCP A12973 as:

“A rehearsall both straung and true, of hainous and horrible actes committed by Elizabeth Stile alias Rockingham, Mother Dutten, Mother Deuell, Mother Margaret, fower notorious witches, apprehended at Winsore in the countie of Barks. and at Abbington arraigned, condemned, and executed, on the 26 daye of Februarie laste Anno. 1579.”

• The EarlyPrint database records TCP A72130 as:

“[A brief treatise containing the most strange and horrible cruelty of Elizabeth Stile alias Rockingham and her confederates, executed at Abingdon, upon R. Galis]”

• The local EEBO findings note quotes A12973 as stating that Elizabeth Stile was:

“apprehended at Windsore afore said, and brought personally before the right worshipfull Sir Henry Neuell knight beyng by him examined, and found by manifest and vndeniable proffes of her honest neighbors to be a leude, malitious, and hurtfull woman to the people and inhabitants thereaboutes, was thereupon committed to the common Gaile of Reading.”

• The same local EEBO findings note quotes A12973 as placing Windsor topography in the case:

“Mother Deuell, dwellyng nigh the Ponde in Windesore aforesaied”

“within the backeside of Maister Dodges in the Pittes”

“aboute a leuen of the Clocke in the night at the Pounde”

“in a Wood, not farre from thence, vnder the bodie of a Tree”

• The same local EEBO findings note quotes A72130 as showing repeated Neville-household involvement, including a chapter heading:

“How vpon complaints made by the Author to Sir Henry Neuel they were commaunded to be brought before him”

• The same note states that in A72130:

“Lady Neville ... had ‘often conference’ with Galis about his troubles”

• The Dell chapter, as transcribed in the collab note, states that the Privy Council:

“decided to pressure Sir Henry Neville and the dean of Windsor to convict.”

• The same Dell transcription states that a letter dated 16 January 1579 described image magic:

“very likely to be intended to the destruction of Her Majesty’s person.”

• The same Dell transcription states:

“The confession was dated 28 January 1579”

• The same Dell transcription states:

“Father Rosimond survived”

• The Folger text of The Merry Wives of Windsor contains the following Windsor-specific lines:

“There is an old tale goes that Herne the Hunter,”

“Doth all the wintertime, at still midnight,”

“Let them from forth a sawpit rush at once”

“The Windsor bell hath struck twelve.”

“Our dance of custom round about the oak / Of Herne the Hunter let us not forget.”

• The Windsor localism report states:

“The later text is more thickly and more climactically local, especially through Datchet, Herne, and Eton.”

• The same report treats the final movement of the play as:

“Climactic legendary and ceremonial Windsor: 4.4-5.5”

• The same report states:

“Herne’s Oak, Herne’s legend, and hunting language dominate the scene.”

2. Ken Feinstein Twitter and Blog Information

• No Ken Feinstein Twitter/blog material is isolated in this packet at present.

3. Quoted Source Text

EarlyPrint metadata

• A12973:

“A rehearsall both straung and true, of hainous and horrible actes committed by Elizabeth Stile alias Rockingham, Mother Dutten, Mother Deuell, Mother Margaret ...”

• A72130:

“[A brief treatise containing the most strange and horrible cruelty of Elizabeth Stile alias Rockingham and her confederates, executed at Abingdon, upon R. Galis]”

A12973 as preserved in the local EEBO findings and witch-pamphlet study

• “brought personally before the right worshipfull Sir Henry Neuell knight”
• “Mother Deuell, dwellyng nigh the Ponde in Windesore aforesaied”
• “within the backeside of Maister Dodges in the Pittes”
• “aboute a leuen of the Clocke in the night at the Pounde”
• “in a Wood, not farre from thence, vnder the bodie of a Tree”

A72130 as preserved in the local EEBO findings

• “How vpon complaints made by the Author to Sir Henry Neuel they were commaunded to be brought before him”
• “often conference”

Dell chapter as preserved in the local collab note

• “decided to pressure Sir Henry Neville and the dean of Windsor to convict.”
• “very likely to be intended to the destruction of Her Majesty’s person.”
• “The confession was dated 28 January 1579”
• “Father Rosimond survived”

Folger text of The Merry Wives of Windsor

• “There is an old tale goes that Herne the Hunter,”
• “Doth all the wintertime, at still midnight,”
• “Let them from forth a sawpit rush at once”
• “The Windsor bell hath struck twelve.”
• “Our dance of custom round about the oak / Of Herne the Hunter let us not forget.”

4. Citations

• Anonymous. A rehearsall both straung and true, of hainous and horrible actes committed by Elizabeth Stile alias Rockingham, Mother Dutten, Mother Deuell, Mother Margaret, fower notorious witches, apprehended at Winsore in the countie of Barks. and at Abbington arraigned, condemned, and executed, on the 26 daye of Februarie laste Anno. 1579. 1579. STC 23267. TCP A12973. EarlyPrint / EEBO-TCP. Metadata verified in /Users/kenf/Database/Pervez Database/earlyprint/earlyprint.db.
• Galis, Richard. A brief treatise containing the most strange and horrible cruelty of Elizabeth Stile alias Rockingham and her confederates, executed at Abingdon, upon R. Galis. 1579. STC 11537.5. TCP A72130. EarlyPrint / EEBO-TCP. Metadata verified in /Users/kenf/Database/Pervez Database/earlyprint/earlyprint.db.
• Dell, Jessica. “‘A witch, a queen, an old cozening quean!’: Image Magic and Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor.” In Magical Transformations on the Early Modern English Stage, edited by Lisa Hopkins and Helen Ostovich, Ashgate/Routledge, 2014, chapter 12, pp. TBD. Local chapter pages preserved in /Users/kenf/Neville Book/11_Merry_Wives_of_Windsor/Elizabeth_Stile_title_page_plus_3_text_pages.pdf and /Users/kenf/Neville Book/11_Merry_Wives_of_Windsor/Elizabeth_Stile_case_pages_from_twitter_2021-06-04.pdf. Official Routledge catalog page: Magical Transformations on the Early Modern English Stage.
• Shakespeare, William. The Merry Wives of Windsor. Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Texts. Local text witness assembled from /Users/kenf/folger_shakespeare/chunked/the-merry-wives-of-windsor/.
• “Witch trial — EEBO primary source findings, title correction, and new material.” Claude-to-Codex note, 25 Mar. 2026. /Users/kenf/Neville Book/COLLAB/claude-to-codex/2026-03-25_01_witch-trial-eebo-findings.md.
• “Privy Council detail from Dell chapter — major upgrade to witch trial argument.” Claude-to-Codex note, 25 Mar. 2026. /Users/kenf/Neville Book/COLLAB/claude-to-codex/2026-03-25_02_dell-privy-council-finding.md.
• Merry Wives of Windsor and the 1579 Windsor Witch Pamphlet. Local study, /Users/kenf/Neville Book/BOOK_V7_ILLUSTRATED/MERRY_WIVES_WINDSOR_WITCH_PAMPHLET_STUDY.md.
• Local Features of Windsor in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Local report, /Users/kenf/research/merry_wives_windsor_localism/report/merry_wives_windsor_localism_report.md.
• “Elizabeth Stile Case Pages (Twitter Archive).” Local source note, /Users/kenf/Neville Book/11_Merry_Wives_of_Windsor/source_elizabeth_stile_case_pages_2021-06-04.md.
• “Merry Wives of Windsor — Windsor Witches Connection.” Local notes file, /Users/kenf/Neville Book/11_Merry_Wives_of_Windsor/NOTES_windsor_witches.md.

5. Notes on Access

• The A12973 and A72130 titles and metadata were verified directly in the local EarlyPrint database at /Users/kenf/Database/Pervez Database/earlyprint/earlyprint.db.
• The quoted wording from A12973 and A72130 above is preserved in the local EEBO findings note and the local witch-pamphlet study. This packet does not yet contain a fresh full transcription from the underlying XML witness.
• The title of A12973 gives the executions as 26 daye of Februarie laste Anno. 1579. In English Old Style dating this carries a 1579/1580 ambiguity in modern reckoning, though EEBO metadata records the item as 1579.
• The Dell chapter is locally available as extracted PDF pages in /Users/kenf/Neville Book/11_Merry_Wives_of_Windsor/Elizabeth_Stile_title_page_plus_3_text_pages.pdf and /Users/kenf/Neville Book/11_Merry_Wives_of_Windsor/Elizabeth_Stile_case_pages_from_twitter_2021-06-04.pdf.
• The official Routledge page lists Jessica Dell's chapter as chapter 12 and gives the book copyright date as 2014. Page numbers still need direct verification from the local full volume or publisher metadata.
• The embedded image above comes from /Users/kenf/Neville Book/_ocrwork/pdf_fallback3/Elizabeth_Stile_title_page_plus_3_text_pages.pdf_p1.png.
• The play quotations were located in the local Folger text files:
• /Users/kenf/folger_shakespeare/chunked/the-merry-wives-of-windsor/act-04_scene-04.txt
• /Users/kenf/folger_shakespeare/chunked/the-merry-wives-of-windsor/act-05_scene-05.txt
• The packet preserves a strict distinction between:
• primary witnesses (A12973, A72130, the Folger play text)
• secondary scholarship (Dell)
• local research syntheses (the localism report, witch-pamphlet study, and collab notes)
• The local witch-pamphlet study and Windsor localism report are preserved as research syntheses, not as primary or secondary authorities.