By HR250 Student A
The document outlining the case of the ‘Sad & Miserable Condition of Sarah Bower’, written in 1693 outlines the case of a young girl who is possessed.[1] The source itself was written by Richard Kirby, a ‘student in physic and Astrology’ who visited Sarah and saw the demon possession himself.[2] In historical terms the source is of interest in the way it highlights many aspects that were related to beliefs in demon possession at the time, including symptoms of the possessed and ways that were thought to combat the condition. Expanding on this the source is also of interest in which it relates to wider ideas about religion and God, revealing the culture that surrounded early modern people of the time.
The source was originally made in the time of the apocalyptic mind-set and belief. These ideas centred on the idea that the end of the world was approaching.[3] Demonic possession was used as proof of this upcoming doom through the increase of possessions reported to have taken place within society.[4] This tied in with the apocalypse thought of the period as it was believed that the Devil’s activity on earth would increase during the final days.[5] Another idea circulating at this time was the cessation of miracles, in which people believed that the age of miracles was over, and that no more could be performed.[6] In this context demonic possession was then an important topic which interlinked with these popular beliefs.
The source is of historical significance through the implication of the Devil in its content, and what this reveals about wider belief surrounding the character. This can be seen in the source through Sarah Bower being visited by a ‘Gentleman all in black’, who had ‘broad feet like a Cow.’[7] This description of the Devil ties in with ideas that were circulated at the time, with the Devil known to disguise himself and appear to people.[8] The Devil would then tempt them to do things such as ‘let him take some blood’ in the case of Sarah Bower.[9] This ties in with the broader idea of the Devil being linked to temptation, and the constant fight to resist his suggestions.[10] In this the human consciousness was seen as a constant place of battle between the forces of good and evil.[11] This source highlights what happens when the temptation is acted upon, with Sarah being overtaken by an evil spirit after her encounter with the Devil. This can then be seen not only as a report on the demon possession, but also as a warning to others.
Image credit: Wellcome Library, London
Another aspect of this source in relation to the Devil surrounds the idea of sin. In the case of Sarah, she was known to be ‘somewhat given to pride.’[12] This was seen as sinful at the time, and something to be repentful for. In a wider context this links to ideas that the Devil himself could not act in the same way as the divine, having to work in the constraints of nature and in God’s will.[13] This made the Devil a preternatural being.[14] This meant that the Devil could not possess people without the permission of God, who only allowed the Devil to possess the sinful in society.[15] This idea again shifted to contradict itself when witches were later blamed for possessing people with evil spirits, turning the possessed into victims instead of sinners.[16] In the case of the source in question, this is then another way in which the importance of a good Christian life is highlighted.
The source is also revealing about medical and religious cures that were used in the treatment of those possessed by evil spirits. This is demonstrated through the identification of symptoms that are said to be displayed to prove possession of an individual. These are outlined in the source as ‘lameness’ and ‘strange and unaccountable Fits.’[17] Later the possessed person is also noted to ‘be troublesome’ and react to the name of Christ or God and prayer, and is also given unnatural strength, so much so that it takes ‘scarce six men’ to hold her.[18] Other cases outlined by historians have also confirmed these symptoms as being characteristic of possession of the time.[19] In some cases natural illness such as epilepsy were considered as a cause to the fits, but this is also noted as being caused by demons, which again links back to the preternatural world of the Devil.[20] Cures for possession were also problematic. Many people of the time were critical about the process of exorcism, linking it to the idea that the time of miracles had ended, and so it could not work to relieve people of evil spirits.[21] Many Protestants, linking to the idea of faith alone, believed prayer and fasting was the only way to cure the individual involved.[22] This can also be seen in the source, with prayers said to try and easy the suffering of Sarah Bower.[23] This makes the source valuable as it is telling of the hold of religion and the supernatural powers involved in being able to cure people, with religious practice overriding medical ideas.
The source is also significant in the way that both the possessed themselves and the story of their possession act as a message. This is seen in the source itself, with Sarah Bower delivering a message from the divine. In her message, Sarah Bower warns ‘That if the people of London, and England, did not speedily repent from the sins … God Almighty would give them up as a prey to their Enemies.’[24] Many historians have noted this trend in the possessed persons involved in various cases delivering messages from God, and seeing visions of both Heaven and Hell.[25] This reinforces the idea of God allowing possessions, showing his overriding power in the lives of humans and over what the Devil himself is permitted to do, and again reiterated the importance of living a good Christian life away from sin. The story itself can also then be seen to be giving the same message as a warning of what would happen to sinful people who did not repent their ways and lead a better life. This gives the source historical value.
In conclusion, the source is of historical value and interest in the way it outlines the conditions of individual demon possession and applies as a warning about the enforcement of wider ideas surrounding God and religion in society, implying the consequences if these ideas and not enforced as well as being a reliable source when considering ideas surrounding the Devil and his role in the belief system of the time. This makes the source historically valuable.
[1] Kirby, Richard, Dreadful news from Wapping: being a further relation of the sad and miserable condition of Sarah Bower, (London: W.D, 1693), p. 1
[2] Ibid, p. 2
[3] Philip C. Almond, Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England: Contemporary Texts and Their Cultural Contexts, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), p. 12/13
[4] Ibid, p. 12/13
[5] Ibid, p. 13
[6] Ibid, p. 8
[7] Kirby, Richard, Dreadful news from Wapping: being a further relation of the sad and miserable condition of Sarah Bower, p. 4
[8] Darren Oldridge, ‘Protestant Conceptions of the Devil in Early Stuart England’, History, Vol. 85, (April 2000), p. 233
[9] Kirby, Richard, Dreadful news from Wapping: being a further relation of the sad and miserable condition of Sarah Bower, p. 4
[10] Nathan Johnstone, ‘The Protestant Devil: The Experience of Temptation in Early Modern England’, The Journal of British Studies, Vol. 43, (2004), p. 176
[11] Peter Dendle; Richard Raiswell, ‘Demon Possession in Anglo-Saxon and Early Modern England: Continuity and Evolution in Social Context’, Journal of British Studies, Vol. 47, (Oct., 2008), p. 753
[12] Kirby, Richard, Dreadful news from Wapping: being a further relation of the sad and miserable condition of Sarah Bower, p. 2
[13] Philip C. Almond, Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England: Contemporary Texts and Their Cultural Contexts, p. 9
[14] Harman Bhogal, ‘Miracles, Cessationism, and Demonic Possession: The Darrell Controversy and the Parameters of Preternature in Early Modern English Demonology’, Preternature: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural, Vol. 4, (2015), p. 152
[15] Philip C. Almond, Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England: Contemporary Texts and Their Cultural Contexts, p. 14
[16] Ibid, p. 15
[17] Kirby, Richard, Dreadful news from Wapping: being a further relation of the sad and miserable condition of Sarah Bower, p. 2
[18] Ibid, p. 6
[19]Benjamin J. Kaplan, ‘Possessed by the Devil? A Very Public Dispute in Utrecht’, Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 49, (Winter, 1996), p. 738
[20] Philip C. Almond, Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England: Contemporary Texts and Their Cultural Contexts, p. 5
[21] Ibid, p. 8
[22] Andrew Cambers, ‘Demonic Possession, Literacy and ‘Superstition’ in Early Modern England’, Past & Present, No. 202, (Feb., 2009), p. 28
[23] Kirby, Richard, Dreadful news from Wapping: being a further relation of the sad and miserable condition of Sarah Bower, p. 6
[24] Ibid, p. 5
[25] Benjamin J. Kaplan, ‘Possessed by the Devil? A Very Public Dispute in Utrecht’, p. 739
Supernatural & Natural Worlds 
This is a brilliant analysis and contextualisation of the source. It helps me to see where I went ‘wrong’ with mine! I think it’s really interesting that so many of us seem to have chosen this source to study but that everyone seems to have come up with similar but different angles.
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This is a well researched piece of work and I like how you have explained and analysed the different aspects of the source in relation to demonic posession. Having read quite a few analysis pieces about this source, this is a different interpretation to others I’ve read and this has allowed me to see this source in a different interpretation. Your points about God almost controlling what the Devil can and cannot do is really interesting and I agree that religious ideas were definitely more accepted during this time that those of science.
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This is a very well written piece which presents some arguments and ideas that I have not seen presented by others who have studied this source. I found the idea that this acted as a warning against sin and satanic temptation to be very interesting alongside the description of the afflicted’s nature before the possession. I was also unfamiliar with the ‘apocalyptic’ mindset which this author suggests was rife in early modern religious ideology, such a concept was well applied in relation to the argument that this was predominantly a warning, not just of sin in the short term, but its potential implications in a larger event.
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