FOLLY STORIES
Sarra’s story
13th April 1458. 23 years Miller’s wife
Sarra Bagge, daughter of Johannes Milnere, was brought before the physician by her husband Tomas Bagge after accusations of witchcraft.
Sarra was unable to produce a living heir, having given birth to nine infants far too small to survive. Sarra was observed on many occasions muttering and talking to herself, particularly at night, scratching at both her hands and face and pulling out her own hair.
The servant girl Agneta testified that Sarra pleaded with her to gather wild herbs and plants so that she could make various concoctions for her to consume in secret. Sarra denied these actions and refused to give account for her malady and failure to carry and produce a healthy babe.
Sarra’s folly of mind and soul was so strong that she took to her bed for many days at a time, drinking only the smallest amounts of ale and refusing bread or any other sustenance. Being a married woman of good and respectable parentage such behaviours and melancholy could only be explained by involuntary demonic possession.
FOLLY STORIES
Johannes’s story
05/06/1514
Blacksmith
Clinical lycanthropy – believe oneself to be a werewolf. Bark, howl, run around on all fours and howlucinations.
Eating infected mushrooms.
Found in the farmer’s chicken house, naked chasing chickens around. Raving about the full moon and slobbering at the chops. Had to be restrained by 5 men from the village. Bit and scratched at them. Eventually a doctor diagnosed my folly and ordered for a trepanning to remove the folly stone and evil inside my head. Unfortunately the procedure went wrong and before the surgeons could remove the folly stone more spirits entered my brain and they overcame me. As I dropped to the floor the stone rolled out. Plop.
FOLLY STORIES
MATILDA’S STORY
Matilda Ellerton
Autumn 1475
26
Epidemic chorea also know as dancing mania erratic dancing until collapse with exhaustion. Body spasms at inappropriate tomes in inappropriate places
FOLLY STORIES
RANULPHUS’S STORY
Ranulphus Brown
1439 – 27 years old
Plough man
Shortly before my 25th birthday, while ploughing the fields, I had visions of some children from the village, lying dead in the fresh furrows. All of these children had recently died after the recent epidemic. One afternoon the plough got caught on something in the ground, and when I looked back I saw the body of Robert Smithy lying in the furrow – who hadn’t died. I felt cold come over me, but carried on working.The next morning, my wife told me that Robert had died during the night. That day I saw another child from the village lying dead from the chisel of my plough. And again this child died that night. I was overcome by the second death, sure that my plough had caused their deaths. I was unable to work, despairing of the deaths I had caused and would continue to cause. Even though I wasn’t at work I would see visions of more children, and was scared stiff more would die. So I stayed still, did nothing that could cause any deaths. I then refused to talk to anyone, sure that somehow the talk would set their deaths in motion – my wife thought I quite mad. My father was sure that I was, but I felt I knew the truth and I knew what would happen. He arranged for my folly stone removal, and after that I never saw another child but I never returned to those fields.
FOLLY STORIES
SARRA’S STORY
Sarra De Crombe
1463 aged 50
Villein and basket seller
My trouble is I take on everyone else’s problems on the estate, and I end up exhausted and overwhelmed by them – I dont leave enough time for myself and my baskets, which actually does help calm me down believe it or not, gathering the willow, soaking it and then the gentle bending and weaving of the stems! And instead I go round getting grumpy and irritable. I go off at the deep end – as it were – using foul language and being generally horrible to those who don’t deserve it, I.e my family! I keep thinking, if only I could remove this stone of folly that sends me into these moods, I would stop worrying so much about others and concentrate on keeping my own folly under control…A decent wage would help mind you and not having to forever work for my master! But thats a utopia I’m dreaming of – feeling miserable and worthless are just the lot of us villeins. At least I have me baskets to fall back on in very hard times….
