Joseph Blagrave of Reading (1610-1682) was an astrologer and physician.

In his book, Blagrave’s Astrological Practice of Physick, published in 1671, he demonstrated the effectiveness of his methods by providing examples of some of the patients he claimed to have cured.

One such person was a Basingstoke maiden whom he said was possessed by the 'Devil'.

Blagrave tells us that a man named “Alexander, a Turner by Trade, living at Basing-stoke in the County of Southampton” had a daughter who was “perplexed with very strong Fits”.

His daughter’s fits usually began at about nine o’clock at night and lasted about twelve hours, “during which time with many shrieks and cries, and through extreme Torment she was brought so low, both in Body and Spirit, that she could not move or wag any part of her Body or Limbs from the middle downward … she was most sadly afflicted, making many kinds of noises, as sometimes crying, scritching, howling, also sometimes using strange actions and gestures of her body, as twisting, and twining herself about, sometimes crawling about the room”.

From the time the fits had left her in the morning until noon she was possessed with a strange supernatural power that enabled her to give the correct answer to questions about people who were complete strangers, stating the names of their grandparents, of what disease they died and where they were buried.

In one case a man had a sack of corn stolen from the market.

She was able to name the person who stole it and that he had hidden it under his stairs.

The man went to the person’s house and found the corn exactly where she said it was.

By the time Blagrave came on the scene the girl had been suffering from fits for about twelve months.

Her father had spent loads of money on several doctors, none of whom could cure her.

He had even asked “the Minister of the Parish, whose name was Mr Webb, one reputed to be a very honest, godly and learned Man” for help.

Mr Webb was either Ambrose Webb, vicar of Basingstoke to 1648, or Stephen Webb, alias Evered, who was vicar from 1648 to 1660.

Mr Webb visited her twice trying to cure her by prayer and devotion, each visit lasting about three hours, but without success.

Finally her father, having heard “what great Cures I had done”, asked Blagrave to see if he could cure her.

Based on the timing of her fits, Blagrave created an astrological chart that told him that she was either bewitched or possessed.

As she was unable to say “God” or “Jesus Christ” or “Deliver us from evil” in answer to his questions, but instead “would be tormented, falling into strange fits”, he knew that she was possessed by the Devil.

Blagrave made a perfume of Frankincense, Myrrh and Rosemary for her room and made her drink the distilled waters of marigolds, rosemary and angelica, “being all three under the dominion of the Sun, and gathered at the right planetary hours”.

Blagrave had to get the girl’s father to help him to hold her down, as she, with the Devil inside her, “being marvellous strong”, struggled to get away from him while he prayed over her, repeating the words, ”By this High and Mighty Power and Name Tetragrammaton [the ancient Hebrew name of God], and in the Name of the blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I charge, and command the Devil and unclean Spirit to come forth of this Maid, and to depart from her in Peace, and not to molest or trouble her any more”.

Despite this, the Devil would not come forth.

Blagrave explained: “I find that all Devils or Evil Spirits, when they are gotten into the possession of any one, will be unwilling to come forth of their habitation; more especially, when they have been long settled in the Body”.

He made several attempts to cast out the Devil by praying and repeating the words, “In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, I charge thee to come forth” over and over again until eventually, “the Devil came forth, but invisible, with a great cry and hideous noise, raising a suddain gust of Wind, and so vanished”.

Immediately after the Devil left her, the girl began to speak.

She never had another fit and after a few weeks with “Diet drinks, Bathes and Ointments” she regained the use of her legs and made a complete recovery.

A shortened version of Blagrave’s account was published in 1691 as a cheap pamphlet, The Evil Spirit Cast-out, in 1691, probably for sale by travelling packmen at fairs.

Mr Alexander was probably Richard Alexander who is recorded as having two hearths in the 1665 Hearth Tax assessment for Basingstoke.

Unfortunately the baptismal records for Basingstoke did not start until 1638 so we can’t be sure that the maiden possessed by the Devil was his daughter.

It’s possible that she was and that her name was Mary.

A Mary Alexander married a shepherd called William Snuges in Basingstoke in November 1656.

Their marriage did not last long, and nor did she.

On 21 September 1657 “the wife of William Snuges” was buried in Basingstoke.

William Snuges seems to have made a habit of burying his wives.

On 9 February 1654 an earlier wife of William Snuges was also buried in Basingstoke.