The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
A Brief Narrative of a Strange and Wonderful Old Woman that hath a Pair of Horns (1676)
Brent Nelson
general editor
A BRIEF
NARRATIVE
OF
A Strange and Wonderful Old
Woman that hath
A Pair of Horns
Growing upon her Head.
Giviving a true Account how they have seve-
ral times after their being shed, grown again.
Declaring the Place of her Birth, her Edu-
cation and Conversation; With the first Occasion
of their Growth, the time of their Continu-
ance; And where she is now to be seen, viz.
At the Sign of
the Swan near Charing-Cross.
You that love Wonders to behold
Here you may of a Wonder read.
The strangest that was ever seen or told,
A Woman with Horns upon her Head.
With Allowance.
London, Printed by T. I. 1676. 3 (3) A Narrative
OFof
A strange and wonderful Old Wo-
man, that hath a Great Pair
of Horns growing upon the hin-
der parts of her Head;
And is at present to be seen atthe Swan
inthe Strand near
Charing-Cross.
READERReader,
ITIt may be, upon the first View of the
Title of this short Relation, thou
wilt throw it down with all the care-
lessness imaginable, supposing it to be
but an idle and impertinent Fiction,
such as some Frontless persons have too fre-
quently exposed to publick View, on purpose
4 (4) to impose upon the Credulity of the Gazing
Multitude, who are apt to gape at Wonders,
and to think all true as the Gospel, they see in
Print.
That this may court thy more favourable
Thoughts, call to minde, that such as intend
to deceive, tell of Wonders hat are remote,
and too far distant from thee, either suddenly
to disprove, or presently to confirm thy self in
the belief of what they have told. This gives thee an Account of what thou may-
est with little trouble, and as small expence,
behold: Take but a Walk tothe Swan in the
Strand, nearCharing-Cross, and there thou
may-
est satisfie thy Curiosity, and be able to tell the
World whether this following Narration be truth
or invention. There thou mayest see a Woman hath Horns
growing upon the hinder part of her Head, an
Object not onely worthy of your Sight, but Ad-
miration too! She is Seventy six Years of Age,
Bred and Born in the Parish ofShotwick in
Cheshire, and within four Miles of Chester, Te-
nant unto
His Blessed Majesty, upon a Farm of
Sixteen pounds per Annum; so that she is not
necessitated to this Course of Life: or to deceive
the credulous and short-sighted People, but to
manifest to the World such a Wonder in Na-
5 (5) ture, as hath neither been read or heard of (we
may justly suppose) since the Creation. She wasWife to one Master Henry Davies, who
dyed Thirty five Years pass'd; And since she hath
lived a Religious Widow, all along of a spot-
less and unblameable Life and Conversation, of
singular use to her Neighbours, for she is a pro-
fessed Mid-wife; happy and successful in that
Undertaking: So that her Departure was gene-
rally lamented in the place of her Abode, in
such a measure, that several of her Neighbours
and Acquaintance brought her many Miles of
her Journey. This strange and stupendious Effect began first
from a Soreness in that place where now the
Horns grow, which (as 'tis thought) was oc-
casioned by wearing a straight Hat. This Sore-
ness continued Twenty Years, in which time it
miserably afflicted this good Woman, and ripe-
ned gradually unto a Wenn near the bigness of
a large Hen Egg, which continued for the space
of Five Years, more sadly tormenting her than
before: After which time it was, by a strange
operation of Nature, changed into Horns, which
are in shew and substance much like a Ramms
Horns, solid and wrinckled, but sadly grieving
the Old Woman, especially upon the change of
Weather. But more accurately to Describe its Nature 6 (6) and Manner of Production, may be a Subject
proper for aColledge of Physitians; and no
question but it will be esteemed worthy to em-
ploy the Ingenious Vertuoso's of the Age, who
need not their Glasses to magnifie its Wonder.
She hath cast her Horns three times already;
The first time was but a single Horn, which
grew long, but as slender as an Oaten straw:
The second was thicker than the former: The
two firstMr. Hewson Minister of
Shotwick (to
whose Wife this Rarity was first discovered) ob-
tained of the Old Woman his Parishioner: They
kept not an equal distance of time in falling off,
some at three, some at four, and another at
four Years and a halfs Growth. The third time grew two Horns, both which
were beat off by a Fall backward;
one of them
an English Lord obtained, and (as is reported)
presented it tothe French King for the greatest
Rarity in Nature, and received with no less Ad-
miration:The other (which was the largest)
was Nine Inches long, and two Inches about;
it is much valued for the Novelty, a greater than
anyIohn Tradeskin can set to view, or the great-
est Traveller can with truth affirm to have seen.
Sir Willoughby Aston hath also another Horne
which dropt from this Womans Head, and re-
serves it as a Choice Rarity. At this present she
hath a pair of Hornes upon her Head of Six
Moneths Growth; And 'tis not without reason 7 (7) believed, they will in a short time bee larger
than any of the former; for still the latter have
exceeded the former in bigness.
The Circumstance of this Relation considered
or examined, at least with the sight of her, I
hope it will not readily be believed to be an
Imposture, or Artificial Projecting; For so grosly
to impose uponHis Majesty, and all His Loyal
Subjects, would be an unpardonable Crime, and
would deserve mens Contempt, and not their
Company, and certainly expose the Party to the
Violence of a rude Multitude, who discovering
a Cheat, would, I believe, soon make the Old
Woman pull in her Horns. FINIS.
NARRATIVE
OF
A Strange and Wonderful Old
Woman that hath
A Pair of Horns
Growing upon her Head.
Giviving a true Account how they have seve-
ral times after their being shed, grown again.
Declaring the Place of her Birth, her Edu-
cation and Conversation; With the first Occasion
of their Growth, the time of their Continu-
ance; And where she is now to be seen, viz.
At the Sign of
the Swan near Charing-Cross.
You that love Wonders to behold
Here you may of a Wonder read.
The strangest that was ever seen or told,
A Woman with Horns upon her Head.
With Allowance.
London, Printed by T. I. 1676. 3 (3) A Narrative
OFof
A strange and wonderful Old Wo-
man, that hath a Great Pair
of Horns growing upon the hin-
der parts of her Head;
And is at present to be seen at
the Swan
in
the Strand near Charing-Cross.
READERReader,
ITIt may be, upon the first View of the Title of this short Relation, thou
wilt throw it down with all the care-
lessness imaginable, supposing it to be
but an idle and impertinent Fiction,
such as some Frontless persons have too fre-
quently exposed to publick View, on purpose
4 (4) to impose upon the Credulity of the Gazing
Multitude, who are apt to gape at Wonders,
and to think all true as the Gospel, they see in
Print.
That this may court thy more favourable
Thoughts, call to minde, that such as intend
to deceive, tell of Wonders hat are remote,
and too far distant from thee, either suddenly
to disprove, or presently to confirm thy self in
the belief of what they have told. This gives thee an Account of what thou may-
est with little trouble, and as small expence,
behold: Take but a Walk to
the Swan in the
Strand, near
Charing-Cross, and there thou
may-est satisfie thy Curiosity, and be able to tell the
World whether this following Narration be truth
or invention. There thou mayest see a Woman hath Horns
growing upon the hinder part of her Head, an
Object not onely worthy of your Sight, but Ad-
miration too! She is Seventy six Years of Age,
Bred and Born in the Parish of
Shotwick in
Cheshire, and within four Miles of Chester, Te-nant unto
His Blessed Majesty, upon a Farm of Sixteen pounds per Annum; so that she is not
necessitated to this Course of Life: or to deceive
the credulous and short-sighted People, but to
manifest to the World such a Wonder in Na-
5 (5) ture, as hath neither been read or heard of (we
may justly suppose) since the Creation. She was
Wife to one Master Henry Davies, who dyed Thirty five Years pass'd; And since she hath
lived a Religious Widow, all along of a spot-
less and unblameable Life and Conversation, of
singular use to her Neighbours, for she is a pro-
fessed Mid-wife; happy and successful in that
Undertaking: So that her Departure was gene-
rally lamented in the place of her Abode, in
such a measure, that several of her Neighbours
and Acquaintance brought her many Miles of
her Journey. This strange and stupendious Effect began first
from a Soreness in that place where now the
Horns grow, which (as 'tis thought) was oc-
casioned by wearing a straight Hat. This Sore-
ness continued Twenty Years, in which time it
miserably afflicted this good Woman, and ripe-
ned gradually unto a Wenn near the bigness of
a large Hen Egg, which continued for the space
of Five Years, more sadly tormenting her than
before: After which time it was, by a strange
operation of Nature, changed into Horns, which
are in shew and substance much like a Ramms
Horns, solid and wrinckled, but sadly grieving
the Old Woman, especially upon the change of
Weather. But more accurately to Describe its Nature 6 (6) and Manner of Production, may be a Subject
proper for a
Colledge of Physitians; and no question but it will be esteemed worthy to em-
ploy the Ingenious Vertuoso's of the Age, who
need not their Glasses to magnifie its Wonder.
She hath cast her Horns three times already;
The first time was but a single Horn, which
grew long, but as slender as an Oaten straw:
The second was thicker than the former: The
two first
Mr. Hewson Minister of
Shotwick (to whose Wife this Rarity was first discovered) ob-
tained of the Old Woman his Parishioner: They
kept not an equal distance of time in falling off,
some at three, some at four, and another at
four Years and a halfs Growth. The third time grew two Horns, both which
were beat off by a Fall backward;
one of them an English Lord obtained, and (as is reported)
presented it to
the French King for the greatest Rarity in Nature, and received with no less Ad-
miration:
The other (which was the largest) was Nine Inches long, and two Inches about;
it is much valued for the Novelty, a greater than
any
Iohn Tradeskin can set to view, or the great-est Traveller can with truth affirm to have seen.
Sir Willoughby Aston hath also another Horne which dropt from this Womans Head, and re-
serves it as a Choice Rarity. At this present she
hath a pair of Hornes upon her Head of Six
Moneths Growth; And 'tis not without reason 7 (7) believed, they will in a short time bee larger
than any of the former; for still the latter have
exceeded the former in bigness.
The Circumstance of this Relation considered
or examined, at least with the sight of her, I
hope it will not readily be believed to be an
Imposture, or Artificial Projecting; For so grosly
to impose upon
His Majesty, and all His Loyal Subjects, would be an unpardonable Crime, and
would deserve mens Contempt, and not their
Company, and certainly expose the Party to the
Violence of a rude Multitude, who discovering
a Cheat, would, I believe, soon make the Old
Woman pull in her Horns. FINIS.