Seventh Child of a Seventh Child

An Old Superstition 

Doctress Anne Poundsberry was buried in St. Peter & St. Paul, North Curry, Somerset on 12th December 1813. 

In the baptismal records for North Curry, she appears as Doctress Ann Derham, daughter of Robert Derham and Joan his wife, baptised 10th December 1734.  Her marriage entry, again for North Curry, states she married John Poundsberry 23rd November 1762.

 

The Deseret News – March 13^th 1902

It was widely believed that a seventh child of a seventh child had special powers. 

Anne gives a recipe to cure King's Evil which was the name given to scrofula, the swelling of the bones and lymphatic glands in the neck. Now recognised to be tuberculosis.  Anne may have been known locally as a cunning woman or white witch.  

In 'Notes of North Curry', Mrs Olivey describes some curious inscriptions in the church yard.  In relation to the custom of women in those days practicing the healing art the same paragraph continues:- 

 "It was not unusual, however, for women to act in a medical capacity in those days, as many entries in the parish accounts show.  Mrs. Legg, wife of the curate of West Hatch, charges 'for physick and unguents and bleeding severell poore people'.  What Mrs. Legg could not accomplish, Mr. Legg appears to have done, as he is paid 10s 'for setting curinge ye collar bone of  Joane White's necke'.  1714-1721". 

 Additional information courtesy of The British Newspaper Archives.

 

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