There is a more decisive answer to this argument for the authenticity of the pamphlet. The supposed confirmation of it in the St. Giles parish register is probably a blunder. The Reverend R. M. Serjeantson of St. Peter's Rectory has been kind enough to examine for the writer the parish register of St. Giles Church. He writes: "The St. Giles accounts briefly state that _wood_ was bought from time to time--probably for melting the lead. There is _no_ mention of _faggots_ nor witches in the Church wardens' overseers-for-the-poor accounts. I carefully turned out the whole contents of the parish chest." Mr. Serjeantson adds at the close this extract: "1705 P'd for wood 5/ For taking up the old lead 5/." It goes without saying that Mr. Serjeantson's examination does not prove that there never was a mention of the faggots bought for burning witches; but, when all the other evidence is taken into consideration, this negative evidence does establish a very strong presumption to that effect. Certainly the supposed passage from the overseers' accounts can no longer be used to confirm the testimony of the pamphlet. It looks very much as if the compilers of the _Northamptonshire Handbook_ for 1867 had been careless in their handling of records. It seems probable, then, that the pamphlet of 1705 dealing with the execution of Mary Phillips and Elinor Shaw is a purely fictitious narrative. The matter derives its importance from the fact that, if the two executions in 1705 be disproved, the last known execution in England is put back to 1682, ten years before the Salem affair in Massachusetts. This would of course have some bearing on a recent contention (G. L. Kittredge, "Notes on Witchcraft," Am. Antiq. Soc., _Proc._, XVIII), that "convictions and executions for witchcraft occurred in England after they had come to an end in Massachusetts." B.--LIST OF PERSONS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR WITCHCRAFT DURING THE REIGN OF JAMES I. 1.--Charged with Causing Death. 1603. Yorkshire. Mary Pannel. 1606. Hertford. Johanna Harrison and her daughter. 1612. Northampton. Helen Jenkinson, Arthur Bill, Mary Barber. 1612. Lancaster. Chattox, Eliz. Device, James Device, Alice Nutter, Katherine Hewitt, Anne Redfearne. 1612. York. Jennet Preston. 1613. Bedford. Mother Sutton and Mary Sutton. 1616. Middlesex. Elizabeth Rutter. 1616. Middlesex. Joan Hunt. 1619. Lincoln. Margaret and Philippa Flower. 1621. Edmonton. Elizabeth Sawyer. 2.--Not Charged with Causing Death (so far as shown by records).