Doctor John Lambe was one of the most notorious alleged sorcerers of seventeenth-century England — a physician, astrologer, crystal-gazer and supposed conjurer whose story began in Tardebigge, Worcestershire, before carrying him into the heart of Jacobean London.
In this episode of Ghost Tales by the Fireside, we follow the extraordinary life of the man who became known as the Duke’s Devil. Lambe was accused of using witchcraft against Lord Windsor, invoking spirits, telling fortunes through a crystal glass and communicating with an entity named Benias. Stories claimed that he could reveal future husbands and wives, summon a mysterious boy dressed in green and even bring misfortune upon those who prosecuted him.
His reputation eventually brought him into the orbit of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, one of the most powerful and controversial men in England. To an increasingly suspicious public, Lambe became Buckingham’s private conjurer — a man supposedly protected by influence at the very highest levels of the royal court.
But behind the folklore lies a much darker documented history, including criminal proceedings, a royal pardon and growing public hatred that finally exploded on Friday 13 June 1628, when Lambe was pursued through the streets of London and brutally beaten by a mob.
Was John Lambe really an occult practitioner, an astrologer and folk healer, an elaborate confidence trickster, or a man whose reputation simply grew beyond his control?
This episode explores the surviving records, the supernatural stories and the remarkable way in which history, rumour and folklore became almost impossible to separate.
John Lambe’s story also takes us back to the landscape of Tardebigge in the English Midlands, where surviving records describe him as “John Lambe, late of Tardebigge”. At the time, the nearby settlement of Redditch still formed part of that ancient parish.
Throughout October, Ghost Tales by the Fireside is exploring the history, hauntings and folklore of Redditch and the surrounding area.
I’m leading the Redditch Ghost Walk every Monday to Thursday throughout October. Tickets are £8.50 per person, with proceeds going to Redditch Local History Museum.
Details and tickets:
ghosttales.co.uk/ghostwalk
My book, The Redditch Ghost Walk: History, Folklore and Haunted Places from the Old Town to the Kingfisher Centre, is available on Amazon:
https://amzn.eu/d/093Shix6
Music from the October season includes “Chasing Ghosts” by Kindred Spirit.
Ghost Tales by the Fireside explores real haunted places, historical ghost stories, folklore, strange encounters and paranormal cases from Britain and beyond.
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