Joan Clayton

Joan Clayton, also known as the Cut-Wife, was a character on Showtime's Penny Dreadful. She débuts, with her only appearance, in the third episode of the second season. She is portrayed by starring cast star Patti LuPone.

Early Life
Joan Clayton was a practitioner in the occult in centuries past. She was a prominent figure in a coven, along with her sister Evelyn and other women. When Evelyn was seduced by the Devil and led the coven into evil, Joan stood alone in staying true to the principles of those who stayed in the light. She was branded a traitor, and branded literally with a pentagram scorched into her back.

After escaping her old coven, Joan offered solace to Oliver Cromwell after the second battle of Newbury, and was granted a land title in Ballentree Moor in gratitude for her help. There she became the Cut-Wife of Ballentree Moor to the locals, earning that dubious title by aiding young women in ending unwanted extramarital pregnancies.