1st Edition
Witchcraft, Magic and Superstition in England, 1640–70
By Frederick Valletta
Copyright 2000
288 Pages
by
Routledge
288 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
This study examines the relationship between élite and popular beliefs in witchcraft, magic and superstition in England, analyzing such beliefs against the background of political, religious and social upheaval characteristic of the Civil War, Interregnum and Restoration periods. Belief in witchcraft received new impulses because of the general ferment of religious ideas and the tendency of... Read more
Contents: Introduction; The background to witchcraft, magic and superstition; The devil, demonology and its relation to witchcraft; Ghosts, apparitions and prodigies: superstition or signs from God?; Healing, cunning folk and witchcraft; Witchcraft, law and popular belief; The practice of witchcraft; Psychological aspects to witchcraft and popular belief, 1640-70; Conclusion; Appendix 1: Alphabetical list of witches by county; Appendix 2: Sympathetic magic; Appendix 3: The humoral system of medicine; Bibliography; Index.
Biography
Frederick Valletta
'... a wealth of illustrative material... a useful study of superstitious beliefs during the revolutionary period...' Albion
