Witchcraft, Magic and Culture, 1736-1951

Witchcraft, Magic and Culture, 1736-1951
ISBN-10
071905656X
ISBN-13
9780719056567
Category
History
Pages
337
Language
English
Published
1999-09-11
Publisher
Manchester University Press
Author
Owen Davies

Description

Most studies of witchcraft and magic have been concerned with the era of the witch trials, a period that officially came to an end in Britain with the passing of the Witchcraft Act of 1736. But the majority of people continued to fear witches and put their faith in magic. Owen Davies here traces the history of witchcraft and magic from 1736 to 1951, when the passing of the Fraudulent Mediums Act finally erased the concept of witchcraft from the statute books. This original study examines the extent to which witchcraft, magic and fortune-telling continued to influence the thoughts and actions of the people of England and Wales in a period when the forces of "progress" are often thought to have vanquished such beliefs.

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