Witchcraft and Folk Belief in the Age of Enlightenment: Scotland, 1670-1740 (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)

The history of European witchcraft and magic continues to fascinate and challenge students and scholars. There is certainly no shortage of books on the subject. Several general surveys of the witch trials and numerous regional and micro studies have been published for an English-speaking readership. While the quality of publications on witchcraft has been high, some regions and topics have received less attention over the years. The aim of this series is to help illuminate these lesser known or little studied aspects of the history of witchcraft and magic. It will also encourage the development of a broader corpus of work in other related areas of magic and the supernatural, such as angels, devils, spirits, ghosts, folk healing and divination. To help further our understanding and interest in this wider history of beliefs and practices, the series will include research that looks beyond the usual focus on Western Europe and that also explores their relevance and influence from the medieval to the modern period. Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, Witchcraft and Folk Belief in the Age of Enlightenment represents the first in-depth investigation of Scottish witchcraft and witch belief post-1662, the period of supposed decline of such beliefs, an age which has been referred to as the 'long eighteenth century', coinciding with the Scottish Enlightenment. The late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries were undoubtedly a period of transition and redefinition of what constituted the supernatural, at the interface between folk belief and the philosophies of the learned. For the latter the eradication of such beliefs equated with progress and civilization but for others, such as the devout, witch belief was a matter of faith, such that fear and dread of witches and their craft lasted well beyond the era of the major witch-hunts. This study seeks to illuminate the distinctiveness of the Scottish experience, to assess the impact of enlightenment thought upon witch belief, and to understand how these beliefs operated across all levels of Scottish society. Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Illustrations, Figures and Tables 9 Preface 10 Acknowledgements 13 List of Abbreviations 15 Introduction: Following the Witch 17 1 Fixing the Limits of Belief 27 2 The Idea of Witchcraft 74 3 Demons, Devilry and Domestic Magic: Hunting Witches in Scotland 108 4 Darkness Visible 142 5 Bemused, Bothered and Bewildered: Witchcraft Debated 166 6 “Worshipping at the Altar of Ignorance”: Some Late Scottish Witchcraft Cases Considered 206 7 The Survival of Witch Belief in South West Scotland: A Case Study 257 8 The Persistence of Witch Belief 314 Conclusion 337 Appendix I: The Scottish Witchcraft Act, 4 June 1563 345 Appendix II: The Witchcraft Act, 1735 346 Bibliography 348 Index 383 Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction: Following the Witch....Pages 1-10 Fixing the Limits of Belief....Pages 11-57 The Idea of Witchcraft....Pages 58-91 Demons, Devilry and Domestic Magic: Hunting Witches in Scotland....Pages 92-125 Darkness Visible....Pages 126-149 Bemused, Bothered and Bewildered: Witchcraft Debated....Pages 150-189 “Worshipping at the Altar of Ignorance”: Some Late Scottish Witchcraft Cases Considered....Pages 190-240 The Survival of Witch Belief in South West Scotland: A Case Study....Pages 241-297 The Persistence of Witch Belief....Pages 298-320 Conclusion....Pages 321-328 Back Matter....Pages 329-382 This book represents the first investigation of Scottish witchcraft post-1662, the period of supposed decline of such beliefs and coinciding with the dawn of the Scottish Enlightenment. It explores the changing attitudes and diversity of opinions towards witch belief, the interface between folk conceptions and the philosophies of the learned. -- Amazon.com