Review
'Nothing doth more harm in a state than that cunning men pass as wise.' Francis Bacon
Review
"His book is well researched, making excellent use of court reports and press items from the eighteenth century to the twentieth. A very valuable contribution to historical folklore studies."--Citation as runner up for the Katherine Briggs Folklore award 2003
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Local practitioners of magic, providing small-scale but valued services to the community, cunning-folk were far more representative of magical practice than the arcane delvings of astrologers and necromancers. Mostly unsensational in their approach, cunning-folk helped people with everyday problems: how to find lost objects; how to escape from bad luck or a suspected spell; and how to attract a lover or keep the love of a husband or wife. While cunning-folk sometimes fell foul of the authorities, both church and state often turned a blind eye to their existence and practices, distinguishing what they did from the rare and sensational cases of malevolent witchcraft. In a world of uncertainty, before insurance and modern science, cunning-folk played an important role that has previously been ignored.
About the Author
Owen Davies is Lecturer in History at the University of Hertfordshire and the author of A People Bewitched (1999).
