Introduction

Acknowledgements

1. Cunning-Folk and the Law

2. For Good or Evil?

3. Who and Why

4. Services

5. Books

6. Written Charms

7. European Comparisons

8. Cunning-Folk in the Twentieth Century

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Owen Davies is Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. He is the author of numerous books, including The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic (2017), America Bewitched: The Story of Witchcraft after Salem (2013) and Magic: A Very Short Introduction (2012).

Cunning-folk were local practitioners of magic, providing small-scale but valued service to the community. They 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 malvolent witchcraft. In a world of uncertainty, before insurance and modern science, cunning-folk played an important role that has previously been ignored.