The devil in the shape of a man: witchcraft, conflict and belief in Jacobean England

Gaskill, Malcolm (1998) The devil in the shape of a man: witchcraft, conflict and belief in Jacobean England. Historical Research, 71 (175). pp. 142-171. ISSN 1468-2281

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Abstract

Historians agree that most early modern witches were women. A question rarely asked, though, is how any men came to be accused at all, given the strong association of women and witchcraft in popular folklore and learned demonology. This article examines the prosecution for witchcraft of a Kentish farmer in 1617, and argues that an integrated qualitative context of conflict and belief is essential for understanding this and other accusations. The aim is not, however, to offer yet another overarching explanation for the rise of witchcraft prosecutions, but rather to demonstrate how witchcraft can open windows on early modern mentalities.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	EPrints Services
Date Deposited:	01 Oct 2010 13:57
Last Modified:	15 Dec 2022 01:59
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/9525
DOI:	10.1111/1468-2281.00058

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