Superstition and the Witch-hunts in Early Modern Britain

Superstition and the Witch-hunts in Early Modern Britain

The people of Early Modern Britain were deeply superstitious and this

aspect to their character had a major bearing on the course that the

events of the witch-hunts took. The belief in witches was as illogical

as many of the other beliefs that were popularly held in Early Modern

Britain. The populous held many beliefs that were not based on fact.

These beliefs would be very old and passed on from generation and

built in to the character of every person.

People had always believed in witches throughout Europe but there had

not been any official attempt to exterminate them as a group. Witches

thought to be causing harm to the community would not have been

brought to trial but dealt with in the community, either by lynching

them or by ostracising them from the community that they depended on.

Superstition governed these proceedings and logical thinking did not

figure.

Although the existence of witches was not a superstitious belief as

many people practised as witches in villages, the belief that they

could cause harm by using their 'evil eye' was certainly a

superstitious belief. If it weren't for this widely held belief that

witches could cause harm, they would not have been seen as such a

threat that needed to be eliminated.

However, when compared with other European countries, Britain has a

relatively low number of executions for witchcraft. Even in the most

prolific region of England, Essex, only 26% were executed compared to

over 90% in Europe. This statistic can be traced back to the popular

beliefs and superstitions held by the people of Britain. Although it

wa...

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...f England may have had a bearing on

this. The Channel separating Britain from the continent would have

bred an 'insular' attitude and an unwillingness to accept the

'foreign' ideas originating from Europe.

Superstition was an integral element of the consciousness of the

British people. This had some positive effects in curbing the

witch-hunts, as it was not believed that witches formed a pact with

the devil but had some negative effects in techniques like

'scratching' a witch. Superstitious belief in the power of witches let

their position in society become a threat that needed to be

eliminated. Therefore, underlying all of the social conditions

necessary for a successful witch-hunt and the triggers in the

community, this belief was a crucial driving force behind the

persecution of 'witches' in their communities.