Decline of Magic Timeline

Question 1

What was the dates of each fraudulent case?

Answer 1

1597- The Boy of Burton
1634- The Pendle Swindle
1662- The Demon Drummer of Tedworth
1712- The Jane Wenham Case

Question 2

What were the dates of the sceptical publications?

Answer 2

1584- Reginald Scot ‘The Discoverie of Witchcraft’
1599- Samuel Harsnett ‘The Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’
1656- Thomas Ady ‘A Candle in the Dark’
1677- John Webster ‘The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft’
1691- Balthasar Bekker ‘The Enchanted World’

Question 3

What was the timeline of the scientific revolutions that took place?

Answer 3

1543- Copernicus ‘The Revolution of Heavenly Spheres’
1609- Kepler ‘Astronomia Nova’
1632- Galileo ‘Dialogue Concerning Two Chief World Systems’
1660- Royal Society is established
1687- Isaac Newton ‘Principia Mathematica’

Question 4

What was the timeline in the development of human understanding?

Answer 4

1605- Francis Bacon ‘Proficience and Advancement of Learning’
1655- Thomas Hobbes ‘De Corpore’
1658- Thomas Hobbes ‘De Homine’
1690- John Locke ‘Concerning Human Understanding’

Question 5

What was the beginning of the timeline of Judicial Scepticism?

Answer 5

1594- George Gifford writes “Dialogue concerning Witches and Witchcraft” (1594), raised concerns around ‘proving’ witchcraft, suggests that some juries were starting to look for evidence outside the Bible
1620s- Heneage Finch convicts on ‘physical evidence’ rather than conscience.

Question 6

What was the judicial scepticism like in the late 1600s?

Answer 6

1677- George Mackenzie writes ‘In Matters Criminal’
1682- Matthew Hale leaves out spectral evidence so that jurors would be led by physical evidence.

Question 7

What was Judicial Scepticism like in the early 1700s?

Answer 7

John Holt questions the ‘scientificity’ of evidence and finds Richard Hathaway guilty of falsely accusing a woman.