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History-Witchcraze > Precise Impact in Decline of Magical Belief > Flashcards

Precise Impact in Decline of Magical Belief Flashcards

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1
Q

What were the reasons for decline in magical belief?

A
  • Changing attitudes
  • Intellectual context
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2
Q

What were changing attitudes and what impact did they have?

A
  • A growth in scepticism
  • Led to fraudulent cases being discovered and sceptic publications.
  • Ultimately, added to judicial scepticism.
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3
Q

What was intellectual context and what impact did it have?

A
  • Involved making sense of the universe and increase in human knowledge.
  • Added to judicial scepticism.
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4
Q

What are examples of fraudulent cases?

A

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

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5
Q

How did the the Boy of Burton Case lead to a scepticism of exorcism with witches? (1597)

A
  • Darrell’s reputation lent the case significance- a well-known exorcist was proved to have been committing fraudulent practices- led to scepticism of exorcism.
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6
Q

How did the Boy of Burton Case (1597) affect witness testimonies in witch trials?

A

The exposure of Darling’s lie was also evidence of the unreliability of witness testimonies- questions around using children as witnesses/reliability of evidence.

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7
Q

How did the Boy of Burton Case (1597) cause a change in the church?

A

The case did provoke change within the church- a canon was drawn up in 1604 forbidding the practice of exorcism without a license- although not evidence of scepticism, it is more likely Church protecting its reputation.

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8
Q

How did the Boy of Burton Case (1597) allow more scepticism?

A

A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practices of John Darrell (1599) made knowledge of the case more widespread and led to the pamphlet war- theological debate around power of the Devil and reliability of exorcisms.

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9
Q

How did the Boy of Burton Case (1597) NOT lead to a change in magical belief?

A
  • Did not lead to an overall disbelief in witchcraft, the case was viewed more as a one-off discovery of fraudulence.
  • 1604 Act, which actually showed the increase of legal severity of witchcraft.
  • Key debate was over validity of exorcisms rather than witchcraft.
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10
Q

How did the Pendle Swindle case (1634) change belief in witchcraft through the Privy Council?

A

The involvement of the Privy Council and King Charles shows the case gained relevance amongst the powerful elites -> may have influenced the scepticism of the King.

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11
Q

How did the Pendle Swindle case (1634) change belief in witchcraft through evidence?

A

The evidence-based approach, through further questioning and involvement of surgeons, does reveal a more careful, sceptical approach to witchcraft trials was developing.

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12
Q

How did the Pendle Swindle case (1634) change witchcraft accusations?

A

The trial proved that witchcraft accusations can be motivated by reasons that have nothing to do with the supernatural, and accusers should be viewed sceptically.

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13
Q

How did the Pendle Swindle case (1634) change belief in witchcraft?

A

John Webster personally met Robinson, he was influenced by the case and went onto write sceptical publication on witchcraft in 1677.

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14
Q

How did the Pendle Swindle case (1634) NOT change belief in witchcraft?

A

The Pendle Swindle case provoked little change; there was no justice for the accused women, with many of them still held in custody three years later.

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15
Q

How did the Pendle Swindle case (1634) NOT change witchcraft in the sense of sceptical publications?

A

There were no significant publications of this case at the time so its impact on the opinions of those outside of the trial was very limited.

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16
Q

How did the Pendle Swindle case (1634) NOT change belief in witchcraft with the accusers?

A

Edmund Robinson went on to be a professional witch-hunter - proof the case did not impact his credibility or cause people to doubt witches existed.

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17
Q

How did the Pendle Swindle case (1634) NOT change belief in witchcraft in the long term?

A

The importance and influence of witch hunters still would rise before it declined-> 11 years before the biggest witch hunt in East Anglia during the Civil War.

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18
Q

How did the Demon Drummer of Tedworth case (1662) change belief in witchcraft through scepticism?

A

The case was continually revisited throughout the 17th century and used as an argument for scepticism.

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19
Q

How did the Demon Drummer of Tedworth case (1662) change belief in witchcraft in relation to publications?

A

The numerous publications and involvement of the Royal Society elevated the notoriety of the case and spread scepticism.

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20
Q

How did the Demon Drummer of Tedworth case (1662) cause a debate in the belief in witchcraft?

A

The case provoked debate on the reality of supernatural forces- key members of the Intelligentsia were involved e.g Glanville, Webster, and VP of the Royal Society.

21
Q

How did the Demon Drummer of Tedworth case (1662) cause a change in the belief in witchcraft?

A

A logical, empirical approach was taken towards the case, with sceptics investigating Mompesson and looking for other causes of the disturbances.

22
Q

How did the Demon Drummer of Tedworth case (1662) NOT cause a change in witchcraft belief?

A

The overall consensus at the time was that supernatural forces were to blame- little disbelief in witchcraft.

23
Q

How did the Jane Wenham case (1712) change belief in witchcraft with evidence?

A

The presiding judge ridiculed most of the evidence from neighbours -> creating a publicised clash between the law and popular belief, and the opinions of the educated class and the popular masses.

24
Q

How did the Jane Wenham case (1712) cause a change in belief in witchcraft with her verdict?

A

Despite a guilty verdict the judge released her. It showed the willingness of the law to embrace reason in the face of mob hysteria.

25
Q

How did the Jane Wenham case (1712) cause a change in witchcraft belief with sceptical publications?

A

The case led to a celebrated sceptical book by Francis Hutchinson in 1718: An Historical Essay Concerning Witchcraft.

26
Q

How did the Jane Wenham case (1712) change witchcraft belief with guilty verdicts?

A

It was the last guilty verdict on a charge of witchcraft in England.

27
Q

How did the Jane Wenham case (1712) NOT change witchcraft belief with prosecutions?

A

Witchcraft prosecutions had been in decline since 1600-> the case should not be seen as a turning point but as part of a rapidly changing attitude.

28
Q

How did the Jane Wenham case (1712) NOT change witchcraft belief in legal systems?

A

The fact that the jury still condemned Wenham shows that scepticism had not yet been adopted by small, rural communities like Wenham’s.

29
Q

How did the Jane Wenham case (1712) NOT change witchcraft belief with sceptical publications?

A

Several writers after 1712 still wrote showing support for a belief in witchcraft, e.g John Wesley.

30
Q

What were the dates of the sceptical publications?

A

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’

31
Q

How did Scot’s publication ‘The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) change witchcraft belief?

A

Scot’s book went against the beliefs people had at the time -> heightens its ability to change attitudes as it provided a radical way of viewing the witch-craze.

32
Q

How did Scot’s publication ‘The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) change witchcraft belief in society?

A

King James ordered all copies of the book to be burned, and denounced Scot in his book ‘Daemonologie’ -> suggests that people saw his argument as genuine threat to their beliefs.

33
Q

How did Scot’s publication ‘The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) change witchcraft belief in scepticism?

A

Scot was the first English author to show scepticism. He planted the seed -> Scot’s work inspired later sceptics, like Ady and Bekker, none of whom really went beyond his ideas.

34
Q

How did Scot’s publication ‘The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) NOT change witchcraft belief in a traditional sense?

A

Scott still maintained a belief in witches and the Devil’s power -> he failed to penetrate the heart of the problem but also he was writing before the scientific revolution got going.

35
Q

How did Scot’s publication ‘The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) NOT change witchcraft belief shown in witch hunts?

A

Scot’s work preceded the most ferocious period of witch-hunting in England -> the 1604 act and from 1645-1647, 300 women were executed during the East Anglia Witch Hunt.

36
Q

How did Scot’s publication ‘The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) NOT change witchcraft belief?

A

The book was re-published, the 1651 edition, was more popular than the first edition.

37
Q

How did Samuel Harsnett ‘The Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’ (1599) change witchcraft belief?

A

Led to discussion and debate via the pamphlet war.

38
Q

How did Samuel Harsnett ‘The Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’ (1599) change witchcraft belief through ideas?

A

Puts forward the idea that possessions can be faked: as witches were often thought responsible for demonic possession this undermined accusations of bewitchment.

39
Q

How did Samuel Harsnett ‘The Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’ (1599) NOT change witchcraft belief?

A

Despite accusations of fraudulence many still supported Darrell- Joseph Hall, who later became Bishop of Exeter- wrote that Darrell did perform exorcisms.

40
Q

How did Samuel Harsnett ‘The Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’ (1599) NOT change witchcraft belief on views of scepticism?

A

Harsnett, Deacon and Walker’s views remained in the minority.

41
Q

How did Samuel Harsnett ‘The Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’ (1599) NOT change witchcraft belief on exorcism?

A

The pamphlet war centred on exorcism and the power of the Devil and so did not seem to challenge a belief in witchcraft at all.

42
Q

How did Samuel Harsnett ‘The Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’ (1599) NOT change witchcraft belief in the church?

A

It was a simple case of factional fighting within Christianity:
- Harsnett was a Church of England conformist, and suggests exorcism is a false and heretic act.
- Darrell is a Puritan, and in Puritan circles player and fasting were widely accepted forms of exorcism.

43
Q

How did Thomas Ady’s ‘A Candle in the Dark’ (1656) change witchcraft belief with the use of the Bible?

A

The bible was used to justify the witch-hunts, Ady undermined the hunts by arguing that the Bible actually contradicted witch hunting.

44
Q

How did Thomas Ady’s ‘A Candle in the Dark’ (1656) change witchcraft belief in the supernatural aspect?

A

To Ady, witches did not possess supernatural power; it suggests that women accused of maleficium are in fact innocent -> thereby undermining the law and all accusations -> Ady was reflecting materialism.

45
Q

How did Thomas Ady’s ‘A Candle in the Dark’ (1656) change witchcraft belief by exposing magic?

A

By explaining magic tricks Ady exposed certain magic as fake and helped to separate magic from reality. People began to understand that sometimes phenomenons can be explained by using rational explanations.

46
Q

How did Thomas Ady’s ‘A Candle in the Dark’ (1656) change witchcraft belief about witch-hunters?

A

His criticisms of the tactics witch-hunters may have influenced judges, who adopted higher standards for evidence.

47
Q

How did Thomas Ady’s ‘A Candle in the Dark’ (1656) change witchcraft belief about witchcraft trials?

A

Witchcraft trials did decrease from 1660 onwards and this could in part be attributed to Ady.

48
Q

How did John Webster’s “The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft” change witchcraft belief?

A

History-Witchcraze (11 decks)

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