Reasons for a Decline in Witchcraft Belief Flashcards
How did the changing religious climate affect beliefs in witchcraft and sceptical thinking?
There became multiple ways to interpret the Bible, which led to multiple interpretations of witchcraft and its religious roots
Who wrote, “Dialogue concerning Witches and Witchcraft” (1594)?
George Gifford
What was the diabolical pact?
A pact made between someone and the devil where they offer their soul in exchange for wealth and power
Who accused Gilly Duncan of being a witch?
David Seaton
What year was the final Witchcraft Act? What did it do?
1736
- Fraudulent cases would be punished with a one year prison sentence
- Magic and witchcraft were declared non-existent
Summarise the Boy of Burton (1597) case?
- Thomas Darling accused Alice Goodridge of bewitching him, 13 other potential witches were picked out in the investigation.
- John Darrell was brought in to exorcise Thomas Darling of the curse but attracted suspicion because of his reputation.
- Afterwards, Darling admitted that he had lied about the accusation.
- Darling and Darrel were imprisoned.
What impact did Bacon’s work have?
- His ideas and methods began being implemented mainly after 1640, and he influenced members of the Royal Society.
- The rational method was eventually used in the study of religion (re-examining the bible), society, philosophy and eventually history.
- Some of the early members of the Royal Society actually used his methods to try to empirically prove the existence of witchcraft.
Who argued that objects had primary and secondary qualities and because spirits had no primary qualities, they can’t be real?
John Lock in his ‘Essay concerning Human Understanding’
How many people were affected by the North Berwick witch hunts?
70
Which fraudulent case takes place in 1662?
The Demon Drummer of Tedworth
What was published in 1543?
Copernicus’ ‘Revolution of Heavenly Spheres’
What was published in 1599?
Samuel Harsnett’s ‘Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’
When was the Royal Society founded?
1660
What happened to John Holt in 1689?
He was appointed as Lord Chief Justice
What was published in 1691?
Balthasar Bekker’s ‘Enchanted World’
What fraudulent case took place in 1712?
Jane Wenham
What is the name of the accuser in the Pendle Swindle case?
Edmund Robinson
What key things did James wanted to take place during a hunt?
- Search for Devil’s Marks- very important
- Swimming test an effective identification method
- Women are more like to be witches because they are vulnerable to be led astray
What do Scot, Ady and Bekker argue about the Bible and its role in understanding witchcraft?
The Bible doesn’t refer or mention witches at any point and therefore the hunters that use the Bible to justify their actions are wrong
Who wrote ‘The Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel’ in 1599?
Samuel Harsnett
What forms of torture were used in Scotland?
- Cords around limbs / head twisted with a rope
- Sleep deprivation
- Witches Bridle
- Thumbscrews / leg screws / boots
- Nails under the fingers
How did publications have an impact on Judicial Scepticism?
- Questions around ‘proof’ and evidence began in the late C16th
- There was a notable change in acceptance of evidence from shortly before Bacon’s work to after it
- An increasing number of judges and jurors aware of the logic and rationality behind ideas from people like Hobbes
- There was a shift in accusing people of witchcraft, to finding the accusers guilty
Who was the first person to be found guilty of false accusations of witchcraft in 1701?
Richard Hathaway
What is the Malleus Maleficarum?
- It was a book that argued women were more likely to be witches because they were impressionable and had “slippery tongues and feeble minds”
- It was a book that selected specifically chosen parts of scripture to justify the unusual legal proceedings in witchcraft trials
Why do we know so much about John Fian’s trial?
It was reported in ‘Newes from Scotland’
How was Thomas Ady’s Candle in the Dark similar to that of Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft?
They both argued against the biblical justification of magic and sorcery
What was the name of the witch who was found innocent in 1682 and who was the judge of her case?
Joan Buts
Matthew Hale
What was mechanical philosophy?
The belief that the universe worked like a machine and each aspect had its own role
Where did the witch crazes take place?
- Britain
- parts of Europe
- America
What legislation was passed in 1563?
The Second Witchcraft Act
What was published in 1584?
Reginald Scot’s ‘The Discoverie of Witchcraft’
Which fraudulent case took place in 1597?
The Boy of Burton
Whose work came out in 1605?
Francis Bacon’s “Of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning Divine and Human”
Which fraudulent case took place in 1634?
The Pendle Swindle
Whose work was released in 1655?
Thomas Hobbes’s “De Corpore”
Whose work was released in 1687?
Isaac Newton’s “Principia Mathematica”
Whose work was released in 1609?
Locke’s ‘Essay concerning Human Understanding’
When was the North Berwick Witch hunt?
1590 - 91
Was torture legal under the 1563 Witchcraft Act?
Yes
What was the name of the Lord Chief Justice who was prepared to convict on ‘presumptions’ rather than proof?
Edmund Anderson
What did John Holt do during the trial of 1701?
He asked an expert on the ‘scientificity’ of the evidence whether it was possible for someone to survive 2 weeks without eating
What cases did Sir John Holt find witches innocent?
- 1696 Elizabeth Horner
- 1694 Mother Munnings
- 1695 Launceston Case in Cornwall
When did King James VI write Daemonologie?
1597
Which Protestant denomination was particularly influential in Scotland?
Calvinism
Why did Francis Stewart, the Earl of Bothwell, lose favour with King James?
He openly criticised James
Explain the impact of King James VI on the North Berwick Witch hunts.
- He approach trials with rational thinking & logic meant convictions were more streamlined
- His approval of torture & guilty convictions led to mass hysteria & fear of witches in Scottish society
- made the persecution of witches appear acceptable
- Hysteria may of died down quicker without his involvement due to judicial scepticism and their unwillingness to give in to mob mentality.
Who did James VI meet with in Denmark that changed his views on witchcraft?
Niels Hemmingsen
Which sceptical authors are believed to have influenced Holt’s sceptical thinking?
- Scot
- Ady
- Webster
Give three aspects of George Mackenzie’s beliefs about witchcraft.
- Witchcraft might be possible but most of the people accused were not genuine witches
- True witches deserved punishment, judges who didn’t fulfill their roles and sent innocent people to their deaths should also be blamed
- Witches were people who had been deceived, but were not necessarily evil, and therefore undeserving of harsh punishments
In the 1620s trial, led by Heneage Finch, what piece of evidence was used to convict the witch standing trial?
The witch’s Devil Mark
What was the name of Balthasar Bekker’s publication?
The Enchanted World
What impact did George Mackenzie have on the rise of sceptical thinking?
He was the first judge to practice sceptical thinking but his influence was limited to Scottish law and Sir John Holt
What method of torture is questioned for its use in obtaining evidence during the Pendle Swindle trial?
Sleep deprivation
