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Cunning-folk were local practitioners of magic, providing small-scale but valued service to the community. They were far more representative of magical practice than the arcane delvings of astrologers and necromancers. Mostly unsensational in their approach, cunning-folk helped people with everyday problems: how to find lost objects; how to escape from bad luck or a suspected spell; and how to attract a lover or keep the love of a husband or wife. While cunning-folk sometimes fell foul of the authorities, both church and state often turned a blind eye to their existence and practices, distinguishing what they did from the rare and sensational cases of malevolent witchcraft. In a world of uncertainty, before insurance and modern science, cunning-folk played an important role that has previously been ignored.
Owen Davies is Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfordshire and the author of Murder, Magic, Madness: The Victorian Trials of Dove and the Wizard (2005).
Introduction; Acknowledgements; 1. Cunning-Folk and the Law; 2. For Good or Evil?; 3. Who and Why; 4. Services; 5. Books; 6. Written Charms; 7. European Comparisons. 8. Cunning-Folk in the Twentieth Century; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
"His book is well researched, making excellent use of court reports and press items from the eighteenth century to the twentieth. A very valuable contribution to historical folklore studies."