Witchcraft, Magic and Culture 1736–1951

Owen Davies examines witchcraft and magic in England and Wales after the 1736 Witchcraft Act, tracing how older beliefs survived alongside growing scepticism. The book considers educated attitudes, popular justice and the changing image of the witch across the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.

Its subjects include cunning-folk, astrologers and fortune-tellers, together with the relationship between magic and medicine. Davies also assesses the influence of literacy and popular literature, showing how printed culture helped reshape ideas about witchcraft. Across the period ending in 1951, the study follows the decline of formal belief while documenting the continuing social presence of magical practices, accusations and supernatural claims.