Witchcraft and Folk Belief in the Age of Enlightenment: Scotland, 1670–1740

Lizanne Henderson examines Scottish witchcraft and witch belief from 1670 to 1740, a period often associated with the decline of prosecutions and the emergence of the Scottish Enlightenment. Rather than treating the end of the major witch-hunts as an abrupt disappearance, the book follows how ideas about witches and supernatural forces continued to circulate across Scottish society.

Using history, folklore and religious studies, Henderson considers the changing boundary between popular traditions and learned thought. The study looks at how ministers, devout believers and intellectuals interpreted witchcraft, faith and superstition, while tracing the persistence of fear and dread beyond the period of large-scale trials. Scotland appears as a society negotiating new definitions of progress, religion and the supernatural.