Evidence from the Witchcraft Act of 1542

In this article, Dr Jonathan Durrant (Principal Lecturer in History, University of South Wales) argues that we know no more now than we did in the late 1980s about what witchcraft was as men and women of the early sixteenth century understood it. Dr Durrant looks at evidence from Henry VIII's Witchcraft Act of 1542 to explore British and European perceptions of witches and witchcraft in this period.

This article is also available free to all participants in our short course Witchcraft, Werewolves and Magic in European History, which runs from 10 September–10 December 2024.