Physical evidence for ritual acts, sorcery and witchcraft in Christian Britain : a feeling for magic / edited by Ronald Hutton (University of Bristol, UK).

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Hutton, Ronald, editor.

Series:

Palgrave historical studies in witchcraft and magic

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Witchcraft--Great Britain--History.

Witchcraft.

Magic--Great Britain--History.

Magic.

Rites and ceremonies--Great Britain--History.

Rites and ceremonies.

Evidence--Social aspects--Great Britain--History.

Evidence.

Material culture--Great Britain--History.

Material culture.

History.

Social aspects.

Great Britain--Social life and customs.

Great Britain.

Manners and customs.

Great Britain--Religion.

Religion.

Great Britain--Antiquities.

Antiquities.

Physical Description:

xiii, 261 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire : Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

Summary:

"Physical Evidence for Ritual Acts, Sorcery and Witchcraft in Christian Britain investigates the physical evidence for magic in medieval and modern Britain, including ritual marks and designs, concealed objects, amulets hung about the person and home, and the equipment of folk magicians. The subject has been largely neglected by mainstream historians and archaeologists, and the contributors to this volume represent the current leading experts in each part of it, and often the pioneers of study of it. Between them, they show how ample and convincing the evidence is, and how it forces us to reconsider the history of ritual and religion in Britain since the Middle Ages and admit to the existence of a whole dimension of activity which has hardly been considered before. It should therefore have importance to those interested in British history in general across this large span of time"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1. Introduction / Ronald Hutton

2. Magic On The Walls: Ritual Protection Marks in the Medieval Church / Matthew Champion

3. Apotropaic Symbols and Other Measures for Protecting Buildings Against Misfortune / Timothy Easton

4. Instances and Contexts of the Head Motif in Britain / John Billingsley

5. Witch Bottles: Their Contents, Contexts and Uses / Brian Hoggard

6. Concealed Animals / Brian Hoggard

7. Shoes Concealed In Buildings / June Swann

8. Garments Concealed Within Buildings: Following the Evidence / Dinah Eastop

9. Spiritual Middens / Timothy Easton

10. Textual Evidence For The Material History of Amulets in Seventeenth-Century England / Alexander Cummins

11. Amulets: The Material Evidence / Tabitha Cadbury

12. Cunning-Folk and the Production of Magical Artefacts / Owen Davies and Timothy Easton

13. The Wider Picture: Parallel Evidence in America and Australia / Ian Evans, M. Chris Manning and Owen Davies.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781137444813

1137444819

OCLC:

931625045