Tag Archives: Witchcraft in Britain

The magical art of corpse medicine

MARK GREENER continues his examination of ‘corpse medicine’, the historic trade in body parts believed at one time to have had magical and healing properties. Treatments made from corpses are among the most remarkable and most neglected chapters in medical … Continue reading

Posted in Witchcraft and Magic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Soles to save our souls

Jason Karl discusses one of the most frequently employed forms of ‘wards’: domestic magic used to protect a household from malign influences.
Continue reading

Posted in Witchcraft and Magic | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The spider curse

An army of arachnids march on the home of a man in Suffolk. Were they controlled by sorcery? Continue reading

Posted in Weird Creatures, Witchcraft and Magic | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The haunted death of Thomas Parkes

Tragic magician Thomas Parkes played with forces he didn’t understand when he summoned up demons at a crossroads. Continue reading

Posted in Witchcraft and Magic | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Down at the crossroads

When Robert Johnson was told that a crossroads was the place to meet with the Devil, he was not only following African tradition, but European, too. We explore some of the eerie aspects of crossroads. Continue reading

Posted in Ghosts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The deadly decor intended to bring doom

The Image House in Cheshire was decorated with stone ‘voodoo dolls’ by its hate-filled builder Continue reading

Posted in Witchcraft and Magic | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coventry conjurors who cursed a king

Supernatural plot against the King causes scandal in 14th century middle England Continue reading

Posted in Witchcraft and Magic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fears of witchcraft led to cruelty

Fewer witch trials were held in Wales than in other parts of Britain. But rough justice on the part of superstitious country folk took place well into the 19th century Continue reading

Posted in Witchcraft and Magic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The witch hunts

The belief that one person can use supernatural means to harm another has held many people in a grip of fear Continue reading

Posted in Witchcraft and Magic | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment