Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is a book from our new primary source collection, Witchcraft and Magic in England, c. 1400–1920, titled “The History of Witches, Ghosts, and Highland Seers”. Compiled by an anonymous author and published in the early nineteenth century, the book comprises several reports on instances of witchcraft, magic, clairvoyance, and sightings of apparitions, with a particular focus on Scotland.
“Designed for the conviction of the unbeliever and the amusement of the curious”, the book presents its contents as evidence of supernatural occurrences. The author asserts in the preface that the contents of the book are “well authenticated, and therefore credible”, assuring its readers that “those which are not supported by sufficient witnesses” had been “omitted”.
Incredulity towards the supernatural is targeted in the preface, the author arguing that such scepticism was a product of “this age of general debauchery, extravagance and dissipation”, and a consequence of disbelief in “the principles of the Christian religion”. Religion was inseparable from the concepts of witchcraft, magic, and the supernatural in the eighteenth century and before. The historic persecution of alleged witches was justified by belief in the dangers of demonic influence, which was taught by the Church in the medieval and early modern periods. Indeed, appearances of “the Devil” and possession by demons—entities central to Christianity—are included in several of the reports compiled in the book.
As the preface of the book implies, however, belief in witchcraft and the supernatural declined over time. This shift led to the passing of the Witchcraft Act of 1735, which redefined witchcraft legally, not as a real and dangerous practice, but, rather, as a fraudulent and deceptive one. A reflection of the growing disbelief in the supernatural, the legislation passed with little opposition.
“The History of Witches, Ghosts, and Highland Seers”, in its attempts to convince the “unbeliever” with “well authenticated” reports, therefore evidences the continuing, but diminishing, belief in the supernatural during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Where to find this document
This document is from our new primary source collection, Witchcraft and Magic in England, c. 1400–1920. This fascinating resource charts the evolution of witchcraft and magic in England over five centuries. Incorporating a broad range of records and texts, it facilitates exploration of an array of key topics and themes, such as gender, medicine, politics, religion, and science. Interdisciplinary in ethos and expansive in terms of its chronological scope and the archival materials that it contains, this collection will appeal to students, educators, and researchers working within a range of scholarly fields. Visit the collection page to learn more.