Jacobean Witchcraft in a European and Social Context

	In 1584 Reginald Scot claimed that only the Catholic church really took witchcraft seriously. With hindsight this statement could be viewed as a dangerous generalisation, but it is true to say that witchcraft in England rarely took on the ‘diabolic’ nature of its continental counterpart. European demonology, especially in relation to its’ principle philosophy that witchcraft implied a pact with the devil, did influence English witchcraft beliefs in the 16th and 17th centuries. However witchcraft in this country remained, for the most part, a local and social experience. The contents of this web-site focuses on the influence which continental theology exerted on English folk-lore, the differences between European and English witchcraft, and the scepticism the subsequent witch craze provoked.