A History of Magic and Witchcraft in Wales

The untold history of Wales's rich gallery of magical specialists suspected of harmful witchcraft and how they were tracked down by a vengeful community. Witchcraft studies are central to the study of the history of religion, power, and community in early modern Europe. This book establishes that Wales was one of the peripheral areas of witch-hunting where prosecutions started relatively late. Nevertheless, Wales had a rich array of magical specialists—including prophets, cunning-men, and physicians—some of whom were suspected of harmful witchcraft. This book takes an inclusive approach to witchcraft and examines all types of magical specialists, including those regarded as beneficial as well as harmful.