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Final Copy 2019 06 25 Morg This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from Explore Bristol Research, http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk Author: Morgan, S Title: Perspectives on Male Witches in Early Modern England General rights Access to the thesis is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License. A copy of this may be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode This license sets out your rights and the restrictions that apply to your access to the thesis so it is important you read this before proceeding. Take down policy Some pages of this thesis may have been removed for copyright restrictions prior to having it been deposited in Explore Bristol Research. However, if you have discovered material within the thesis that you consider to be unlawful e.g. breaches of copyright (either yours or that of a third party) or any other law, including but not limited to those relating to patent, trademark, confidentiality, data protection, obscenity, defamation, libel, then please contact [email protected] and include the following information in your message: •Your contact details •Bibliographic details for the item, including a URL •An outline nature of the complaint Your claim will be investigated and, where appropriate, the item in question will be removed from public view as soon as possible. PERSPECTIVES ON MALE WITCHES IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND Sheriden Louise Morgan A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts, February 2018. Word Count: 73,286 ABSTRACT Historians agree that those accused of witchcraft during the early modern period were predominantly women. Yet not all of those brought before the assize courts in England were female, approximately twenty-five percent were men, however they have generally been dismissed as by-products of the witch hunts, accused only through relationships with the accused women or else as part of the mass hysteria created by witch panics where traditional stereotypes often broke down. This work seeks to challenge these assumptions and ask how men found themselves to be accused of witchcraft when there was such a strong association with magic and women in the learned demonology of the period. Were they just by products of a campaign directed against women or were they legitimate targets for accusations of witchcraft? Through an examination of the major demonological texts of early modern England, popular witchcraft pamphlets and records from the secular and ecclesiastical courts of England this work argues that male witches could be independent, legitimate targets of witchcraft accusations and that the learned demonologists and theologians of early modern England possessed no conceptual barrier to the idea of a male witch. It is not the aim of this thesis to challenge the place of women within witchcraft historiography but to suggest that the theory needs to integrate the idea of male witches and examine how they fit within the wider context of witchcraft beliefs during the early modern period in an effort to advance further our understanding of early modern English mentalities about witches and witchcraft. In memory of my Father. I did it papi! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who made this thesis possible. Firstly, to my supervisor Professor Ronald Hutton whose guidance, patience and unfathomable wisdom has shaped and polished my work to be better than I could have ever achieved on my own, I give you my deepest and heartfelt thanks. Your enthusiasm and kindness have been immeasurable, and I am honoured to have been one of your students. Finally, I am indebted to you for including me in the Figure of the Witch project which has not only provided me with incredible opportunities to meet other academics in the field that would otherwise have not existed but also the opportunity to work alongside likeminded researchers to share my work and ideas with. Secondly to my secondary supervisor Dr. Kenneth Austin whose support and encouragement has been gratefully received. I must also express my gratitude to the incredible generosity of Adam Steiner and his sponsorship of the Wyrd Scholarship, it was an honour to be a recipient. I also wish to express my thanks to Owen Davies and Malcolm Gaskill who were most generous in their time, discussing my research and providing most welcomed guidance. Further to Charlotte-Rose Millar and Joad Raymond for their invaluable help on the problems of early modern witchcraft pamphlets. Lastly, I must express my gratitude to friends and family who have supported me throughout. To Victoria Carr and Debora Moretti, I was often cautioned that undertaking a PhD would be an incredibly lonely path, you guys however proved that to be false. Over the past four years you have both become some of my most valued friends and it was fantastic sharing the journey with you. The endless supply of coffee, tea and hilariously random discussions about witchcraft and magic have been a lifesaver through the difficulties of research. Thank you for your patience in helping me sound out half-formed ideas, much of this work would not have turned out half as well without you guys. I am honoured to call you my friends and colleagues. [iv] To Nazareno, Maria Grazia and Alessandro, thank you for becoming my family. Your support has been more than I ever expected. Also, to Flavio, Gabriela and Sofia for their wonderful friendship and enthusiastic encouragement. However, it is to my husband Roberto that I owe my greatest debt. Your unflagging love, support, encouragement and patience has kept me pointed in the right direction even when I myself did not see the right way. You have believed in me, even when I struggled to believe in myself, your unwavering support has been something I will cherish forever. You have been a constant source of comfort and inspiration and your commitment to helping me reach my goals has made everything possible. I love you more than I can put into words. I could not have done this without you. [v] AUTHOR’S DECLARATION I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and that it has not been submitted for any other academic award. Except where indicated by specific reference in the text, the work is the candidate's own work. Work done in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others, is indicated as such. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author. SIGNED: ............................................................................ DATE:.......................... [vi] CONTENTS Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... iv Declaration ............................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables and Figures ........................................................................................................................ ix Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................................... xi Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: Demonology and Theology ....................................................................................... 21 The (not so) Changing Faces of Witches and Wizards ............................................. 28 Witchcraft and Magic: Which Witch is Which? ......................................................... 43 Merlin and the Early Modern Dilemma ...................................................................... 46 Concerning Witches, Wizzards, Sorcerers and Magitians ........................................ 54 Becoming the Servant of Satan: Making the Demonic Compact ............................ 57 Maleficia & Maleficus .................................................................................................... 62 Cunning Men................................................................................................................... 66 Perhaps Not So Unthinkable? ...................................................................................... 72 Chapter Two: Male Witches in Pamphlet Literature ...................................................................... 74 Fairies, Familiars and Spirits ......................................................................................... 83 Sex, Sin and Demonic Fornication .............................................................................. 97 O’ Wicked and Miserable Wretch ................................................................................ 119 Diabolically Independent By-Products ....................................................................... 129 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 136 Chapter Three: Accusations ............................................................................................................... 139 Fiction in the Archives: Problems with Legal Records ............................................
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