Widespread belief

• There were significant economic problems, such as falling wages and rising unemployment. This increased tensions in small communities. It also led to more widespread fear of vagabonds (poor, homeless people).
• As Protestant ideas became more popular, people increasingly feared the ‘old’ religion, Catholicism – leading them to attempt to ‘cleanse´ society by seeking out witches.
• James I was an enthusiastic witch hunger and wrote a book called Demonologie, published in 1597. This book called on people to find witches out.
• When James became King of England in 1603, he published a new edition of Demonologie, describing how witches had tried to drown him and his wife during a sea voyage.
• After the Gunpowder Plot, James became increasingly concerned about conspiracies against him, including by witches.
• The English Civil Wars began in 1642, and led to massive upheaval. The chaos of the war years created a climate of fear where people were more attracted to superstitious ideas.
• The position of women in society helps explain why 90% of accusations were made against females. Many of these were ‘wise women’, who were believed to have healing powers. Many were widowed or had never married. Most of them had not met the expectations of being married and obedient to their husbands.