The Old Woman and the Conjurors

Description

The writing of “The Old Woman and the Conjurors : A Journey from Witch Scratching to the Conjurors” began as a result of a complete co-incidence. The author, whilst researching for a friend, discovered a story in an adjacent newspaper column containing familiar names and places. It described an attack on an old woman in a Devonshire village who was suspected of being a witch. This woman turned out to be the author’s ancestor. The subsequent investigation into her story led to the uncovering of a veritable pandemic of “witch scratching”. Even murder of mostly elderly women

The figure of the village “conjuror”, a West Country term for somebody who could remove the Evil Eye. Loomed large behind the scenes along with odd connections to non-conformist and millennial religious groups. Explore the eccentric characters, beliefs, and clients of 19th-century village conjurors, including Exeter prophetess Joanna Southcott, Leeds witch and murderess Mary Bateman, and murder-victim Ann Tennant. This book examines the period’s pandemic of “witch scratching” and presents Michael Slater’s extensive research that has revealed fascinating new depths to the history of supernatural study.