ABSTRACT
During the seventeenth century there existed a basic conflict between the popular understanding of witchcraft, and the legal explanation. Despite there being a legal definition of witchcraft, many preconceived notions about its nature still existed at the popular level, which proved almost impossible to eradicate. While it may be true that the first 40 years of the seventeenth century saw many popular notions concerning witchcraft challenged both by the courts and by the elite, the general social upheaval caused by the Civil War resulted in a re-emergence amongst the populace of a general belief in witchcraft. In this chapter it is intended to offer some explanations as to why this was so. It will also be demonstrated that in practice it was often difficult for the legal authorities to ignore such superstitious beliefs.
