ABSTRACT
John Stearne published his Confirmation after systematically hunting witches across East Anglia for two years, resulting in the execution of approximately 110 individuals. This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book provides an overview of the economic, religious, and political landscape in Essex and Suffolk in the seventeenth century in order to construct the backdrop to the witch-hunt that Stearne spearheaded. It examines Stearne’s religious beliefs, based on A confirmation. The book explores printed works of early modern demonology and the development of the concept of familiars, which served as an icon for a variety of medieval and early modern concerns over human-animal boundaries, morality, and sexuality. It explores the scientific status of Stearne’s Confirmation, the witch-finder’s impact on the debates in the latter half of 1600s, and the subsequent decline of witchcraft beliefs.
