Paper 3, Option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 1 Changing attitudes to witchcraft in Britain — Edexcel A-Level History
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Paper 3, Option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 1 Changing attitudes to witchcraft in Britain explained
Paper 3, Option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 1 Changing attitudes to witchcraft in Britain covers 2 specification points, including The impact of notable frauds and doubtful… and Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft….
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Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
The existence and growth of scepticism, c1580–c1750: the impact of notable frauds and doubtful cases (key developments: the case of the Boy of Burton 1597, the Pendle Swindle 1634, the Demon Drummer of Tedworth 1662, the case of Jane Wenham in 1712); the influence of Lord Chief Justice Sir John Holt, 1689–1710.
Between c1580 and c1750, scepticism about witchcraft grew as notable frauds and doubtful cases exposed the unreliability of accusations. The Boy of Burton (1597) involved a boy's false claims of possession, undermining credence in demonic evidence. The Pendle Swindle (1634) saw a boy, Edmund Robinson, fabricate accusations, leading to a royal investigation that discredited the case. The Demon Drummer of Tedworth (1662) was a poltergeist story that sceptics like John Webster used to question witchcraft. The case of Jane Wenham (1712) ended in a pardon, reflecting judicial doubt. Sir John Holt, Lord Chief Justice 1689–1710, influenced scepticism by rejecting spectral evidence and securing acquittals. These developments eroded belief in witchcraft among the educated, contributing to the decline of prosecutions.
The impact of notable sceptic publications, c1580–c1750: Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft 1584, Samuel Harsnett's A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel 1599, Thomas Ady's A Candle in the Dark 1656, John Webster's The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft 1677 (key development: the publication of Balthasar Bekker’s The Enchanted World 1691).
This topic examines how sceptical publications between c1580 and c1750 challenged witch beliefs. Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) argued that witches were deluded and that biblical witch references were mistranslations, attacking persecution. Samuel Harsnett's A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel (1599) exposed exorcism as fraud, undermining demonological evidence. Thomas Ady's A Candle in the Dark (1656) rejected the witch stereotype and blamed accusers' ignorance. John Webster's The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft (1677) used natural philosophy to question spectral evidence. Balthasar Bekker's The Enchanted World (1691) denied the devil's physical power, a key development linking scepticism to the decline of witch prosecutions.
Your focus
- Explain how notable frauds and doubtful cases contributed to scepticism about witchcraft.
- Analyse the influence of Sir John Holt on legal attitudes towards witchcraft.
- Evaluate the extent to which scepticism grew between c1580 and c1750.
Show all 6 objectives
- Identify the author, date and core argument of each named sceptical publication.
- Explain how each publication challenged specific elements of witch belief or evidence.
- Evaluate the extent to which these publications changed attitudes to witchcraft in Britain and Europe.
Paper 3, Option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 1 Changing attitudes to witchcraft in Britain exam tips
Marking Points
- Explains how the Boy of Burton case (1597) exposed fraudulent possession and weakened belief in witchcraft.
- Describes the Pendle Swindle (1634) and its role in discrediting witchcraft accusations through royal investigation.
- Analyses the Demon Drummer of Tedworth (1662) as a doubtful case that fuelled sceptical debate.
- Assesses the impact of the Jane Wenham case (1712) in demonstrating judicial scepticism and the decline of convictions.
- Evaluates the influence of Sir John Holt (1689–1710) in rejecting spectral evidence and promoting legal scepticism.
- Explains how Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) challenged the biblical and legal basis of witch persecution by arguing that witches were deluded rather than empowered by the devil.
- Analyses how Samuel Harsnett's A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practices of John Darrel (1599) discredited exorcism and demonological evidence, thereby weakening a key proof used in witch trials.
- Assesses Thomas Ady's A Candle in the Dark (1656) as a restatement of sceptical arguments that attributed witch accusations to ignorance, fraud and medical misunderstanding.
- Evaluates John Webster's The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft (1677) for using natural philosophy and medical explanations to question spectral evidence and confessions.
- Explains why Balthasar Bekker's The Enchanted World (1691) is treated as a key development, since it denied the devil's physical power and influenced elite opinion across Europe.
- Connects the cumulative impact of these publications to changing attitudes, including the decline of prosecutions and the rise of educated scepticism, while noting limits such as continued popular belief.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Use the named cases as specific evidence to illustrate the growth of scepticism.
- 💡Link the role of Sir John Holt to wider legal and intellectual changes.
- 💡Consider how frauds and doubtful cases influenced both elite and popular attitudes.
- 💡Anchor each publication to its date and author, and use it as evidence in an argument about changing attitudes rather than listing titles.
- 💡When assessing impact, distinguish between elite and popular audiences, and between immediate and long-term effects.
- 💡Use the key development status of Bekker's The Enchanted World (1691) to frame a judgement about the chronology of scepticism.
Common Mistakes
- Error: Confusing the Pendle Swindle with the Pendle witch trials of 1612. Correction: The Swindle occurred in 1634 and involved fabricated accusations by Edmund Robinson.
- Error: Assuming scepticism grew uniformly across society. Correction: Scepticism was more pronounced among the educated and judiciary, while popular belief persisted.
- Error: Overstating the impact of a single case. Correction: Scepticism developed cumulatively through multiple frauds and doubtful cases over the period.
- Treating the publications as a single cause of the decline of witchcraft prosecutions; correction: present them as contributing to elite scepticism alongside legal, social and economic factors.
- Confusing the arguments of different authors, for example attributing Bekker's denial of the devil's physical power to Scot; correction: match each author to their distinctive argument and date.
- Assuming that sceptical publications immediately ended witch trials; correction: explain that popular belief and local prosecutions persisted, and that impact was gradual and uneven.