Abstract
ABSTRACTIn the immediate period before the Reformation, the most fundamental belief was of the sacred power of God sustaining and keeping safe the natural world, a supernatural God. Yet there were other supernatural angelic and demonic beings, and also people who were locally known as being holy folk, healers, magicians, cunning folk – and witches. This article examines links between the ideas of Luther and witchcraft allegations in the Midlands. It commences with a discussion of the opinions of Luther on witchcraft and magic during the Reformation in Germany and then moves to examine the increasing fear of witchcraft in the English Midlands. Early modern court records and other primary sources for the East Midlands are surveyed, to show how ideas on witchcraft move over space and time and give a clearer picture of the existence of witchcraft in the Midlands.
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