Witchfinders

Wrought with peril, in the seventeenth century counties, shires and most of England suffered greatly with the cruel hunting of non Puritan people, who were believed to be witches. The decade encompassing the 1640's was, within medieval England, indeed a time of merciless suffering. Malcolm

Gaskill examines the horrific situations that were deteriorated the by Godly justice of the Puritans within the pages of Witchfinders. The religious and political unrest was mimicked by the commoners with neighbors, "Ð'... who also happened to believe in witchcraft powerfully enough to act out their most violent fantasies" accusing their neighbors of being a witch, and endorsing one of the worst tragedies in English history. Events such as civil war, plague, drought, reformation and military supremacy were many of the underlying issues that helped to foster superstition into outright fear. These and many more issues that are fundamental cultivated the Puritans perceived need to cleanse and purify the nation state.

Witchfinders allows a glimpse into the relationship between the political, religious, economic unrest and the need for a pure state. The events that unfolded during the period correlate directly with the fear and animosity that developed within England. "Without peace and prosperity, liberty and welfare, and the political and economic stability on which those things depend" a witch hunt would become an extent of war and conflict in any period that was also in religious turmoil. As with any agrarian community, "Ð'... the balance between survival and disaster was sensitive to ripples in the moral order: sin attracted the devil, enraged God and broke the equilibrium."

During this time, England was ravaged by inner turmoil. The chaotic state was plunged forward, headstrong into a new deluged era without a monarchy or hierarchy. It would be without a monarchy until the "restoration Ð'... in 1660." London also experienced a massive blow when most of the city burnt to the ground in 1666. Communities were experiencing "commercial (economic) decline, depression, plague and political dissention from 1645 onward." All of these threats obstructed the simple folk of England. With nowhere to turn but religion, honest mistakes would become prevalent. Hunted down and persecuted, without regard for the truth, witches were the scapegoat for many terrors that had happened in the communities. "Witchcraft was a spiritual threat: but popular beliefs offered no solutions, only distraction form the real danger (war)."

Civil war and rebellion plagued the country and "Ð'... intensified the spiritual danger of witchcraft." Political unrest allowed the commoners mind to stray from the immediate real threats to what they saw at the communal level. This allowed neighbor to avenge after neighbor as more and more of the population was to die in the war. With much lost, including sound mind and reasoning, chaos ensued. "The times became more unsettled as the end of the war drew nearer, the call for moral reformation louder than ever."

The reformation was a product of the time but the witch hunt was partially a result of the reformation. "Ð'...Religious persuasion had made an intensive witch-hunt possible." In a time of acute religious sensitivity, heightened and paired with the Puritans cause: to cleanse the people and rid them of evil (superstition), Godly justice triggered situations surrounding the commoners and allowed for them to morph into God fearing citizens. "People were enthralled by witches, prodigies and omens because, in an age of catastrophe, they feared for their futures." At this time, with how people felt, fear transferred easily into public opinion. This opinion allowed new laws to pass in politics. England's governors became obsessed with "Ð'...public order, especially in moral and religious life." Inundated with reformist requests, business in parliament was relatively busy.

Parliament heightened sensitivity towards superstitious acts by way of many laws including the Poor Law of 1645 and the Oath of Allegiance (Protestation Oath) of 1641 . The very structure that was to protect, keep order and peace within the country contributed to the undermining of society by means of the witch hunts. This sensitivity allowed for apprehension and fear to proliferate. "It was perhaps inevitable that bottled up fear and frustration Ð'... should be manifested as accusations