This website is dedicated to those fascinating but little-known magical practitioners called cunning-folk. Having recently written a book on the subject which explores their role in English history over the last five hundred years, it seemed like a good idea to set up a web companion to provide a brief introduction to their world.

Cunning-folk, who were also known as wise-women, wise-men, conjurors and wizards, were an integral part of English society right up until the early twentieth century. Over the centuries hundreds of thousands of people must have consulted them regarding a wide range of problems, but particularly those concerning affairs of the heart, theft, sickness and most important of all witchcraft. They were multi-skilled, or at least professed to be so. They practised herbalism, treasure-seeking and love magic. They revealed the identity of thieves and divined the whereabouts of lost and stolen property. The more learned cunning-folk also practised astrology, while the less learned pretended to be masters of the art. The most lucrative aspect of their business was the curing of those people and animals who were thought to be bewitched, and also the trade in charms to ward of witches and evil spirits.

Read more about the latest book: Cunning-Folk Popular Magic in English History [published by Hambledon and London 2003]

Owen Davies is a lecturer in History at the University of Hertfordshire and has widely researched the subjects of Witchcraft from 1736 - 1951, the repeal of the Witchcraft Act, and the role of Cunning-folk in the UK. He is the author and co-editor of a number of books on the subject.