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In 1598, the English clergyman John Darrell was brought before the High Commission at Lambeth Palace to face charges of fraud and counterfeiting. The ecclesiastical authorities alleged that he had "taught 4. to counterfeite" demonic possession over a ten-year period, fashioning himself into a miracle worker. Coming to the attention of the public through his dramatic and successful role as an exorcist in the late sixteenth century, Darrell became a symbol of Puritan spirituality and the subject of fierce ecclesiastical persecution. The High Commission of John Darrell became a flashpoint for theological and demonological debate, functioning as a catalyst for spiritual reform in the early seven...
This book is exclusively devoted to demonic possession and exorcism in early modern England. It offers modernized versions of the most significant early modern texts on nine cases of demonic possession from the period 1570 to 1650, the key period in English history for demonic possession. The nine stories were all written by eyewitnesses or were derived from eyewitness reports. They involve matters of life and death, sin and sanctity, guilt and innocence, of crimes which could not be committed and punishments which could not be deserved. The nine critical introductions which accompany the stories address the different strategic intentions of those who wrote them. The modernized texts and critical introductions are placed within the context of a wide-ranging general Introduction to demonic possession in England across the period 1550 to 1700.
A fascinating, wide-ranging survey examines the history of possession and exorcism through the ages.
Reading Witchcraft explores the stories told by and about 'witches' and their 'victims', and questions what can be recovered from their trial records, pamphlets and personal accounts. It is an invaluable study of witchcraft stories.
From its establishment in 1745, Augusta County, Virginia served as a haven for Scotch-Irish, German, and, to a lesser extent, English immigrants who failed to find economic opportunity or religious freedom in the colonial settlements along the Middle Atlantic coastline. This little known but important work contains detailed genealogies of the twenty families mentioned in the title of the work, who settled in that region of "old western Augusta" that today encompasses Bath and Highland counties, Virginia. In addition to the family histories, the compiler has provided introductory chapters on the history of German and Scotch-Irish settlement to the region; a table of family members who fought in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Civil Wars, and a full name index with approximately 10,000 entries.