Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic

by Tabitha Stanmore

A spritely and deeply researched history of magical problem-solving in a distant, unsettled, and strangely familiar time.

it's 1600, and you've lost your keys. You've scoured your house. They're nowhere to be found. What do you do? In medieval and early modern Europe, the first port of call might very well have been cunning practitioners of “service magic.” Neither feared (like witches), nor venerated (like saints), cunning folk were essential to everyday life, a ubiquitous presence in a time when the supernatural was surprisingly mundane. For people young and old, male and female, highborn and low, practical magic was a cherished resource with which to navigate life's many challenges, from recovering stolen linens to seizing the throne, and everything in between. In historian Tabitha Stanmore's beguiling account, we meet lovelorn widows and dissolute nobles, selfless healers and renegade monks. We listen in on Queen Elizabeth I's astrology readings and track treasure hunters trying to unearth buried gold without upsetting the fairies that guard it. Much like us, premodern people lived in bewildering times, buffeted by forces beyond their control. Their anxieties are instantly recognizable, and as Stanmore reveals, their faith in magic has much to teach us about how we accommodate ourselves to the irrational in our allegedly enlightened lives today.

Charming in every sense of the word, Cunning Folk is an immersive reconstruction of a bygone world, and a thought-provoking commentary on the beauty and bafflement of being human.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Witches, Witchcraft, Audiobook, Magic, Historical

272 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 2024

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never really thought about the fact that more palm readers weren't burned at the stake. Ok, hear me out.

You will often read or see in historical media about a king going to see a psychic or someone who can put together a "special" potion. These people did exist. So why weren't they tried and executed as witches? Finally, Tabitha Stanmore is here to explain why in her book, Cunning Folk. See, they weren't tried as witches because they weren't witches. They were cunning folk and, at worst, their activities were frowned upon and at best, they were actively sought by many people.

Stanmore drops us into the time period of medieval and early modern Europe. We start off with a woman in London trying to find her spoons. Sure, you and I aren't worried about losing spoons but back in the day this was no bueno. Spoons could be worth a lot and eating soup with your hands is a real pain. Stanmore follows this woman as she tries to find the right cunning folk to solve her problem because there are many different types. Don't worry, the book also looks at some famous people who tried to kill other famous people.

There is a sole issue with the book which is not Stanmore's fault. That woman and her spoons is the perfect example. We know she tried to find them and asked cunning folk but we get no resolution because the records just stop. This happens with a lot of the stories in the book and it does rob the narrative of a little magic (pun intended!). Stanmore's research is impeccable and there is nothing she can do about it. The information just doesn't exist anymore. Even still, this is well worth the read and it's a lot of fun.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing.)

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps it's my fault for not reading the description more closely, but I was expecting a historical account of "healing women," diviners, and all others who fall under the description of cunning folk, aka people who would have been accused of witchcraft and that's not really the focus of this book at all. The cover and title are misleading I guess. The actual content was okay, if rather dry, but was more of a collection of anecdotal stories of people seeking help to find lost objects, point out thieves, and other superstitious "magic."

I'm getting really tired of publishers falsely marketing books to hit hot or trending topics when the actual content of the book is only tangentially related.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship]

Read through page 72. If you’re going to read one academic-leaning nonfiction work about the role of magic in human society, make it The Witch. Yes, ostensibly that one’s focused on witchcraft while this one is focused on the more accepted forms of magic, but in reality it’s hard to discuss one without the other.

The thing about this book is that first of all it’s quite dry (turns out it’s adapted from the author’s Ph.D. thesis, which might have something to do with that), and second it consists mostly of anecdotes from historical records about people who sought magic to solve their problems, rather than much about the people who performed it or providing much bigger-picture analysis of the role of magic in Renaissance-era British society. (I think Stanmore might claim this book is about all of Europe because every once in awhile she references someplace else, but in reality it’s 95% England.)

Pretty soon I got the picture, which would’ve been more interesting had I not already read The Witch: contrary to popular misconceptions, magic was a widespread and accepted aspect of society at the time. People from all levels of society sought magical assistance, from the nobility to the poor to the clergy—in their official capacities: there are records of churchwardens seeking help from a local cunning woman when the altar cloth went missing, and others of priests selling spells themselves (their closeness to God, the widely accepted powers of holy water, etc., gave them an edge). Service magicians were generally safe from accusations of witchcraft, which after all involved evil magic, though depending on their specializations they could get in trouble for a variety of other things, like slander or conspiracy to murder.

There are some fun facts and anecdotes in here, from certain methods used in love charms (feed him bread kneaded with your butt. Better yet: feed him a fish that died in your vagina!), to how very seriously everyone involved took attempts to throw a court case with magic or especially to direct any sort of magic at the king. (Though Stanmore seems hopelessly naïve in supposing that when a lawyer’s pleading to have a litigant stopped from cursing him focused on the dangers of subverting the judicial system, rather than the danger to the lawyer himself, that this was actually what the lawyer cared about most. That’s just someone who knew how to construct a persuasive argument, which is presumably how he was hired for such a high-stakes case in the first place.)

I’m sure there would be more fun facts if I could get through more of Stanmore’s writing, but it has been a struggle so I’ll leave that to others. A final note: she seems to actually kinda-sorta believe in magic, so take that for what you will.

[Latasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this view into historical accounts of cunning folk and their interactions with the community around them.

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Galley provided by publisher

Cunning Folk is a fascinating look into how people during the pre-modern era viewed magic. Not the magic you might expect from the witch trials of later years (in fact, this book stresses repeatedly that there was a distinction between the cunning folk of the title and genuine witches), but the kind of magic used for tasks like finding property, love spells, getting rich quick, and more. It's a very absorbing read and I think would be regardless, but Tabitha Stanmore adds an extra dimension to it with her writing, making the narrative even more compelling and bringing the people mentioned in the book's pages to life. On top of this, it's clearly also thoroughly researched, while recognising too the limits of its research when most of the evidence comes from court depositions. Definitely one not to be missed.

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the use of magic in England from the fourteenth century onwards. So-called 'cunning folk' were used throughout these centuries to provide services such as finding missing items or people, providing love or fertility charms, curing illness, & even the odd get-rich-quick scheme. They were viewed as different to witches (who could also be either male or female), as witches were viewed as practising magic to do harm, whilst cunning folk were mainly thought to be trying to help.

This is an interesting & informative read with a lot of information packed into its pages. Personally, I felt that it became a little dry to read in places - the curse (pun intended) of academic work - but it always keeps the reader engaged enough to continue. The crossover with Catholicism & calling on the saints for aid was particularly interesting to me as was the evolution of the laws & societal viewpoints on magic which gradually shifted into something more malevolent & culminated in the witch trials. One slight let-down (which is not the author's fault) is that the records so often don't tell us what happened afterwards to the people involved in the cases discussed. Overall it was a very enjoyable read.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Random House UK/Vintage/Bodley Head, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

[Danie Ware · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the history of the practical usage of magic in the UK. Meticulously researched and bringing many references to narrative life, it illustrates promises and charlatans, politics and superstition and trickery, and a great deal of simple hope. Some wonderfully collected insights into mediaeval culture and society, and how they cast reflections on our behaviour today.

[Alyisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this history of “practical magic” in 1300s-1600s England, I was nothing short of obsessed. My interest, however, slowly tapered off. There are interesting bits sprinkled throughout, to be sure. Unfortunately, the deeper I got, the more it started to feel like more of the same. I’m also not a big fan of the stylistic, “as we will see in the next chapter” phraseology.

What initially hooked me was the close overlap of priests and “cunning folk”, religion and “service magic.”

I know my understanding of the history surrounding witch trials is colored by my geography (I actually lived in Salem, MA for a spell, while the author’s from the UK) but I still found a lot of what Stanmore uncovered shocking!

I was under the impression that anything smacking of magic would’ve been condemned as witchcraft and grounds for getting a person (usually a woman) hanged during this time period. Instead, Stanmore’s research suggests that “cunning folk” (with proven track records of helping their communities) were largely safe & well-regarded (even the women!) for most of this time — even amidst “witch fever.” Although she admits that “such a relaxed attitude towards magic becomes much rarer in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,” she writes that “scholars have noted that up until the fifteenth century, magic is largely portrayed as morally neutral.”

During that time, priests and monks could and did employ “cunning folk”; some even identified as “cunning folk” themselves! A few of the more popular practices included finding lost things, finding lost people, and healing the sick. The exact rituals, which Stanmore describes whenever possible, are hugely fascinating!

I was particularly rapt when learning about how amulets were made (harnessing the unique properties of the stars, writing powerful inscriptions (sometimes prayers), and intentionally choosing metals based on which planet they corresponded with, as well as supplicating or trapping angels and/or demons).

I loved reading about how ghosts were believed to be attached to treasure as a form of penance for the person who’d died, and therefore could be helpful to treasure hunters rather than a source of fear. It was believed that *some* ghosts wanted the pure-hearted to find the wealth they’d selfishly hoarded while alive so they could be forgiven the sin of avarice and move on. So, a haunting wasn’t always a deterrent; sometimes, it was desirable!

Folks also found biblical justification for the practice of palmistry (see: Exodus 13:9), stemming from the conventionally accepted idea that God commonly drew signs in nature — our bodies being part and parcel. These signs could be “read,” therefore, for wisdom or for clues about the future.

This sort of fantastical and spiritual grey area is totally my jam. If I were a more diligent researcher, I imagine this is exactly the kind of book I’d write. But I’m too dreamy and distractible to have written it at all, and certainly to have written it in the style that Stanmore did. She’s academic and colloquial in equal parts but always, unfailingly direct. I like a bit more pottering lyricism to my prose (though the conclusion is especially strong). While I still recommend this book (which is an expansion of the author’s PhD thesis and feels like it), it’s sightly less of an enthusiastic recommendation than I first imagined it would be.

For the record, I think Stanmore is exceptionally cool.

*3.75 stars

[Sandy Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tabitha Stanmore’s Cunning Folk explores the practical role of magic in medieval society, showing how it met everyday needs and how magical practitioners fit into the social landscape. Rather than portraying magic as an outsider belief, the book presents it as a common and accepted part of life at the time.

The book follows a thematic structure, organizing different types of magical practices based on their intended purposes—whether for healing, protection, finding lost objects, or influencing relationships. This structure makes it easy to dip in and out of different sections, but it also contributes to the repetitive feel of the book. While the examples are interesting in themselves, the format often feels like an encyclopedia of cases rather than a developing argument or deeper analysis.

In general, Cunning Folk overwhelmingly focuses on England—about 95% of the content is drawn from English sources. A tighter focus on England wouldn’t be a problem in itself, but the book doesn’t frame this as a deliberate choice, and it doesn’t expand into a broader discussion of magic’s role across Europe. Its central point—that magic was widely accepted and used—is repeated across all chapters without much further development.

One of the book’s main weaknesses is the absence of the author’s own perspective. While the historical material is well-documented, there’s little sense of the author’s own analysis or interpretation. I often wished for more engagement with the material beyond just recounting facts. More than anything, I wanted to hear what Stanmore has to say—not just how well she can paraphrase legal records.

Stylistically, the book is not difficult to read, and it remains accessible to a casual reader. However, it didn’t keep my attention. The dry, factual style, combined with the repetitive nature of the examples, made it easy to lose focus. I listened to the audiobook version, so I can’t comment on the references, but I imagine they would be useful for researchers looking for specific cases.

That said, Cunning Folk is a valuable resource for those interested in historical examples of magical practices. Readers looking for raw material—court cases, anecdotes, and documented magical transactions—will find plenty here. But those hoping for a more engaging narrative or a fresh analytical take may feel unsure about who the book is really for. It’s not quite academic enough for specialists, but also not lively enough for a general audience.

[Rachael]

DNF
Barely made it 10%. Terrible formatting and not engaging in the slightest. I found better information on cunning folk (the subject matter at hand) through quick google searches and discussions with my witchy friends and book club. Quite disappointed with this one.

[History Today]

When most people – and perhaps most historians – think of magic and its practitioners in the Middle Ages and the early modern period, the twin images that come to mind are likely to be those of the witch and the learned magus. In popular culture the person accused of witchcraft (usually a woman) is a figure of pity or fascination, while the overreaching and over-learned magus is a character open to derision. But as Tabitha Stanmore expertly shows in Cunning Folk, magic was a more complex field of activity – and indeed business – than these limited stereotypes will allow. Men and women who were neither liable to be accused of witchcraft, nor learned like Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa or John Dee, made their living from the practice of magic. These ‘service magicians’ are the subjects of Stanmore’s eye-opening book, which lays bare the grubby and transactional – yet relatably human – world of late medieval and early modern England’s cunning folk.

Tabitha Stanmore has already done more than anyone to advance our knowledge of service magicians in the last decade with her book Love Spells and Lost Treasure (2022); Cunning Folk brings the insights gleaned from her unrivalled knowledge of the primary sources to a broader audience. While previous historians have focused on some of the better-known service magicians themselves – the notorious Jacobean wizard Simon Forman, for example – Stanmore concentrates on the human stories of the clients of these magicians, and on the types of magic they employed. While many of these people were surely charlatans, the typical figure who emerges from Stanmore’s meticulous research is often something more like a sort of proto-therapist: experienced men and women with a hard-won and refined understanding of human psychology who restored hope to the desperate. In a society where even clergy, after the Reformation, increasingly withdrew from a ministry of reassuring their flock by demonstrations of sacred power, these individuals acted as a last resort for the resolution of apparently insoluble problems.

Read the rest of the review at HistoryToday.com.

Francis Young is the author of Twilight of the Godlings: The Shadowy Beginnings of Britain’s Supernatural Beings (Cambridge University Press, 2023).

[Runalong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores the cunning folk the people who could deploy magic if you want to find lost property, the guilty, fall in love or out of love. The key is the way the book explores the mindset of medieval life and how this was so important to it

Fascinating - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Wolfe]

DNF’ed because I had to return it to the library lol

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The issue with having a MA in History is you have already read A LOT around topics of interest so then when you pick up a book like this you actually already know most of the info and it’s just a bit boring…probs would have DNF’d if I hadn’t spent money on a copy💀

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, historian Tabitha Stanmore puts a spotlight on the widespread use of “practical magic” in medieval Europe. Most of our modern perception of the treatment of magic and superstition during this era is shaped by the history of witch-hunts and the brutal executions of suspected witches that came later, so it may come as a shock to realize that the magical methods used by cunning folk were actually common accepted practice at one time. In matters as wide ranging as finding lost items, finding true love, and seeking fortunes, the aid of skilled cunning folk could be sought, for the right price.

These practitioners are well documented and were apparently quite common: they practiced openly and without fear of the retribution of law. Often, the supernatural aid offered by cunning folk was inextricably linked with local Christian belief and practice! I was absolutely fascinated to learn how much the belief in the power cunning folk wielded was tied up with the power of the medieval Christian church. Witchcraft in the premodern era apparently only carried the threat of prosecution if the results of the practice were harmful to others, and the magic offered by cunning folk was more often intended to help a person rather than harm them.

Stanmore draws a clear line between the superstitions of the past and those of the present, so that the premodern villager seeking magical aid is that much more relatable to the reader. But it’s not just common people: even the nobility were using the help of cunning folk to establish and maintain their power and influence in ways that are apparently well-documented, if not more widely discussed!

I was a history major in college- therefore, I’ve read plenty of historical books in my day, and I can tell you that there are a lot of historians that can make even the most interesting subject matter dry and unpalatable. It’s not often that you find historical nonfiction as fascinating and engaging as this book. I found the writing style easily accessible and interesting. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the topic of historical magical practice, and not just for scholarly readers!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for this review.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook. And now I really want a book series that’s a Middle Ages version of Psych, where you have a cunning man or woman who is pretending to use magic to solve mysteries. If that exists, someone please tell me.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to it, and I just generally didn't take much from it. I enjoyed learning about the practical uses of "magic" in the medieval period and about the ways society viewed and reacted to it. I'm not sure if it would have held me as a physical read, but I'm also not sure it wouldn't have gone better if I hadn't had a desired hold come in a quarter of the way through.

I don't think it's a bad starting place for some general information.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cunning Folk, life in the age of practical magic by Tabatha Stanmore is about life in the middle ages and there opinion and belief in magic. Whether it be tea leaf reading conjuring the answers with bread a mirror and many other different rituals the fact was there was a big belief in magic at that time. People from all walks of life spent their money and all their hope on many different types of conjurers astrologers and in some cases even the local vicar The reason we still answer the question what’s your sign on dating apps is because sometimes it even worked. In some cases a rational thinker could figure out the trick but there was still those cases that left the eyewitness is baffled. I loved this book and found it so truly interesting and wish I could write a great review to convince others to read this book but I think like me those who love the strange and different will definitely read this I love how in the book the author says that she doesn’t know if she believes they really had magic because she wasn’t there which I think is a fair humble statement and shows her intelligence. A lot of people would scoff and dismiss any belief in ferry‘s phase conjure‘s psychics ET see but that in my opinion shows a lack of intelligence such as passing opinions on those who lived at a time we have no clue what it was like and yet we are so confident we know what they should’ve done and how we would’ve done it so much better and that’s just ridiculous. Whether they had magic or not the book is still interesting to read and fun to ponder and just know you can laugh but you weren’t there. I love this book and definitely recommend it they have things in the book that are easy to figure out and then bears the stories that are unexplainable like the 12-year-old and the mirror he even have those using magic to try and gain romance kill the romantic partner and much more this book is just so so good. I want to thank bloomsbury academic for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the history book that I was hoping that The History of Magic: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present would be. While Gosden's book was wonderful for it's breadth and scope, as well as Gosden's thoughts about the philosophical function of magic in the greater human experience, Cunning Folk has a tighter focus and thus is able to get into more depth about individual stories and traditions.

By looking to specific practitioners and events, Cunning Folk grounds itself in the practical function of magic, how it fit into people's needs and day-to-day lives, and how the practitioners of it fit into medieval European society.

The reason I picked up this book - besides being a total freak for microhistories and also wizards - was for a writing project. I've been stuck on this one for a while, so I've turned to the my old friend research to get me going. And brother, Cunning Folk has what I need.

We've got pages full of miracle mongers and their methods, from cakes rolled out on buttocks (ladies this one trick will drive him wild), to talking brass heads (the *sophisticated* gentleman's prognosticator), to rings blessed by angels to help you gamble (more expensive than demon power, but you're worth it). Perfect stuff to hammer out the vague thoughts I have into something with an inner life that makes me feel pumped up to write.

[Sembray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intriguing, well-researched and highly readable guide to the practice of magic in the early modern period. Each chapter covers a different area in which magic was used, ranging from love and finding a fortune to seizing power and retrieving lost objects. This provides a fantastic insight into the lives of ordinary people in this time period; their hopes, dreams, fears and the things they wanted more than anything else. While many of the examples given are humourous (such as the buttock bread love spell), the author avoids casting judgement on what were essentially average people with little agency over many aspects of their own lives. Many of the users were women or those from the lower classes, who would often have no choice but to resort to magic to obtain justice or a better life for themselves and their families. In fact, Stanmore's links between medieval magic and the superstitions many of us carry today demonstrate the persistence of these practices, correcting the harmful narrative that people of the past were somehow less intelligent or rational than we are now. This is a fascinating and often moving account perfect for anyone interested in the history of magic, or wanting to gain a fresh and unique perspective on Britain in the early modern period.

[Lynne Fort · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and quick read, but as some other reviews have noted, it is mostly a string of anecdotes about magic practitioners in the middle ages. They're interesting and well-written, but the book feels a little like a bunch of essays, and sometimes the author wanders a bit. I would definitely read another book by this author if she had the time and resources to write a more fully-fleshed out book on this topic (or any other historical topic) -- there's something here, but it never fully comes together.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free book in exchange for an honest review.


I love short history books and this one is no exception - Cunning Folk is an enchanting read (pun intended) about magic and practical magic in history. Told in a way that immerses the reader in the history shows cunning folk was an incredible read for fans of magic and the mystical.Some parts made it read a little bit slowly for me, but this book was an amazing read!

[Kara Pleasants · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read that explores historic practices of spells and magic in the medieval and early modern period, eras that I absolutely love. I really enjoyed this window into her scholarly work and such a rigorous and engaging study of practices that still influence use today, and gain a better picture of the world of the past (beyond dramatic “burn the witch!” plot lines). I also think that for such a well-researched book, its language is very accessible. Thanks for this work!

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book had been twice as long. Just a lot of realy fasinating information about how Medival people interacted with what we would now consider magic. (Though for them, the lines between magic, religion, and science were all much hazier) The main takeaway is that (even though much of the information is taken from court records, because that is what was being written down in a time before literacy was widespread) the use of magic for neutral or possitive ends was tolerated at all levels of society and was part of the fabric of everyday life.

[Flavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this essay about cunning folks and the use of magic in the medieval and early modern Europe. It's always fascinating and endearing to have the confirmation that people never really change. We all look for the same things in life, we all have the same hopes and dreams and fears, it doesn’t matter in what century we live in. This is the kind of book that makes me want to go deeper into the subject and learn more about it.

Thank you Florence Welch for the recommendation 💜

[K Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

This started off slow for me, but once I followed through the cadence, and then discovered the amazing audio version narrated by Anna Wilson-Jones, this has become one of my all-time favorites. The author, Stanmore, provides a clear, organized thesis how how 'magic' influenced past lives and our current lives. Part of me doesn't know if I should feel more cynical about current conditions or hopeful -- cynical in that people never change, and hopeful in that many folks do try to use faith as a means to progress. Wonderful book, and highly recommended.

[Geertje · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not about witches exactly and definitely not about witch hunts, I nevertheless think this book is great for people wanting to understand more about the context in which the witch hunts happened.

[Sarah Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting! A part of history I didn't know much about, and also how really we haven't changed very much. Magical thinking is and has always been part of the human experience

[Jasper · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really interested in the topic, but the format of this just didn't do it for me. It's more a collection of anecdotes than anything else, which makes it seem a little disorganized. I wish the information had felt more synthesized or like there was a more consistent throughline.

[Alex]

Hasylwoode / Hazelwood
St Benets Abbey
Sutton Hoo

Is this book “magically” in tune with my life? 😉