Practical magic: curses, spells & cunning folk
From casting love spells to lifting curses, Tabitha Stanmore explains how practical magic was once a part of everyday life in medieval and Tudor England

From love spells to enthral the object of your desires, to charms to influence the outcome of a trial, people turned to cunning folk for all kinds of practical magic in medieval and Tudor England. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, historian Tabitha Stanmore reveals the amount of power these magical people could have within their communities, and explores some of their methods for altering the world around them by supernatural means.
Authors

Ellie Cawthorne is HistoryExtra’s podcast editor. She also contributes to BBC History Magazine, runs the podcast newsletter and hosts several live and virtual BBC History Magazine events.