Diabolical or Masculine Men? Opposing Views of Male Witches in Early Modern England

Accused witches in early modern England were predominantly female, with historians often connecting the witches’ gender to these accusations. However, a small but substantial number of males also accused witchcraft. This has sparked debate discourse community over whether plays role witchcraft accusations against males. In their respective articles, scholars Millar and Kent both ask how ordinary people during English trials sixteenth seventeenth centuries viewed witchcraft, arriving at very different conclusions. determines that male is not important, while decides it is. paper argues Kent’s diverging conclusions stem from evidentiary archives differing beliefs on what aspects evidence deserve attention.