Were witches in northern England more common than in other parts of the U.K. I read about Pendle Hill and it seems so .
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The idea that there were people who self-idetified as witches during the Middle Ages is not given much credence any more. – Spencer Aug 11 '19 at 19:00
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Susanna Clark definitely seems to suggest this, but Shakespeare wrote about that "great magician, damned Glendower" who was a Welshman. – DukeZhou Aug 12 '19 at 20:42
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The words "magician" and "witch" have very different etymologies in English. Around the time of Shakespeare, a magician would be someone practicing legerdemain, whereas "witch" would have meant to Shakespeare a woman supposed to have dealings with the devil or evil spirits and to be able by their cooperation to perform supernatural acts. – Codosaur Aug 21 '19 at 20:17
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Lancashire did have a reputation for having many witches. Some historians have argued this is because people there could pose as witches for profit (witches could act like a kind of herbalist healer). – Semaphore♦ Sep 17 '19 at 4:47
