Introduction

In the reign of Henry VIII, almost everybody in England was a Roman Catholic Christian.  But, mixed into the Christian Catholic faith, there were thousands of what we nowadays call 'superstitions'.  Source 1 describes some of the hundreds of superstitions that most people in Tudor times believed in. 

It is almost impossible for us today to appreciate the extent to which – at the beginning of our period in the 1500s – people's lives were affected by their beliefs in magic, the world of spirits, and superstition. 

Religion remained important for people throughout the period 1500-1750.  But, as time went on, the power of superstition and magic declined. 

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Links:

The following websites will help you research further:

Superstitions:

• Tudor superstitions  

• Witchcraft