Old Wives'Tales - The History of Remedies, Charms and Spells

Aug 25, 2026

Old Wives'Tales - The History of Remedies, Charms and Spells traces how traditional women healers and folk practices evolved across Assyria, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and into medieval and early modern Europe and England. It examines the shift from goddess to sorceress, then to witch, and later the tension between “old wife” healers and formal medical professions. The book also documents remedies, charms, and the experiences of the sick poor, culminating in reflective conclusions about medical authority and folk knowledge.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages234

Reading Time6 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

PART ONE: OLD WIVES

ONE Introduction

TWO From Goddess to Sorceress

THREE From Sorceress to Witch

FOUR From Expert to Charlatan

FIVE Alternatives for the Sick

SIX Conclusions

PART TWO: TALES

SEVEN Introduction to Remedies

EIGHT Remedies

Old Wives’Tales The History of Remedies, Charmsand Spells Old Wives’Tales The History of Remedies, Charmsand Spells MARY CHAMBERLAIN First published in 1981 This edition published in 2010 The History Press The Mill, Brimscombe Port Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG [www.thehistorypress.co.uk](www.thehistorypress.co.uk) This ebook edition first published in 2012 All rights reserved © Mary Chamberlain, 1981, 2006, 2010, 2012 The right of Mary Chamberlain to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author ’s and publisher ’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. EPUB ISBN 978 0 7524 8679 6 MOBI ISBN 978 0 7524 8678 9 Original typesetting by The History Press Contents Acknowledgements PART ONE: OLD WIVES ONE Introduction TWO From Goddess to Sorceress Women healers in Assyria, Egypt, Greece and Rome THREE From Sorceress to Witch The old wife in medieval Europe and seventeenth-century England FOUR From Expert to Charlatan The old wife and the medical profession in eighteenth-century England FIVE Alternatives for the Sick The old wife and the sick poor in nineteenth-and twentieth century England SIX Conclusions Perspectives on the medical profession and the old wife PART TWO: TALES SEVEN Introduction to Remedies EIGHT Remedies Notes Bibliography For Rosie and Kate Acknowledgements I would like to thank first and foremost my husband, Peter Lane, who not only gave me invaluable practical and moral support through the writing of this book, but also advised and criticised my ideas and drafts with judgement and infinite patience. I would also like to thank Carol Fisher for her helpful comments on all the drafts, Anna Coote and Ann Oakley for their criticisms of the final draft and Ursula Owen at Virago for all her help in the compiling and writing of the book. I am indebted to Belinda Ackerman of the Association of Radical Midwives, Philip Corrigan, Auriel Hill of the Association for the Improvement in Maternity Services, Jane Mace, Nancy MacKeith, Angela Phillips and Kathy Savage for their comments and contributions to individual chapters. In addition, James Cornford, Kevin Crossley-Holland, Jean Donnison, Roger Fieldsend, Mike Fisher, Alastair Kerr, Arthur Lane, Alan Maryon-Davis, John Pickstone, Enid Porter, Bill Williams, Bob Williamson, the staff of the Department of Egyptian Antiquities of the British Museum, and the staff of the Library of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, all helped direct me to sources or answered questions and to them I am grateful. I also owe a debt to the East Suffolk Federation of Women’s Institutes, whose members contributed enormously to the collection of remedies, to Radio Orwell for inviting me to do a ‘phone-in’ programme on Old Wives’Tales, to Lambeth Social Services for allowing me to interview residents in their Homes for the Elderly and to the residents themselves, to the Matron and residents of Glebe House, Woodbridge, Suffolk (Suffolk Social Services) for the same, to Mrs Coker, Mrs Copping, Mrs Heiser, Mrs Murray, Mr Stronger and Mrs Wallace for their interviews, and to the Earl of Albemarle, Mr Richard Allnutt, Lt Col. R.B. Longe, the Earl of Stradbroke and the Suffolk Record Office for permission to use their material on remedies. There are many other people to whom I have spoken throughout the research for this book and who, wittingly or unwittingly, have given me m

FAQs

What historical periods does the book cover in Part One?

It moves from ancient civilisations such as Assyria, Egypt, Greece and Rome through medieval Europe and seventeenth-century England, then addresses eighteenth-century England and nineteenth- and twentieth-century contexts.

How does the book describe the relationship between old wife healers and the medical profession?

It contrasts folk healers with the rise of formal medical authority, focusing on how “old wives” were viewed as experts or dismissed as charlatans and how alternative care was sought.

What is included in Part Two?

Part Two presents a structured introduction to remedies and then the remedies themselves, followed by notes and supporting materials such as bibliography and acknowledgements.

Aug 25, 2026

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