In the mid 19th century, half the inhabitants of Britain believed in witches, especially in remote areas, but even in the industrial Black Country many still retain the old beliefs. About 1860, a case came before the Stourbridge magistrates, in which a Mrs Cartwright charged a Mrs Wassall with having bewitched her, and refusing to remove the spell. It transpired that under the advise of a 'wise man' the cpmplaintant wore a small black bag of silk, containing pieces cut from a prayer book and the Bible, and some hair of a black cat. .
