In the mid-19th century, half the inhabitants of Britain believed in witches, especially in remote rural areas, but even in the Industrial Black Country many still retained 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 advice of a 'wise man' the complainant wore a small black bag of silk, containing pieces cut from a prayer book and the Bible, and some hair from a black cat.
