Witchcraft in England

This week I watched a lecture on magic in early modern England by Professor Wrightson of Yale University. He starts of the lecture by talking about cunning folk which were basically natural healers. The cunning folk were often consulted. He then talks about how witchcraft was a crime of heresy in continental Europe and Scotland and was associated with the devil. He talks about how in England it was never a crime of heresy it was a felony and in most cases it was only punishable by death on the second offense. He also talks about how witches weren't associated with the devil. English witches didn't make pacts with the devil, they didn't fly, they didn't have sabbats or feasts with the devil, and there was no sex with devils.  English witches did have pets they had imps and familiars that were usually small animals. English witches were hanged not burned. He goes on to say how the trials of witches weren't all at once they were sporadically with the exception being Matthew Hopkins which hunt.

I find it interesting how witches were different on continental Europe and Scotland to witches in England. I think it is interesting that a few miles of land and water can make a huge different in culture. When I watched the lecture it surprised me to see how well the witches in England were treated compared to the witches in continental Europe and Scotland. It surprised me  because when I think of witches or witch trails I think of the Salem Witch Trails and how these people had just come over from England so why did they take on the attitude of continental Europe and Scotland?