The magic and science of 18th-century Wales

The Druids, or the conversion of the Britons to Christianity

Wales in the 18th century was a land where old magical beliefs and new science met, clashed, mixed and evolved, says Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of The Shadow Key. Her book explores the possibilities of this tension – and is also a “love letter to Wales and the Gothic”.

The 18th century was a time of profound transformation in Wales, a land steeped in legend, folklore, and ancient traditions. As the Age of Enlightenment unfolded across Europe, bringing with it the rise of scientific thought and rationalism, Wales found itself caught between the old world of magic and superstition and the new dawn of empirical knowledge.

While scholars and philosophers debated the laws of nature and the universe, the people of Wales continued to cherish their myths, legends, and age-old customs, creating a fascinating tension between belief and progress. It was this tension I wanted to explore in my second novel The Shadow Key.

Wales has always been a land of myth and mystery, its rugged landscapes and deep forests providing fertile ground for supernatural tales.

The Mabinogi, a collection of medieval Welsh tales compiled from oral tradition, preserved these stories of magical beings, heroic quests, and otherworldly realms, and remained deeply ingrained in the Welsh consciousness well into the 18th century, shaping the way people understood the world around them.

Many rural communities held firm to their belief in fairies, spirits, and the power of natural magic. Cunning folk – wise women and men skilled in herbal remedies, charms, and divination – played a vital role in their villages. These practitioners were often called upon to cure ailments, protect against curses, or even locate lost objects. Their influence was so profound that even as scientific medicine gained prominence, many people continued to rely on folk remedies and magical rituals.

It should be noted that Wales experienced fewer witchcraft accusations and trials compared to neighbouring regions – between the 16th and mid-18th centuries, only 37 prosecutions occurred, with most defendants acquitted. This contrasts sharply with England, which saw approximately 500 executions for witchcraft during the same period, and this disparity highlights the unique cultural attitudes in Wales towards magic and the supernatural.

The reverence for the land itself also played a role in sustaining these beliefs; sacred wells, ancient standing stones and fairy rings were considered sites of powerful energy, and it was not uncommon for local traditions to warn against disturbing them.

The 18th century marked a period where scientific exploration began to challenge these traditional beliefs which coexisted uneasily with the growing influence of scientific exploration, creating an intriguing blend of old and new worldviews. Public lectures and demonstrations made scientific knowledge more accessible, yet many communities remained sceptical, holding onto long-standing superstitions.

By 1783, when The Shadow Key is set, the Enlightenment had long since reached Britain, emphasizing reason, observation, and experimentation over superstition, with influential thinkers such as Isaac Newton and John Locke having set the stage for a new understanding of the natural world, leading to advances in medicine, astronomy, and engineering.

The Royal Society, founded in 1660, had already begun fostering scientific inquiry, and Welsh figures such as Richard Price – an influential moral philosopher and mathematician – played a role in the intellectual movement of the time. In industrial centres like Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea in the south of Wales, technological innovations transformed industry and mining, offering tangible proof that science could reshape society.

Many Welsh people saw no contradiction between their faith in folklore and their acceptance of scientific progress; they might consult a cunning man for healing while also marvelling at the new advances in medical knowledge. This duality reflected the complexities of cultural change, where old and new ideas often coexisted rather than replacing one another outright.

However, the belief in supernatural forces remained strong particularly strong in Meirionnydd, a northern county cut off from the rest of Wales by the sea and vast mountain range of Eryri. Gwynedd (as it is now known) is characterized by its rugged landscapes and close-knit communities; the inhabitants held steadfast to traditions and folklore passed down through generations, and so despite the Enlightenment’s spread across Europe, many in Gwynedd remained deeply connected to their ancestral beliefs.

This was a place where, as a general rule, the English and reach of scientific advances had not yet reached, something that the protagonist of my novel, Henry Talbot, soon discovers.

Nor had the supernatural entirely left England. During this period, another curious phenomenon was unfolding across Britain – the rise of the Hellfire Clubs. These secret societies, often associated with aristocrats and freethinkers, were notorious for their debauched gatherings, where members supposedly engaged in blasphemous rituals, libertine excesses, and even occult practices. The most infamous of these was Sir Francis Dashwood’s Hellfire Club, whose members included influential politicians, writers, and noblemen.

The Hellfire Clubs reflected further the contradictions of the 18th century. On one hand, they embraced Enlightenment scepticism and irreverence, mocking religious dogma and engaging in hedonistic pursuits. On the other, they flirted with the supernatural, performing dark ceremonies and invoking pagan deities.

The Diabolical Maskquerade, or the Dragons-Feast as Acted by the Hell-Fire-Club, at Somerset House in the Strand

While their activities were often exaggerated or sensationalized, they spoke to a deeper cultural fascination with the unknown and the forbidden. It is not completely unreasonable that Wales, with its deeply ingrained mystical traditions, was not immune to such influences.

Though the Hellfire Clubs were primarily an English phenomenon, their libertine ideas and fascination with the occult might easily have found echoes among certain Welsh gentry, and this is something I consider a possibility in The Shadow Key. Some landowners, intrigued by the mix of magic and rationalism, may well have collected esoteric books, studied alchemy, or dabbled in astrology, as my antagonist Julian Tresilian and his colleagues do in the novel.

Wales itself had a long tradition of ceremonial magic, extending back to medieval times when learned Welshmen were reputed to possess arcane knowledge. Some of these traditions likely intermingled with the growing interest in alchemy and mystical practices among the British elite.

The tension between these two worlds – Welsh folklore and English occultism – adds another layer to the complex interplay between magic and science in the 18th century.

The collision between traditional beliefs and emerging scientific thought was not without conflict. The growing emphasis on reason led some to dismiss folk practices as mere superstition, while religious authorities often condemned cunning folk and magical practitioners as threats to Christian orthodoxy. In some cases, this even led to persecution, though not on the scale of the earlier witch trials.

At the same time, the Romantic movement, which gained momentum towards the end of the century would soon rekindle an appreciation for the mystical and the folkloric. Writers and poets, drawn to the beauty and mystery of Welsh landscapes, sought to preserve its ancient stories, seeing them not as relics of ignorance but as treasures of cultural identity.

Figures such as Iolo Morganwg, a Welsh antiquarian and poet, played a significant role in shaping modern perceptions of Welsh mythology, blending historical truth with poetic imagination.

The 18th century in Wales was a time of paradox and transformation, where the old world of myth and magic met the new world of reason and discovery. Though scientific progress reshaped many aspects of life, the enduring power of Welsh folklore ensured that the land’s mystical heritage was never truly lost. Even today, the echoes of that era remain – in the stories passed down through generations, in the sacred sites still visited by those who seek their mysteries, and in the enduring fascination with the supernatural.

The interplay between rationalism and mysticism in 18th-century Wales offers a compelling lens through which to view the complexities of cultural change. Rather than a simple transition from ignorance to enlightenment, it was a dynamic process where beliefs overlapped, intertwined, and evolved.

In many ways, Wales remained – and remains – a land where the boundaries between the seen and the unseen, the known and the unknown, continue to intermix, ensuring that both science and magic remain part of its rich and storied heritage.

In The Shadow Key, Dr. Henry Talbot, a physician dismissed from a prestigious London hospital, accepts a position in the secluded Welsh village of Penhelyg. Unfamiliar with the Welsh language and immersed in a community where myth and magic are prevalent, Henry faces the challenge of reconciling his scientific training with the villagers’ traditional beliefs. His journey reflects the broader cultural tension of the era, as he navigates a world where the lines between science and magic blur.

It is a novel that delves into themes of isolation, the clash of cultures, and the mysteries that arise when different world views converge. Through Henry’s experiences, I hope my readers will gain an insight into the complexities of 18th-century Welsh society and the enduring power of folklore. Ultimately, it was my aim that The Shadow Key might offer a captivating exploration of a time when the old world met the new, and belief systems were both challenged and reaffirmed. My love letter to Wales and the Gothic, it serves as a testament to the resilience of cultural traditions amidst the inexorable march of progress.