In English history, the cunning woman or cunning man is a professional or semi-professional folk magic user, and they practiced their trade up until the twentieth century. Such people were also frequently known as wizards, wise men, wise women, witch doctors or conjurers.

The historical studies of Owen Davies have shown the extent to which cunning folk were a recognised part of British rural and urban life, and in the nineteenth century it is estimated there were several thousand at work across the country. They could be found operating openly in towns and villages across the nation and they were a valued part of the community. Some were so successful that they began attracting clients from many miles away. Most offered more limited services to a smaller region.

Cunning folk could make a good living from their talents, and there usually was a set monetary charge for their services. The money they earned meant they were often considered, especially by the better educated, as frauds and tricksters, whom got money out of the gullible for parlour tricks. By the nineteenth century, the threat of prosecution was so slight that they even advertised their services and wrote books. Whether Cunning folk actually did possess any supernatural power is open to debate; certainly some were caught in fraud such as spying on customers to help their predictions, repeatedly promising vast treasure which was never found, and falsely accusing the innocent of theft or witchcraft.

The spells and magic services offered by cunning folk were strictly speaking against the doctrines of the Catholic Church. According to Canon Law such spell casting should be punished. However, most cunning folk were not charged, indeed in the medieval period the village priest might be the one carrying out folk magic! After the Reformation, the situation did not change substantially. Even though Puritan ministers frequently denounced cunning folk, they still escaped serious prosecution. This was true even during the great witch hunts from the Tudor period onwards, although cunning folk were more likely to be charged than other people in English witchtrials they still were only a very small percentage of total number of people charged and in fact the majority of them went about their business unhindered. Owen Davies study suggests this is because most ordinary people drew a distinction between helpful magic and malicious witchcraft. In England, the ordinary people were responsible for bringing charges against witches and they were not interested in accusing cunning folk, for many believed they formed the first line of defence against witchcraft.

When Cunning folk do appear in trial reports it is because of unhappy customers. When their magic failed to heal someone or it seemed there was some kind of trickery involved customers often went to the courts. Even after the death penalty for witchcraft was lifted, it was still illegal to claim magical powers -- especially if you made money out of it -- so prosecution remained an occupational hazard.

Spells offered by cunning folk included:

Protection against witchcraft -- this was one of their most important and profitable roles. Cunning folk claimed to be able to detect witchcraft and counter it by using their own charms. Often they would also claim to be able to discover the witch who was responsible for cursing the victim. After the execution of witches in England ceased from 1684, cunning folk provided the mains means of neutralising witchcraft for those who thought themselves afflicted by it.

Healing -- Using a combination of herbs and spells, they tried to help both people and animals. Some cunning folk had a very good knowledge of herbs and folk remedies.

Property Loss -- If things were lost by theft or by accident cunning folk could supposedly find lost items or even identify criminals using magic.

Treasure Hunting -- They were reputed to be able to find treasure by various spells. The famous Casanova once set himself up as a cunning man -- albeit a somewhat upmarket one -- and claimed to be able to find treasure by magical means.

Fortune telling -- They would predict the future using a variety of possible methods ranging from astrology to crystal gazing.

Love Magic -- Obviously this was a popular service! They also offered love spells and potions.

For more information, visit Owen Davies' site here: CunningFolk

Sources:

Wikipedia
Davies, Owen, Cunning-Folk: Popular Magic in English History, Hambledon and London, 2003.