Stars, sieves and stories

This digital exhibition was created by Dr Martha McGill and Dr Imogen Knox at the University of Warwick

This exhibition explores divination in Britain in the early modern period – that is, between about 1500 and 1750. Divination was the practice of seeking hidden knowledge by reading patterns in the natural world or invoking the aid of supernatural powers. Divinatory methods typically predicted the future. They might also discover other secrets, such as the location of lost or stolen items. The exhibition presents a variety of methods – many of which you can try out yourself – and tells the stories of some early modern diviners and their clients.