One of the more bizarre consequences of the English Civil War of 1642-46 was the elevation to celebrity status of a ‘dog-witch’ named Boy. The loyal companion of King Charles I's nephew, Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Boy, like his master, was held to possess supernatural powers and was frequently portrayed in the popular literature of the day as a ‘devil’, as a witch or as a witch's familiar spirit. Some measure of the interest which Boy aroused among contemporaries may be gleaned from the fact that no fewer than five separate images of him were produced for public consumption between 1643 and 1 ... More

One of the more bizarre consequences of the English Civil War of 1642-46 was the elevation to celebrity status of a ‘dog-witch’ named Boy. The loyal companion of King Charles I's nephew, Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Boy, like his master, was held to possess supernatural powers and was frequently portrayed in the popular literature of the day as a ‘devil’, as a witch or as a witch's familiar spirit. Some measure of the interest which Boy aroused among contemporaries may be gleaned from the fact that no fewer than five separate images of him were produced for public consumption between 1643 and 1644. Many previous scholars have remarked upon the fantastical rumours which circulated about Prince Rupert and his dog, but no one has ever investigated the origins of these rumours or explored how the supernatural elements of the prince's public image developed over time. This book sets out to uncover the true story of Boy – and in the process to shed new light on the fascinating series of collisions and interactions which took place between traditional witch-belief and Royalist and Parliamentarian polemic during the troubled 1640s. [190 words]