“Witches – so that’s the 17th century?” It is a natural assumption; after all, the trials and persecutions of that period are large in popular consciousness when it comes to witchcraft. Today’s delve into the library, however, highlights the timeless nature of the witch. We visit the quiet Warwickshire village of Lower Quinton, where the readiness …
Death by Witchcraft? Charles Walton and the Witchcraft Murder Read More »
Today we take a hop across to the Channel Islands to visit the famous fairy ring at Pleinmont, Guernsey. This fascinating feature consists of a circular ditch surrounding a flat grassy area in the middle, the whole contained by a ring of stones. Located at Pezeriez Point, the south-western tip of the Island, it is …
Fairy Ring or Ancient Picnic Table? La Table Des Pions, Guernsey Read More »
Witches are often associated with the sea, and today we take a trip to windswept Cornwall to hear tales of the fearful Witch of Fraddam who to this day, it is said, still torments those who stray far from the shore. The Village of Fraddam lies eight miles Northeast of Penzance, and nowadays …
The Witch of Fraddam – The Most Powerful Sorceress of the West Country Read More »
With a glass of wine and the sound of bird song on a glorious summer evening, the world of 16th Century Essex could not feel further away. Turning to the dusty tome before me however, the story of Agnes Waterhouse beckons; the sixty-four year old witch from Hatfield Peverel, the first woman to be executed …
Interesting Individuals: Agnes Waterhouse – The First Witch Hanged in England Read More »
A delve into the library today turned up this fascinating object – the toadstone. These much-sought after “jewels” were actually the fossilized teeth of a of ray-finned fish called lepidotes. Possibly so called because they resembled the dull colouring of toads, they were credited with magical properties as early as the first century, where they …
Neither Toad Nor Stone – The Mystery of the Toadstone. Read More »
Today we take a trip to the village of Milton in Bedfordshire at the start of the 17th Century. The close-knit nature of village life meant that tensions often ran high, a fact made painfully evident in the case of Mother and Mary Sutton, two hog tenders accused of bewitching horses and cattle, paralysing a …
From Hogs to Hanging: The Story of Mother and Mary Sutton Read More »
Present in literature and trial reports from the 16th century onward, a devil mark was the physical sign of a witch’s contract with the devil. Often confused with “Witch marks” (physical abnormalities on the body such as an extra nipple or teat), the presence of a devil mark or seal was a popular way of …
Century-hopping this morning, with the sad tale of Petronilla de Meath. The maid servant of Dame Alice Kyteler, Petronilla bears the dubious honour of being the first known case of death by fire for heresy in Ireland. Place setting for Petronilla de Meath from Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party © Judy Chicago. Photograph by Jook Leung …
As usual, when researching something else entirely, I came across this fascinating item – a witch bottle. Used as a form of counter magic, they were believed to release the owner from the power of the witch who had “overlooked” them, and were most popular during the 16th and 17thCenturies. Made of stoneware or glass, …
Often credited with being the last person convicted of Witchcraft in England, Jane Wenham fit the stereotypical image of a witch – old, living alone, with very little in the way of money or possessions. She had, by all accounts, lived in the village of Walkern for most of her life, but in 1712, events …
