The south of England has always been a place steeped in folklore and mystery. From its ancient standing stones to its rolling hills and misty woods, this is where the old stories live on. But among the tales of kings and battles, there is another, more secretive history—that of the witch.
According to folklorist Kathleen Wiltshire, witches in this area were considered particularly dangerous to horses, riding them out to secret coven meetings and tangling their manes into impossible knots. This fear gave rise to countless local legends, from a farmer who was convinced a witch was taking the shape of a hare to a mob who chased a witch up a chimney, only to have her burning nightdress fall onto the thatch below.
The fear of witches was not just confined to folklore; it was a societal panic. By the 1600s, after King James came to the throne, the Witchcraft Act was tightened, leading to the persecution and execution of hundreds of innocent women. One notable case occurred in Malmesbury, where two women, Anne Tilling and Judith Whitchell, were convicted of witchcraft on the basis of coerced confessions after being accused of trying to harm a child. In Devon, the last executions for witchcraft in England occurred in 1682, with three women from the town of Biddeford. Their confessions, almost certainly extracted through duress, led to their deaths and their bodies being dumped in unconsecrated ground.
Yet, not all who practiced magic were feared witches. There were also the "cunning folk," men and women skilled in astrology, herbal remedies, and divination. Unlike accused witches, they operated within a Christian framework and were often sought out to remove curses and find lost items. Anne Boddenham, a cunning woman from Fisherton, was said to have been able to cure almost any disease. However, even the cunning folk were not immune from persecution. Anne was arrested after she was accused by a woman on trial for murder, and her mentor, John Lamb, was stoned to death by an angry London mob.
The New Forest Coven and the Birth of Modern Wicca
While the witch trials faded into history, a new form of witchcraft was being born right here in Wessex. In the 1920s, a small group of esoteric thinkers known as the Crotona Fellowship met in Christchurch, a town between Bournemouth and the New Forest. Marinating in the popular "witch-cult hypothesis" of the time, which proposed that witch trials were a campaign against a surviving pagan religion, this small group would become known as the New Forest Coven. Though its true existence is debated by historians, it was this group that would inspire Gerald Gardner, the father of modern witchcraft.
Gardner used his supposed initiation into the coven as a claim to lineage and legitimacy for his new religion, Wicca. His closest associates, including elocution teacher Edith "Dafoe" Woodward Grimes and writer Doreen Valiante, helped him to create much of the rituals and liturgy that make up modern Wicca today. In a rebuilt 16th-century house in Brickett Wood, a small nudist colony, the first true Wiccan coven was formed. They experimented with binding, scourging, dancing, and seasonal festivals that became the "wheel of the year" we all know today.
As Wicca grew, Gardner became obsessed with publicity, which led to a rift with his priestesses who wanted to keep a low profile. Doreen Valiante, in particular, grew tired of his antics and left the coven, instead choosing to promote magic through her writing, believing that it was for all, "as nature is for all."
Other notable figures also played a part in the story of witchcraft in Wessex. Cecil Williamson, a collector of occult artifacts who had worked for MI6, attempted to open several witchcraft museums, only to be met with persecution and hostility. He finally succeeded in 1960, creating the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall, a place that remains a major site of interest for occultists today.
Meanwhile, in the New Forest, Sybil Leek became known as "Britain's most famous witch." With her jackdaw familiar, Hotfoot Jackson, perched on her shoulder, Sybil was a tourist attraction in the 1950s and '60s. She claimed to have learned her craft from Romany communities in the area and, like Williamson, was said to have worked for the Secret Service. Though she eventually left for America after being accused of being a fraud, she became a prolific author and psychic.
In recent years, paganism has seen a significant increase in popularity. The 2021 census revealed that nearly 100,000 people in England identify as pagan, and festivals at sites like Glastonbury and Stonehenge have become a unique part of British culture. This rise in acceptance has allowed practitioners to be more open about their beliefs, a stark contrast to the historical persecution faced by their predecessors. The next time you're wandering the wide chalk downlands of the south and come across a circle of people, you can rest assured that they are simply enjoying a spiritual connection to the nature that has inspired witches for generations.