New Forest coven
Founded | 1939 |
---|---|
Founders | |
Services | Witchcraft |
The New Forest coven were an alleged group of pagan witches who met around the area of the New Forest in southern England during the early 20th century. According to his own claims, in September 1939, a British occultist named Gerald Gardner was initiated into the coven and subsequently used its beliefs and practices as a basis from which he formed the tradition of Gardnerian Wicca. Gardner described some of his experiences with the coven in his published books Witchcraft Today (1954) and The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959) although on the whole revealed little about it, saying he was respecting the privacy of its members. Meanwhile, another occultist, Louis Wilkinson, corroborated Gardner's claims by revealing in an interview with the writer Francis X. King that he too had encountered the coven and expanded on some of the information that Gardner had provided about them.[1] According to Gardner, the faith they followed was the Witch-Cult, a supposed pagan religion that had survived in secret after the Christianization of Europe. This was in keeping with the now-discredited theories of Margaret Murray and her supporters.
As Wicca developed in the latter decades of the twentieth century, some of the figures who were researching its origins, such as
History
Origins
Gerald Gardner claimed that the New Forest coven was a survival of the
Instead, it has been proposed that the New Forest coven had been founded in the early twentieth century by various occultists who wished to 'resurrect' the hypothetical Witch-Cult as described in Murray's works. Philip Heselton (2003), who performed the most exhaustive research into the group, speculated that the coven had been formed by a woman named Rosamund Sabine, who prior to moving to the New Forest in 1924 had been involved in various esoteric groups like the
A different origin theory was put forward by Steve Wilson (1996), who speculated that the coven might have been founded by members of a scouting organisation, the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry.[12] Heselton accepted similarities between the Order and the coven, but did not believe that there was any direct connection.[13]
Gerald Gardner's Involvement
- They seemed rather brow-beaten by the others, kept themselves to themselves. They were the most interesting element, however. Unlike many of the others, they had to earn their livings, were cheerful and optimistic and had a real interest in the occult.[16]
This group claimed to have known Gardner from a past life, and in September 1939, revealed to him that they were members of a Witches' coven, and then initiated him into Wicca in a ritual which took place in one of the homes owned by Dorothy Clutterbuck.[17]
Operation Cone of Power
Gardner would reveal little about the coven and its members, although claimed that in August 1940, during the midst of the
Coven members
According to Gardner, his first contact with the witches was through an inner group within the
The Mason family
The Mason family, researched by Heselton, lived in Southampton for a period of over 150 years. One of Heselton's informants described Ernie in particular and the family in general, as 'witches', adding that Ernie, who he had known for several years, had had to give up because he found the rituals too strenuous.
Edith Woodford-Grimes
The priestess who initiated Gardner into witchcraft was referred to as "Dafo" or "Daffo".[22] She taught music and elocution, and her daughter married a dentist;[23] these and other details identify her as Edith Rose Woodford-Grimes.[5] She lived in the same street as the Mason family between 1922 and 1937, when they were heavily involved in esoteric activities. By 1938 she was living in Christchurch near the Rosicrucian theatre, and was an active member. In August 1940, at her daughter's wedding, the bride was given away by Gerald Gardner, who was described as a "close friend". Edith remained a close friend of Gardner's for the rest of his life.[5]
See also
- Ashrama Hall and Christchurch Garden Theatre
- Neopagan witchcraft
- Wiccan organisation
References
- Footnotes
- ^ King 1970.
- ^ Kelly 1991.
- ^ Ruickbie 2004.
- ^ Hutton 1999. p 207.
- ^ a b c d e f Heselton 2000.
- ^ Heselton 2003.
- ^ Hutton, Ronald (2017). The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present. Yale University Press. p. 121.
- ^ Hutton 1999. p. 207.
- ^ Heselton 2003. p. 385.
- ^ "My Experiences, the Craft and its Mysteries". Llyn Annwn : Blog of Vikki Bramshaw. 2 September 2017. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ Stanton, David (Summer 2001). "Issue 1". Hengistbury Head Times.
- ^ Wilson 1996.
- ^ Heselton 2000. pp. 298–299.
- ^ Bracelin 1960. pp. 164–166.
- ^ Heselton 2000. pp. 100–112.
- ^ Bracelin 1960. p. 164.
- ^ Bracelin 1960. pp. 164–165.
- ^ Bracelin 1960. pp. 166–167.
- ^ Heselton 2000. pp. 244–250.
- ^ Magliocco 2004.
- ^ Glass 1965.
- ^ Johns 1969.
- ^ Valiente 1989.
- Bibliography
- Bracelin, Jack (1960). Gerald Gardner: Witch. London: Octagon Press.
- ISBN 1-86163-110-3.
- ISBN 1-86163-164-2.
- ISBN 0-19-820744-1.
- Glass, Justine (1965). Witchcraft, the Sixth Sense – and Us. London: Neville Spearman.
- ISBN 0-7090-7567-7.
- Johns, June (1969). King of the Witches: The World of Alex Sanders. London: Peter Davies. ISBN 0-432-07675-1.
- ISBN 0-87542-370-1.
- ISBN 0-85435-400-X.
- ISBN 0-8122-1879-5.
- ISBN 0-7090-3715-5.
- Wilson, Steve (1996). "Woodcrafting the Art of Magic". Aisling. No. 8.