William Henry Paynter
William Henry Paynter (1901-1976) was a
Paynter was born in
Paynter was a prolific Cornish writer and published a large number of articles on his findings, which are a vital record of the survival of witch beliefs and practices into the early decades of the twentieth century. He also wrote a book on witchcraft in Cornwall, for which he was unable to find a publisher in his lifetime. As well as witches, Paynter also researched the wider folk beliefs and practices of the Cornish and produced articles on
On account of his historical work, Paynter was familiar figure on Westcountry television and radio. Paynter was also a founder member of the Callington
In 1959 Paynter set up The Cornish Museum at
Presumed lost in the years since William Henry Paynter's death 40 years ago, his manuscript work on Cornish witchcraft and folk magic was recovered in 2009 and became available for study for the first time. The manuscript was published in book form in 2016.
Sources
- Paynter, William H. & Semmens, Jason (2008) The Cornish Witch-finder - William Henry Paynter and the Witchery, Ghosts, Charms and Folklore of Cornwall. St. Agnes: ISBN 978-0-902660-39-7
- Paynter, William H. (2016) ″Cornish Witchcraft - The Confessions of a Cornish Witch-finder″. Liskeard: Privately Printed. ISBN 978-0-95-468393-1
- Semmens, Jason. "Whyler Pystry": A Breviate of the Life and Folklore-Collecting Practices of William Henry Paynter (1901–1976) of Callington, Cornwall in Folklore 116, No. 1 (2005), pp. 75–94.
- Semmens, Jason. "Tales of Cornish Witches." Old Cornwall 13, No. 7 (2006), pp. 22–27.
- Semmens, Jason. "Further Tales of Cornish Witches.” Old Cornwall 14, No. 4 (2011) pp. 53–66.