Fabulous Folklore: The Knockers of Cornwall

Beneath the sacred lands of Cornwall and Devon are said to be small, gnome-like creatures called Knockers. They are said to wear mining outfits, stand at roughly 2ft tall, and commit all kinds of mischief - namely stealing miners’ food.

It is said that miners’ wives would mark their husbands’ pasties with their initials, not just for identification, but for the Knockers to be able to credit the miner for giving them food. For those who don’t know what a pasty is, it’s a savoury, shortcrust, semi-circular pie traditionally filled with beef, potato and vegetables and associated mainly with the West Country. They are available all over the U.K. and come with a variety of fillings.

The Knockers got their name from the rapping and knocking noises heard by the miners. The Knockers were not viewed as negative - it was believed that they led the miners towards areas that were rich with minerals. It was also believed that the presence of Knockers meant safety; so staying on the good side of the Knockers was imperative. The miners would do this in a number of ways, including making the offering of their last bit of pasty to the Knockers by casting it into the mine.

I suspect the Doozers in the TV series Fraggle Rock were inspired by the legend of Knockers as St Anthony Lighthouse in Cornwall was the setting. My late Father-in-Law also called the house he built in Cornwall “Fraggle Rock” so as a family we have a particular love for this show and all things related.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Cornish Piskies

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Elves

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Hurlers on Bodmin Moor

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Tomte

Fabulous Folklore: Place Names

What’s in a name?

Generally old place names were formed from Old English words that were descriptive of the landscape that a settlement sat in, or designed so that people would know what they could find there - for example Blacksmith’s Lane, Bakery Road.

They can reflect old myths and superstitions; for example Nicker Hill, in Keyworth, “nicker” being an old name for a mythical river monster.

Some road names carry a darker reference to the past. For example Gallows Hill in Lancaster. This name refers to the place where the so-called Pendle Witches were executed, a group of people who were tried in 1612 for the murders of 10 people supposedly by witchcraft.

Locally, seven women were burnt on Woman’s Lane in nearby Leicester for supposedly bewitching a thirteen year old boy; but a quick search has revealed that this name has since been changed.

There are some interesting road names in the U.K: Ghost House Lane (Nottinghamshire), Blood Hill (Suffolk), Black Cat Drive (Northamptonshire), Witches Walk (Somerset), Bats Lane (Dorset), Broomstick Lane (Buckinghamshire), Ducking Stool Court (Essex).

I was always curious about a road named in the next village, Panter’s Lane. After doing some research I found out that Panter is an old Scottish and English (mainly Northamptonshire) word for a servant in charge of the supply of bread and other provisions in a monastery or large household. This makes sense as this village dates back to the Middle Ages, and there were two main families of note, presumably with large dwellings, that would have employed the service of others in the village.

Do you live on an interestingly named road? What’s the best road name you’ve ever seen?

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Door Knockers

Fabulous Folklore: Stonehenge

There are many myths and legends surrounding Stonehenge, with many of these stories attempting to explain its origin. Most of these stories involve the devil, gods, giants or wizards. One such tale tells of giants holding hands, dancing in a circle on Salisbury Plain, before being turned to stone.

Another yarn describes the Devil disguising himself as a man to broker a deal with an old Irish lady who owned the stones. In return for them, he agreed to give her as a any gold coins as she could count before he finished moving them. She thought she was on to a winner with the time it would take to do this, but the Devil cheated the old woman out of a princely sum by using his powers to instantly move the stones to England, the site of Stonehenge.

After the Devil created Stonehenge he claimed that no-one could successfully count the number of stones. The antiquarian William Stukeley was quite fascinated by this story; he managed to count to 140 before stating:

"Behold the solution of the mighty problem, the magical spell is broke, which has so long perplexed the vulgar. They think 'tis an ominous thing to count the true number of the stones and whoever does so, shall certainly die after it."

Other folklore states that Merlin brought the stones over from Ireland to mark the graves of British nobles slaughtered by the Saxons and erected them on Salisbury Plain using magick.

What stories have you heard?

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Silbury Hill

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Ring Stone at Avebury

NEXT - Personal Magick: My Beltane Handfasting

Fabulous Folklore: Silbury Hill

Silbury Hill, located a stone’s throw from West Kennet Long Barrow, is the largest artificial, prehistoric mound in Europe. It is believed to have been built sometime between 2470 and 2350 BC; making it around 4,400 years old. Its purpose to the Neolithic people who built it unknown and no burial has ever been found inside. It is comparative in volume and size to the Egyptian pyramids.

The Romans built a settlement around the base of the mound, with a road running past it, and a structure may have been built on the top during the medieval period.

Unfortunately, due to three excavations that were not properly handled between 1776 and 1970, a 14 metre crater opened on the summit in May 2000. It was made off-limits to the public, and only a few people were allowed to access the mound due to safety concerns, including my late friend Terry, the Arch Druid of Avebury, who would go up there to work the energies. It was filled with polystyrene before further research was carried out around 2007. Eventually it was filled with chalk. The summit is still officially off-limits, but you can walk around the base of the hill.

Folklore says that it is the resting place of King Sil, who lies beneath the mound, with the hill encasing a life-sized gold statue of him astride his horse.

It was also said that the Devil created the mound. He was on his way to Marlborough to bury it under a heap of earth when he met a cobbler carrying a bag of worn out shoes. The Devil, who never seems to quite know what he’s doing when it comes to these schemes, asked the cobbler how far it was to Marlborough. The clever cobbler replied that it was so far away he’d worn out all the shoes trying to reach it. Dismayed, the Devil just dropped the earth where he stood, creating Silbury Hill.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Nine Ladies Stone Circle

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Ring Stone at Avebury

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Major Oak

Fabulous Folklore: Hecate on the Hell Staircase

This blurry image is Hecate and is part of a huge mural at Burghley House, Stamford, Lincolnshire. The mural covers the ceiling of what is known as the Hell Staircase, and was the last commission of Antonio Verrio (1636-1707), a Baroque mural painter who served the Crown over a thirty year period.

The impressive staircase portrays Hell as a fiery, gaping mouth of a huge cat. Spilling from its mouth are tormented souls, and there is an appearance from the Grim Reaper, who grapples his scythe. There is an equally beautiful Heaven Room, where gods and goddesses from ancient mythology mingle and socialise. It is here that we learn of Venus and Mars’ adultery.

I love that Hecate was included in the Hell ceiling mural.  She was a Titan goddess of great honour in Ancient Greek religion; presiding over sorcery and spells. She was associated with crossroads, light, necromancy, the Moon, ghosts and Witchcraft; amongst other things. She witnessed the abduction of Persephone to the Underworld and searched for her. It is hard to know what she is doing in the mural, but she seems to be pointing the way.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Bees
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Knockers of Cornwall
NEXT - Moon Magick: New Moon in Aquarius

Fabulous Folklore: Neptune - God of The Sea & Freshwater

This is Neptune’s Grotto at Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire. The Romans celebrated Neptune as the god of freshwater, and of the sea. It was thought that Neptune was associated with freshwater springs long before he became associated with the ocean. He was appropriated from his Greek pantheon counterpart, Poseidon, ruler of the seas.

Neptune only had one temple in Rome, situated near the Circus Flaminius, a Roman racetrack. Like Poseidon, Neptune was worshipped as a god of horses. They were said to pull the chariot he travelled in over the sea. Neptune was one of only four Roman gods to whom it was considered appropriate to sacrifice a bull. The others were Apollo, Jupiter and Mars.

Neptune was often described as a tall, white-bearded figure who carried a trident. The Romans celebrated him on Neptunalia, the festival of Neptune, on July 23rd. He was petitioned in times of drought and heat. Ironically, and rather coincidentally, we visited this grotto within a few days of this date; in the height of a heatwave.

Fabulous Folklore: Stanton Tower

High on Stanton Moor, a stone’s throw from the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, and so high that you can actually walk underneath it during the fully bloomed season of summer without seeing it, lies Stanton Tower; also known as the Reform Tower, or Earl Grey Tower.

With all the barrows and standing stones of Stanton Moor you would expect this tower, in all of its atmospheric glory, to have a “witchier” background than being dedicated to UK politics, but it has an interesting and important history nonetheless.

It was built in 1832 by William Pole Thornhill to commemorate Earl Grey, a politician who successfully campaigned in the early 19th century to reform parliament. Thornhill was a Whig ~ a political faction that opposed absolute monarchy ~ who believe that parliament should be reformed to get rid of rotten boroughs, and to allow more men to vote. (Unfortunately at this stage women were excluded from the electorate. 1832 saw the first petition on women's suffrage presented to Parliament.)

Thornhill had the tower built where it was visible from the Duke of Rutland’s estate (whose other seat was Belvoir - see my Witches of Belvoir post); the Duke of Rutland being Earl Grey’s Tory rival.

It was dedicated to The Representation of the People Act, also known as the Great Reform Act, which was finally passed into law on the third attempt. There are also a number of large stones on the moor carved with dates and insignia that the Thornhill family had carved to commemorate several people, for reasons unknown.

If you haven't been already, Stanton Moor is well worth a visit.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Duloe Stone Circle 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Nine Ladies Stone Circle 

Fabulous Folklore: Merlin’s Cave

This is Merlin’s Cave on the beach below Merlin’s Castle in Tintagel, Cornwall. This incredible cave is 100m long and you can walk all the way through it. It was formed by sea erosion as it fills with water at high tide.

Legend has it that this cave was once home to Merlin.

Merlin was a fictional character in the Celtic Arthurian mythology stories. He was a wiseman and wizard. He was birthed by a normal woman, having been sired by an incubus, which is where he was said to get his mystical powers and abilities. Later, using magic, he engineered the birth of King Arthur. He served as King Arthur’s advisor, until becoming infatuated with, and later killed by, the Lady of the Lake.

Whilst the cave is impressive in its own right, and was made famous in the Arthurian legends, the cave became even more notorious following the publication of Tennyson’s poems. His “Idylls of the King” (1859-1885) was a series of poems telling the stories of King Arthur, and told of Arthur being washed ashore as an infant; only to be found by Merlin:

“They found a naked child upon the sands

Of dark Tintagil by the Cornish sea; 

And that was Arthur; and they fostered him 

Till he by miracle was approven King.”

Have you been to this cave? Or perhaps another that took your breath away?

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Celtic Cross

Fabulous Folklore: The Crooked House

This is The Crooked House in Lavenham, Suffolk. It dates back to 1395, and it is believed that it is the inspiration behind the old folk poem:

“There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all liv’d together in a little crooked house.”

The Crooked House has been used as a gallery and by an arts, history and antiques outfit. It is also used for filming and events.

I don’t live in Suffolk any more, but I really miss visiting Lavenham. It is considered to be Britain’s best preserved medieval village, and was East Anglia’s most famous wool town. As such, tiny Lavenham was once Britain’s 14th richest town, and among the twenty most wealthy settlements in the medieval period. Lavenham has a rich cultural heritage, and is known worldwide as a film location for Harry Potter.

There are other beautiful buildings to see here - the Guildhall, Molet House (which has a five pointed star in the doorway), and the Old Grammar School. De Vere House, another incredible building, was the home of Elizabeth Scrope, Countess of Oxford. She was the second wife of John de Vere, 13th earl of Oxford, and was tried and then held under house arrest for Witchcraft in 1473.

Would you live in this house? What’s your favourite place to visit?

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Place Names 

Fabulous Folklore: King Doniert’s Stone

Trigger warning: drowning

This is King Doniert’s Stone located in St. Cleer, Cornwall, and dates to the late 9th Century. It’s actually the granite base of what would have been a Celtic cross. The Stone is believed to have been a memorial to Doniert, the last (known) recorded king of Cornwall.

On the side is a Latin inscription “Doniert rogavit pro anima” which means “Doniert has begged prayers for his soul.”

It is believed that King Doniert is actually King Dungarth, the King of Dumnonia. Dumnonia was the kingdom named after the Dumnonii, a British Celtic tribe living in the south west at the time of the Roman invasion.

King Doniert is believed to have drowned around AD 875 in the River Fowey, at nearby Golitha Falls. Some suggest that this wasn’t an accident, and that this was punishment for King Doniert collaborating with the Vikings against the Saxons.

There is another stone next to Doniert’s Stone known as The Other Half Stone, which I will share later.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Merlin's Cave

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Ring Stone at Avebury

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Hurlers on Bodmin Moor

Fabulous Folklore: Cornish Piskies

This picture is a photograph of part of a painting at the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall. It was probably painted in the 1960s, and features a group of Cornish piskies.

It gives us a visual glimpse into the nature of Piskies. They are small, merry, unexpected, mischievous, playful, ageless, mythical creatures - often associated with death. They are found on moorland areas of Devon and Cornwall, and around ancient sites such stone circles, barrows and dolmen. They are considered “in between” - neither cursed nor blessed.

Their name changes depending on region. In Cornwall they’re known as piskay, pigsy, piskey, or piskie. In Devon they are known as pixies, pixy, or piscy.

The nature of these creatures also varies from county to county. In some places they are mischievous, in some places they are friendly and benign, and in others they are more devious and cunning. They are known to lead travellers astray on the moors, getting them lost, which is known as being pixy-led.

Pixie mythology is localised to Britain, in particular to Devon and Cornwall. They have been likened to the elves of Germany and Scandinavia, including the Tomte, which I wrote about earlier, but they are distinguished from them. They are different to fairies/elves, and in some British folklore pixies have battled the fairy folk. 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Cornish Piskies

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Elves

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Fairy Rings 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Merlin's Cave

Fabulous Folklore: Waverley Abbey

At the weekend we travelled back home and visited one of my favourite places; Waverley Abbey, Farnham, Surrey.

It is in a beautiful spot situated by the River Wey. It was the first monastery in Britain to be built by the reforming Cistercian religious order; a group of French monks settling here in 1128. The monks valued hard, physical work as part of their devotions, building a series of medieval bridges along the River Wey from the Abbey to nearby Guildford.

There is ample archaeological evidence to show that the river has attracted human settlement in this area for thousands of years, and it certainly holds a strong pull for me. It is only ruins now, but I’m amazed that what has survived has done so at all. It was my thinking place when I lived just down the road. Many a lazy afternoon, many a book read, and many a picnic has happened here.

It has been featured in several films: Elizabeth (1998), Into the Woods (2014), Hot Fuzz (2007), and my personal favourite, the post-apocalyptic zombie film 28 Days Later (2002).

Around the corner is an ancient spring (that supplied Waverley Abbey), and a cave that is the alleged home of the Surrey Witch, which I’ll share with you a bit later.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Mother Ludlam's Cave & The Cauldron

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Rats Castle 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore - The Celtic Cross 

Simple Magick: Experiencing the Land Wights

I’ve spoken before about land wights, the unique spirits that reside in natural things such as mineral, animal, herb, rock, plant, and stone. Collectively they form the genius loci, the spirit of a place.

Land wights are definitely the spirits that communicate with me most, and something which has developed as I have got older. I felt an instant connection to this place when I moved here ~ a later DNA test would reveal to me that many of my ancestors actually came from this area ~ and the longer I have spent time treading the land, the more information the land wights have passed to me.

It begun as information about the landscape, and moved on to the identification of plants. My plant knowledge has always been quite good, but it has sped up since I moved here. I feel like the land ~ the spirits residing within the land ~ are slowly revealing themselves to me, furthering my knowledge. They will say “I am an X” and when I go home and research, I find they are right.

It’s not just the identification of plants, it’s also their personalities. I get a certain feeling when I approach, spend time with, think about, or use a plant. These are distinct feelings or emotions that I simply have no human words for. They are very specific, and differ hugely from plant to plant. I suppose you could say it is their “essence”.

There is clearly more work to be done with this. There are hundreds of plants yet to be identified, and personalities to understand; and that’s before we get into the realm of using them magickally. What’s interesting is that as someone who has terrible cognitive issues ~ especially a terrible memory ~ one thing I CAN remember is the names of all these friends.

Have you ever felt instantly connected to a place? Did it reveal its secrets to you? Have you experienced what I am?

NEXT - Simple Magick: 9 Uses For Graveyard Dirt
NEXT - Simple Magick: Horse Brasses
NEXT - Natural Remedies: Stinging Nettle & Rosemary Hair Rinse

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Foxgloves

Fabulous Folklore: Lyddington Bede House

One of the amazing places near me is Lyddington Bede House. I’ve been wanting to share this place with you all for a while as it has an amazing energy surrounding it.

It is set in the incredibly beautiful ironstone village of Lyddington, and was originally the wing of a palace belonging to the Bishops of Lincoln. By 1600 it had passed to Sir Thomas Cecil, son of Queen Elizabeth’s chief minister, who converted it into an almshouse.

This almshouse - also known as a bedehouse, poorhouse or hospital - was created for 12 poor ‘bedesmen’ over 30 years old, and two bedeswomen over 45 years old, “all free of lunacy, leprosy or the pox”. It served as an almshouse until 1930.

Almshouses were established from the 10th century in Britain as extensions of the church system, and were later adapted by local authorities. They were designed to provide residence for poor, old or distressed people, such as elderly widows who could no longer pay rent.

Bede is the Anglo-Saxon word for prayer, and the bedesmen and bedeswomen were obliged to pray for the founder of the almshouse. The oldest almshouse in existence is the Hospital of St. Cross in Winchester (1132), and the first recorded almshouse was established in York, by King Athelstan.

Do you have a place near you that gives you the chills (good or bad)? 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Jacob's Well 
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Friday 13th