Discovery Map
Joan Wytte's Grave and Minster Church
Joan Wytte's Grave and Minster Church
(Legend 1 of 25)
For many years, the skeleton of the 'Fighting Fairy Woman of Bodmin', Joan Wytte, was displayed in the Museum of Witchcraft. The bones were held together by wires, and hung in a coffin, with the lid held open with two strong pieces of rope. One night, both pieces of rope suddenly broke, and the coffin lid crashed shut. Museum staff felt that these were signs that Joan was unhappy that her remains were on display. So on Halloween in 1998 Joan was buried in a beautiful spot near Minster Church in the woods above Boscastle.
She was placed in a woven wicker casket, together with some magical herbs to ease her journey. She was also buried with some of her favourite things - a clay pipe, some tobacco, and a small bottle of brandy.
Do you think it was right to rebury Joan? Should her remains have been kept and studied?
St. Nectan's Glen & Rocky Valley
St. Nectan's Glen & Rocky Valley
(Legend 2 of 25)
St. Nectan's Glen is a peaceful valley of ancient woodland rising up to an incredible 60ft waterfall. Here you can see the spectacular St. Nectan's Kieve (or basin). The river flows down to the sea through a splendid series of pools known as Rocky Valley. Behind the ruins of Trewethett Mill, you can also see some fascinating carved labyrinths of unknown date.
It is an area rich in folklore. It is thought that the sixth century St. Nectan built his hermitage above the Kieve, and when the weather was bad, he rang a silver bell which could be heard by sailors out at sea to warn them of storms and shipwreck.
When you visit the glen and kieve, you may see fallen trees with coins driven into them. We don't know exactly what this means - people have been spontaneously doing it for decades. They may be offerings to spirits or deities, requests for intercession, or signs of respect.
In the Museum of Witchcraft we have lots of coins that were used in folk magic. Bending coins and wearing holed coins around your neck has long been associated with good luck. These fishing floats are stuck with coins too. It is thought that fishermen did this to inform the god of the sea that they were willing to pay for their catch. If the coin disappeared, then they believed Neptune had taken it in payment for the fish. Ideally a silver coin was best, but one with lots of holes (like this one) was thought to be good too.
Tell us about your 'coin' traditions... we'd like to put them in the Museum!
By the river in St. Teath
By the river in St. Teath
(Legend 3 of 25)
Ann Jeffries was born in 1626. She became a serving girl aged nineteen. She would work during the day but it is said that when she wasn't working and during evenings and on moonlit nights, she would wander by the river amid the ferns and the foxgloves and sing,
"Fairy fair and fairy bright;
Come and be my chosen sprite."
Or "Moon shines bright, waters run clear, I am here, but where's my fairy dear?"
Ann was calling out to the fairies and they seem to have heard her call. One day while sitting in the garden, she was whisked off to fairyland where she lived for a long time and had many marvellous experiences. One day she woke up
and found she was still sitting in the garden and that everyone was worrying about her. She believed that she had been to fairyland but everyone else maintained that she was having a convulsion or an epileptic having a fit.
Ann Jeffries was later persecuted by the authorities as a witch and admired by many as a healer. It was said that while she was in prison, she was denied food but that the fairies fed her. There are lots of accounts and legends of her life. She died in 1698.
What do you think fairies and fairyland are like?
Rough Tor & Bodmin Moor Logan Stones
Rough Tor & Bodmin Moor Logan Stones
(Legend 4 of 25)
There are lots of different accounts of how people became witches and where they got their power from. From 1400 on it was commonly held that witches got their power from a pact with the Devil - something of the sort may be happening in this wonderful picture by Robert Lenkiewicz in the Museum collection.
Other people believed that witchcraft was hereditary and whole families were sometimes accused or a daughter was accused of witchcraft "because her mother had been a known witch". There are even folk tales of the witch's power passing from one person to another through their possessions, e.g. someone inherits some books or a well loved pet from a witch and they then also take on the powers of the witch. There were other ways to become a witch, such as this account from Ely in 1647 which tells of "how any man might come to be a witch":
"When a man came to the sacrament let him take the bread and keepe it in his hand and after yt hath drunke the wine to goe out with the bread in his hand and pisse gently against the church wall, at which time he shall finde something like a toade or frogge gapeing to receive the said bread. After yt the party should come to the knowledge of how to be a witch."
One alleged way to become a witch in Cornwall was to visit a logan stone. These are stones that rock when you stand on them. It is said that if a woman rocks on one of these nine times at midnight then she will become a witch!
Many modern witches believe that magical power comes from achieving harmony with the natural world, and regard sacred and wild places like Rough Tor as sources of power and wisdom.
(If visiting this site please plan your route carefully - Bodmin Moor is very isolated)
Do you believe in magic? Where do you think it comes from?
St. Clether Holy Well
St. Clether Holy Well
(Legend 5 of 25)
This chapel is widely regarded as one of the most intact examples of an ancient holy well. The use of the site may date back to pre-Christian, Celtic traditions, the Chapel building was a Christian site of worship and dates from the Medieval period and was restored from a ruin in the nineteenth century.
The water which collects in the upper wellhouse runs through the chapel and underneath the altar and then comes out on the other side of the Chapel in the lower well where it then flows downwards to join the river in the bottom of the valley.
It is quite likely that in the Middle Ages the relics of a Saint (their bones) were housed in the altar and the water ran over them. People would then collect the water as it exited the Chapel as it was believed to contain the miraculous power of the Saint. People would drink this water or bathe themselves in it.
The Christian Church in England officially ended their involvement in this sort of magical practice during the Reformation and the abolition of Saints' Cults in the 1500s.
Bones are still used for magic and have been believed to have healing qualities for centuries and the practice of using human bones continued despite the government and the Church's altered attitude to it. The use of human bone in
magic was so common that in 1604 it was made punishable by death. Placing a small bone in a wound was thought to stop it bleeding. “Powder made of men's joints” was used in spells to ease childbirth, and “powder from the skull of a
hanged robber” for epilepsy. Drinking water from a holy well out of a skull was a cure for many illnesses.
We have many skulls in the Museum collection, “Horrible - you say - fiddlesticks. The witch of gallows hill would soon demonstrate to you how you can from such things learn to acquire a moral strength - develop a state of
fearlessness and thereby gain a great peace of mind. All of which can be won simply by accepting and learning to live with the living dead." Quote from Museum founder, Cecil Williamson.
Are skulls "horrible"?
Egloskerry
Egloskerry
(Legend 6 of 25)
The stained glass in this Church is unusual in that it shows all Four Archangels of the Seasons and Directions - Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. It is unusual for Uriel to be depicted. Uriel is the Archangel charged with the continuance and health of the earth. Uriel is sometimes called the Angel of the Earth.
In the Museum, there is a dark scrying mirror made in accordance with the design in 'The Magus' (1801). The names of the four Archangels are engraved around the mirror. From the Middle Ages onwards magic mirrors and crystal balls were often mounted in frames inscribed with Words of Power. The four Archangels were considered particularly powerful spirits, and because they were linked with the four directions, using their names would surround the mirror with protective and powerful magical energy.
It was also thought that the sun, the moon and the five planets (known before the invention of the telescope) were each ruled by an Archangel: the Sun by Michael, the Moon by Gabriel, Mars by Samael, Mercury by Raphael, Jupiter by Sachiel, Venus by Anael, and Saturn by Cassiel.
Each planet was associated with a particular type of magic – Venus with love magic, for example, and Mars with magic connected with war or conflict – and spells and rituals would involve invoking the help of the planet's ruling Archangel.
'The Magus' was compiled by the English occultist Francis Barrett, drawing on earlier books of magic, in particular Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's 'Three Books of Occult Philosophy' (1509-10), and Pietro d'Abano's 'Heptameron' (1496). Barrett was eccentric but scholarly, and determined to preserve Europe's magical traditions, and ran courses on magic in London.
Angels are usually seen as Christian but here they are linked with pre-Christian deities and other beliefs that can't really be classed as Christian. Can you think of any other symbols or beings that are not limited to one set of beliefs?
Angels are usually seen as Christian but here they are linked with pre-Christian deities and other beliefs that can't really be classed as Christian. Can you think of any other symbols or beings that are not limited to one set of beliefs?
Pentacle on Lewannick Church Font
Pentacle on Lewannick Church Font
(Legend 7 of 25)
Today the Pentacle (or Pentagram) is particularly associated with Modern Witchcraft, but in fact it is a very ancient symbol.
It is sometimes referred to as the Seal of Solomon, because according to legend it was the symbol on the magic ring King Solomon used to drive out the demons that brought illness and misfortune to his people. During the Middle Ages it was a symbol of the five wounds of Christ, and also of the five virtues of chivalry – generosity, fellowship, courtesy, integrity and compassion.
For Modern Witches it represents the four elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water) and Spirit. Behind this symbolism is the belief that there is a creative spiritual energy pervading and connecting everything, with a natural tendency to promote life, health and wellbeing. We have many objects with pentacles on them in the Museum of Witchcraft and this one, from the Richel Collection, has a lovely rose in the centre.
Are you surprised to find a pentacle in a Christian Church?
Arthurian Cornwall: Dozmary Pool
Arthurian Cornwall: Dozmary Pool
(Legend 8 of 25)
There are so many places near the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle that are associated with King Arthur and the magical stories of his reign such as Tintagel Castle, Merlin's Cave and Slaughterbridge.
Off the beaten track however, on Bodmin Moor, there is Dozmary Pool. In local legend, this is the dwelling place of the Lady of the Lake, guardian of the sword Excalibur. After King Arthur was mortally wounded, Sir Bedevere returned Excalibur into this lake. The lake is said to be bottomless and to have a tunnel connecting it to the sea. Some modern Pagans make this a site of pilgrimage - they come to honour The Lady of the Lake. The image you see here is the sword of Gerald Gardner, the father of Modern Witchcraft.
Another local legend concerns Jan Tregeagle. Tregeagle is known as one of the most evil men ever to have lived and lots of Cornish legends tell of his wandering spirit and the punishments he received for his evil life. He is sometimes portrayed as a man of great wealth who make a pact with the Devil. It was said that while he lived there was no sin that he had not committed. When he died, his soul could find no rest and he was given a task to keep him busy until the Day of Judgement. Tregeagle was tasked with emptying Dozmary Pool using only a broken limpet!
There are many stories relating to Tregeagle's evil deeds during life and his punishments after death.
The reality may be that Tregeagle was a seventeenth century magistrate with a reputation for unusual cruelty. He is said to have been the magistrate responsible for the punishment of Ann Jeffries. She was persecuted as a witch but was widely regarded as a healer. That the Cornish people over the centuries have demonised her persecutor and sanctified her memory may be an indication of where their sympathies lie.
Are you convinced that King Arthur lived in Cornwall?
Cheesewring
Cheesewring
(Legend 9 of 25)
Original text by Cecil Williamson: 'Gay with seven red candles, Old Nick the horned man-goat figure of the ancients, stomps the world with his load of mischief basket upon his back, one hand should hold a drinking cup the other a walking staff to help and defend himself on his way through the ranks of the sinners who populate this world..." This is one of many representations of the Devil in the Museum's collection.
There are so many stories of the Devil in Cornwall and many are not as sinister as you might expect. In fact in some of the folk stories, the Devil is a bit of a fool! People had many nicknames for him such as Old Nick, Old Harry, Old Scrat and the Old One. In many folktales he is a trickster who is easily outwitted by your average peasant. According to many stories he loves to play cards!
In the 1600s, one writer commented that "although the Devil's malice be infinite, yet his power is limited." This idea is perhaps best illustrated in the story that relates to the Cheesewring stone which is said to resemble a cheese press. It is said that the Devil tried to make cheese here and this stone formation shows the Devil's attempt to make cheese by pressing the curds in a cheesecloth. It is odd to think of the Devil - mighty, terrifying, powerful, evil trying and failing to make cheese! Another local story tells of a blacksmith who challenged the Devil to a ploughing competition. The smith won by hiding lots of obstacles under the field that the Devil was to plough. The Devil had to keep stopping to sharpen his plough on his whetstone. He got so angry when he lost the race that he threw the stone. The Devil was outwitted by a humble smith and he couldn't even make cheese properly according to these Cornish stories!
(Please note the map location of the Cheesewring is approximate, for more information go to the Minions Heritage Centre).
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Rillaton Barrow
Rillaton Barrow
(Legend 10 of 25)
A Druid is said to have lived on the rocks near Rillaton in a place now known as the Druid's Chair. He offered wine to passing travellers and hunters. However often he offered the cup, it was never empty. One day a hunter declared that he
would drink the cup dry. He drank and he drank but he could not empty the cup. In a rage, the hunter threw wine in the Druid's face and rode off with the cup still in his hand, he fell over a cliff, died and was buried where he fell.
In 1818 excavations of the barrow site unearthed the skeleton of a man holding a cup along with other finds such as bronze age pottery and a dagger. The golden cup is now in the British Museum and called the Rillaton cup. People have reported seeing the ghost of a Druid on Rillaton Barrow. He is said to beckon to the person and say "You look thirsty sire, come drink from my cup".
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_image.aspx?image=ps215369.jpg&retpage=21271
The Museum collection contains a bronze age sickle. It is decorated and possibly created for ceremonial use. Pliny the elder wrote about the customs of the Britons in the Roman period. He paid particular attention to their “magicians” or “priests” as he called them – the Druids. In one passage, he describes the collection of mistletoe from an oak tree by a Druid, “A priest arrayed in white vestments climbs the tree and, with a golden sickle, cuts down the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloak.”
(Please be aware that the location of the barrow is approximate. Head for the Heritage Centre in Minions for more information).
Does the existence of the Rillaton Cup prove that folk stories have factual foundations?
St Cleer Midsummer Bonfire
St Cleer Midsummer Bonfire
(Legend 11 of 25)
On June 23rd each year, bonfires are lit at Chapel Carn Brea near Land's End. Other fires are then lit nearby such as at St. Cleer. The fires are ceremonial in nature as they include herbs and wildflowers and are typically lit by a clergyman. Different herbs are thrown in to drive away bad luck and bring about good luck.
There are different theories about the origins of the ritual. They seem to hark back to Pagan fire celebrations and the worshipping of the Sun. Other theories suggest that the flames warded off, and offered protection from, witchcraft. At St Cleer, a witch's hat and broomstick are burned. People jump over the fire as it dies and keep the ashes for luck.
This stereotypical witch in black hat and cape once belonged to the famous 'witch hunter', William Henry Paynter (1901-1976). William was in fact a hunter of tales and folklore, especially those about witches and charmers in Cornwall.
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Bodmin Jail
Bodmin Jail
(Legend 12 of 25)
Bodmin Jail is a daunting place. It was built in the 1770s and over the years many people have been incarcerated and executed here.
This shackle in the Museum of Witchcraft collection originally came from the Women's Wing in the Jail. It may have been used to restrain the 'Fighting Fairy Woman of Bodmin' - Joan Wytte.
Joan was known to enjoy a drink and a pipe of tobacco. She was also thought to possess magical powers. She was arrested for fighting and later adjudged to be of unsound mind and causing grievous bodily harm. She died in Bodmin Jail of pneumonia in 1813.
Her skeleton is thought to have stayed in the prison's store-rooms, occasionally used for practical jokes by the then warden. It is possible that Joan's bones were also used to teach medical students.
Would you say that Joan was a victim of a male-dominated society?
Scarlet's Well, Bodmin
Scarlet's Well, Bodmin
(Legend 13 of 25)
Bodmin has five interesting holy wells, but Scarlet's Well is in a particularly attractive setting, on the outskirts of the town at the start of the Camel Trail. Its water is rich in minerals, and was believed to have miraculous healing powers. West country witches pay great attention to the source of the water used in the preparation of their potions and tonics.
This well has long been associated with spiritual goings-on - it is said that a lady in white haunts the area around the well; it was also once part of Bodiniel Priory.
This pitcher belonged to Nell Parsons, a local wise woman famed for her healing powers. She often used the waters from Scarlet's Well in her magic. Another wise woman, Joan Wytte, also lived near here.
There are stories of a spirit that 'haunts' this spring - a lady in white. Do you think she is a ghost, the Goddess of the Spring or a fantasy?
Veryan Round Houses
Veryan Round Houses
(Legend 14 of 25)
There are five round thatched houses in Veryan. They were built by the Reverend Jeremiah Trist and legend has it that he built one house for each of his daughters (he had five daughters in all). Why are they round? It was thought that the round shape would offer protection from evil as there were no corners
in which the devil could hide!
In the Museum of Witchcraft, there are items with a similar intention. Witch balls are reflective glass balls (like Christmas tree baubles which may actually be descended from witch balls). They were manufactured in England by Nailsea
glass-makers from 1788 onwards. The balls were intended to be suspended in a window or dark corner where they will reflect away evil and ill-fortune. Some believe that the glass ball will itself attract the influences of ill-luck and ill-wishing that would otherwise have fallen upon the household. Hence the witch ball should be regularly wiped clean. Some of the witch balls are quite small and others are large. Traditionally they are blue or green and they may have originally been called 'watch balls' and this was corrupted into 'witch balls'.
Would you like to share any measures you take to protect yourself and your family?
Wassailing in Truro
Wassailing in Truro
(Legend 15 of 25)
Original text by Cecil Williamson: “Charm bottle made for the protection of cider apple orchards from frost, bugs of all sorts and to have the bees to fertilize the blossoms… Tightly corked and sealed with wax, seven oak apples, or to be precise seven gall nuts from the oak tree, serve as a symbolic symbol. Entrapped inside the spirit of cider rests on his sea bed of vintage cider, ever ready to burst forth should danger threaten.”
At New Year, the Truro Wassailers circle the city drinking beer or cider from a decorated bowl. Wassail is an old English word meaning “be of good cheer” and the ceremony of wassailing was believed to help ward off evil spirits (like this cider charm bottle sealed with galls in the Museum collection)
Traditionally, people drank a hot
mulled cider in their orchard where they would sing to the health of the trees to ensure a plentiful apple crop the following year.
Have you ever been wassailing? Where and why did you go?
St. Keverne 'Crying the Neck'
St. Keverne 'Crying the Neck'
(Legend 16 of 25)
Every year in St Keverne, an ancient tradition is enacted called 'Crying the Neck'. Watch this documentary to find out more. In the Museum we have lots of corn dollies - figures made from plaited straw. These magical figures were made around harvest time. Sometimes they would be carried in procession or sat at the head of the table to represent the spirit of the harvest. Often they would then be sat on the last pew in the local church (sometimes with an apple in the pocket). At the end of a year they would be burnt and their ashes scattered over the fields to insure a good new harvest.
Thanks to the 'Tallys an Tir; Traditions & Stories of the Land' project. Visit http://www.cornishstories.com for more information.
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56 Coinage Street, Helston
56 Coinage Street, Helston
(Legend 17 of 25)
This was the last dwelling place of Tammy Blee, a famous wise woman or pellar known as the 'Witch of the West'.
The Museum of Witchcraft has many objects similar to those Tammy Blee would have used and when visiting the Museum, you can see the Wise Woman's Cottage and listen to her spells and charms.
Watch this video to find out more about Tammy Blee.
With thanks to Emlyn Glanmôr Harris.
Why did people visit wise women and cunning men?
Madron Churchyard
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Madron Churchyard
(Legend 18 of 25)
A very ancient form of magic was to scratch a spell on a sheet of lead and put it somewhere associated with the Underworld. Many of these spells have been found in the sacred spring at Bath which was dedicated to the Goddess Minerva in the Roman period. This warm spring was believed to be a gateway between the world of the living and the dead (like a churchyard) There are accounts from the early modern period of witches hammering nails into the grounds of a churchyards at night and saying their charm or curse as they hammer so that it takes effect.
Similar practices continued in Cornwall until recent times, with the spells being buried in churchyards, such as here at Madron. Cecil Williamson, the founder of the Museum, said of these items "To make a good Devonshire or Cornish spell, take lead from a Christian church roof or window, form and cast into a flat strip, on this scratch or engrave the spell. Roll up and drive an iron nail through it. This done, and when the moon is right, take and bury in a graveyard at night."
The three examples from the Museum's collection were recovered from Blisland, Madron, and St Germans.
Connections between witches and churchyards are quite common. Do you know of any other examples?
Boscawen-ûn stone circle near St. Buryan
Boscawen-ûn stone circle near St. Buryan
(Legend 19 of 25)
This stone circle is made up of nineteen stones and a central standing stone. There is an axe petroglyph inscribed on one of them, which translates as “the pasture of the farmstead at the elderberry tree” or “House of the Elder Tree”.
The site is believed to be Bronze Age in origin and may form part of a larger complex which includes the nearby Merry Maidens Stone Circle. It is also believed to have been a Druid site since the Iron Age. It has been suggested that this circle was one of the three major Druidic meeting places. Today it continues to be a special place for the modern Cornish Gorsedd or Kernow Gorsedh. The Gorsedd of the Bards of Cornwall exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall and they have annual ceremonies in special places.
The Museum of Witchcraft houses lots of objects that were created for use outside in sacred places, including this beautiful altar made from the natural materials of Dartmoor (granite stone base with a small clay jug, a black and white quartz stone and a red granite stone. A gorse stick originally lay in front but this was lost in the 2004 flood). This was used by a witch from Devon called Alice of Ashburton. She used to travel to high, remote Bench Tor on Dartmoor “To get up, out and away, to spirit lands.” (quote by Cecil Williamson).
Why do you think stone circles were created?
Sancreed Holy Well
Sancreed Holy Well
(Legend 20 of 25)
A curious clay figure was found in one of the hedges here in Sancreed. Deliberately roughly made, and with broken glass mixed in with the clay, it was a 'lump figure' – a magical guardian for the surrounding fields and their contents.
Sancreed has a holy well which is nicknamed the Crone Well. The reasons for this name are unknown but presumably link to a memory of witchcraft in the area. Many trees are decorated here with clouties or cloughties or clooties (bits of cloth) The tradition of hanging these rags from trees is quite old. The cloutie was probably originally a bandage which would be removed from the person who was ill or wounded and hung near a place of healing. As the bandage rotted away, it was hoped that the illness would disappear along with it. It is important only to leave clouties that will degrade and not harm the environment.
How do you feel about clouties?
Men an Tol
Men an Tol
(Legend 21 of 25)
The Men an Tol or 'Stone with the Hole' is also known as the 'Crick Stone'. This stone has long been held to have healing powers. Backache, rickets or scrofula sufferers would be advised to crawl through the hole nine times widdershins (or against the sun i.e. anti-clockwise) Sickly children would only have to pass through it three times.
There are many folk magic traditions that involve the use of stones for healing such as these stroking stones from the Museum of Witchcraft collection. Sometimes stones would be warmed on the fire and then rolled on the aching part of the body, other times the healer would simply use them to stroke the sufferer and there are cases of people rubbing the stone and saying the thing that they want to be rid of. These stones were used by Abigail of Redruth, Cornwall.
Do you use any alternative methods of healing?
A mermaid in Zennor Church
A mermaid in Zennor Church
(Legend 22 of 25)
Inside the Church is a carved figure of a mermaid. It was originally a bench end but is now part of a chair. There is a local legend relating to this carving. It is believed to commemorate an actual historical event. The story goes that every week an unknown woman in a long dress would come to the Church service. It seemed she liked to listen to the singing of one of the choristers - Matthew Trewhella. One Sunday he followed her down to the sea and then disappeared. It was said that he became the husband of the mermaid.
There are lots of objects in the Museum collection which relate to beliefs about the sea and mermaids in particular. There is a mermaid's purse charm used by a fisherman to protect his house. These saw fish snouts were nicknamed mermaid's combs and they were used by sea witches "to trace line patterns in the sand and so to mark out an area for casting down sea shells, stones and other things such as feathers and so from the position of their fall make predictions." (Quote from Cecil Williamson)
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Fairy Well at Carbis Bay
Fairy Well at Carbis Bay
(Legend 23 of 25)
When you think about it, there are a lot of similarities between the stories told about fairies and those told about witches. They tend to come out at night, they are often shown as dancing in circles, they are often linked to prehistoric sites and prominent landscape features, they can fly and they are often portrayed as wearing red and having tall hats in traditional stories. In many tales in the past, they do similar things such as enter a house through a keyhole or sneakily ride horses at night or steal children!
The beautiful fairy well at Carbis Bay is situated at the end of a nut grove and is said to be a place where wishes are granted (provided you don't say them out loud!) At the Museum of Witchcraft, we have a wish mirror with a moon in it. It is not difficult to imagine the transfer of the idea of wishing into a reflective pool under moonlight to the idea of wishing using a pool shaped mirror with a moon's face in it.
What will you wish for?
Camborne and Redruth: world heritage site with mining folklore
Camborne and Redruth: world heritage site with mining folklore
(Legend 24 of 25)
The area around Redruth is known as the capital of Cornish mining and is part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage area. There is a lot of evidence of mining in this area from industrial archaeology to the Mining Exchange building in Redruth. You can visit Heartlands Cornwall Visitor Centre to find out more about mining in Cornwall.
At the height of the mining boom in Cornwall, huge fortunes could be made from the rich deposits of copper. Here in Redruth, the wise woman Granny Wells helped local miners to make many valuable finds of ore, using a glass vial containing a piece of raw copper in alcohol, which she claimed was the captured 'Spirit of Copper'.
Mining had its own rich folklore. Some miners thought that seeing a white hare near the pits spelt disaster, but seeing a snail on the way to work was good luck. If a miner worked underground on Midsummer Eve it was thought that he would never leave the mine...
Do you think magic and modern life are compatible?
The Museum of Witchcraft
The Museum of Witchcraft
(Legend 25 of 25)
Having visited magical Cornwall you can now return to the Museum in Boscastle to see the items again (hopefully with a deeper understanding and appreciation of them and their place in the landscape).
The Museum has been a part of Cornwall since 1961 and despite changes of ownership and floods of epic proportions, it still thrives in the Harbour today.
Please tell us about your experience using Placeify...
My Magic and Witchcraft Notes
Magic and Witchcraft
Cornwall is a magical county. Explore the magic and find out about local witches.
Tour the county with objects from the Museum of Witchcraft and carefully selected film clips. Follow the stories of local witches and explore the places of their persecution. Find out about mythic Cornwall, sacred sites, local folklore and living traditions.
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(e)redistribute material from our website. - We reserve the right to restrict access to areas of our website, or indeed our whole website, at our discretion; you must not circumvent or bypass, or attempt to circumvent or bypass, any access restriction measures on our website.
- You may:
- Acceptable use
- You must not:
(a)use our website in any way or take any action that causes, or may cause, damage to the website or impairment of the performance, availability or accessibility of the website;
(b)use our website in any way that is unlawful, illegal, fraudulent or harmful, or in connection with any unlawful, illegal, fraudulent or harmful purpose or activity;
(c)use our website to copy, store, host, transmit, send, use, publish or distribute any material which consists of (or is linked to) any spyware, computer virus, Trojan horse, worm, keystroke logger, rootkit or other malicious computer software;
(d)conduct any systematic or automated data collection activities (including without limitation scraping, data mining, data extraction and data harvesting) on or in relation to our website without our express written consent;
(e)access or otherwise interact with our website using any robot, spider or other automated means;
(f)violate the directives set out in the robots.txt file for our website; or
(g)use data collected from our website for any direct marketing activity (including without limitation email marketing, SMS marketing, telemarketing and direct mailing). - You must not use data collected from our website to contact individuals, companies or other persons or entities.
- You must ensure that all the information you supply to us through our website, or in relation to our website, is true, accurate, current, complete and non-misleading.
- You must not:
- Posting material
- To be eligible to post information on our website you must be at least 13 years of age and resident in the United Kingdom.
- User IDs and passwords
- If you register for an account with our website, we will provide you with a user ID and password.
- Your user ID must not be liable to mislead and must comply with the content rules set out in Section 9; you must not use your account or user ID for or in connection with the impersonation of any person.
- You must keep your password confidential.
- You must notify us in writing immediately if you become aware of any disclosure of your password.
- You are responsible for any activity on our website arising out of any failure to keep your password confidential, and may be held liable for any losses arising out of such a failure.
- Cancellation and suspension of account
- We may:
(a)suspend your account;
(b)cancel your account; and/or
(c)edit your account details,
at any time in our sole discretion without notice or explanation.
- We may:
- Your content: licence
- In these terms and conditions, "your content" means all works and materials (including without limitation text, graphics, images, audio material, video material, audio-visual material, scripts, software and files) that you submit to us or our website for storage or publication on, processing by, or transmission via, our website.
- You grant to us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, store, adapt, publish, translate and distribute your content in any existing or future media / reproduce, store and publish your content on and in relation to this website and any successor website / reproduce, store and, with your specific consent, publish your content on and in relation to this website.
- You hereby waive all your moral rights in your content to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law; and you warrant and represent that all other moral rights in your content have been waived to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.
- Without prejudice to our other rights under these terms and conditions, if you breach any provision of these terms and conditions in any way, or if we reasonably suspect that you have breached these terms and conditions in any way, we may delete, unpublish or edit any or all of your content.
- Your content: rules
- You warrant and represent that your content will comply with these terms and conditions.
- Your content must not be illegal or unlawful, must not infringe any person's legal rights, and must not be capable of giving rise to legal action against any person (in each case in any jurisdiction and under any applicable law).
- Your content, and the use of your content by us in accordance with these terms and conditions, must not:
(a)be libellous or maliciously false;
(b)be obscene or indecent;
(c)infringe any copyright, moral right, database right, trade mark right, design right, right in passing off, or other intellectual property right;
(d)infringe any right of confidence, right of privacy or right under data protection legislation;
(e)constitute negligent advice or contain any negligent statement;
(f)constitute an incitement to commit a crime[, instructions for the commission of a crime or the promotion of criminal activity;
(g)be in contempt of any court, or in breach of any court order;
(h)be in breach of racial or religious hatred or discrimination legislation;
(i)be blasphemous;
(j)be in breach of official secrets legislation;
(k)be in breach of any contractual obligation owed to any person;
(l)depict violence, in an explicit, graphic or gratuitous manner;
(m) be pornographic, lewd, suggestive or sexually explicit;
(n)be untrue, false, inaccurate or misleading;
(o)consist of or contain any instructions, advice or other information which may be acted upon and could, if acted upon, cause illness, injury or death, or any other loss or damage;
(p)constitute spam;
(q)contain pictures of children under the age of 16 years whose parental consent hasn't been completly gained;
(r)be offensive, deceptive, fraudulent, threatening, abusive, harassing, anti-social, menacing, hateful, discriminatory or inflammatory; or
(s)cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to any person. - Your content must be appropriate, civil and tasteful, and accord with generally accepted standards of etiquette and behaviour on the internet.
- You must not use our website to link to any website or web page consisting of or containing material that would, were it posted on our website, breach the provisions of these terms and conditions.
- You must not submit to our website any material that is or has ever been the subject of any threatened or actual legal proceedings or other similar complaint.
- Report abuse
- If you learn of any unlawful material or activity on our website, or any material or activity that breaches these terms and conditions, please let us know.
- You can let us know by email by clicking here: museumwitchcraft@AOL.com
- Limited warranties
- We do not warrant or represent:
(a)the completeness or accuracy of the information published on our website;
(b)that the material on the website is up to date; or
(c)that the website or any service on the website will remain available. - We reserve the right to discontinue or alter any or all of our website services, and to stop publishing our website, at any time in our sole discretion without notice or explanation; and save to the extent that these terms and conditions expressly provide otherwise, you will not be entitled to any compensation or other payment upon the discontinuance or alteration of any website services, or if we stop publishing the website.
- To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law we exclude all representations and warranties relating to the subject matter of these terms and conditions, our website and the use of our website.
- We do not warrant or represent:
- Limitations and exclusions of liability
- Nothing in these terms and conditions will:
(a)limit or exclude any liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence;
(b)limit or exclude any liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;
(c)limit any liabilities in any way that is not permitted under applicable law; or
(d)exclude any liabilities that may not be excluded under applicable law. - The limitations and exclusions of liability set out elsewhere in these terms and conditions:
(a)govern all liabilities arising under these terms and conditions or relating to the subject matter of these terms and conditions, including liabilities arising in contract, in tort (including negligence) and for breach of statutory duty. - To the extent that our website and the information and services on our website are provided free of charge, we will not be liable for any loss or damage of any nature.
- We will not be liable to you in respect of any losses arising out of any event or events beyond our reasonable control.
- We will not be liable to you in respect of any business losses, including (without limitation) loss of or damage to profits, income, revenue, use, production, anticipated savings, business, contracts, commercial opportunities or goodwill.
- We will not be liable to you in respect of any loss or corruption of any data, database or software.
- We will not be liable to you in respect of any special, indirect or consequential loss or damage.
- You accept that we have an interest in limiting the personal liability of our officers and employees and, having regard to that interest, you acknowledge that we are a limited liability entity; you agree that you will not bring any claim personally against our officers or employees in respect of any losses you suffer in connection with the website or these terms and conditions (this will not, of course, limit or exclude the liability of the limited liability entity itself for the acts and omissions of our officers and employees).
- Nothing in these terms and conditions will:
- Indemnity
- You hereby indemnify us, and undertake to keep us indemnified, against any and all losses, damages, costs, liabilities and expenses (including without limitation legal expenses and any amounts paid by us to a third party in settlement of a claim or dispute) incurred or suffered by us and arising directly or indirectly out of:
(a)any breach by you of any provision of these terms and conditions; or
(b)your use of our website.
- You hereby indemnify us, and undertake to keep us indemnified, against any and all losses, damages, costs, liabilities and expenses (including without limitation legal expenses and any amounts paid by us to a third party in settlement of a claim or dispute) incurred or suffered by us and arising directly or indirectly out of:
- Breaches of these terms and conditions
- Without prejudice to our other rights under these terms and conditions, if you breach these terms and conditions in any way, or if we reasonably suspect that you have breached these terms and conditions in any way, we may:
(a)send you one or more formal warnings;
(b)temporarily suspend your access to our website;
(c)permanently prohibit you from accessing our website;
(d)block computers using your IP address from accessing our website;
(e)contact any or all your internet service providers and request that they block your access to our website;
(f)commence legal action against you, whether for breach of contract or otherwise; and/or
(g)suspend or delete your account on our website. - Where we suspend or prohibit or block your access to our website or a part of our website, you must not take any action to circumvent such suspension or prohibition or blocking (including without limitation creating and/or using a different account).
- Without prejudice to our other rights under these terms and conditions, if you breach these terms and conditions in any way, or if we reasonably suspect that you have breached these terms and conditions in any way, we may:
- Third party websites
- Our website includes hyperlinks to other websites owned and operated by third parties; such hyperlinks are not recommendations.
- Competitions
- From time to time we may run competitions, free prize draws and/or other promotions on our website.
- Competitions will be subject to separate terms and conditions (which we will make available to you as appropriate).
- Variation
- We may revise these terms and conditions from time to time.
- The revised terms and conditions will apply to the use of our website from the date of their publication on the website, and you hereby waive any right you may otherwise have to be notified of, or to consent to, revisions of the terms and conditions. / We will give you written notice of any revision of these terms and conditions, and the revised terms and conditions will apply to the use of our website from the date that we give you such notice; if you do not agree to the revised terms and conditions, you must stop using our website.
- If you have given your express agreement to these terms and conditions, we will ask for your express agreement to any revision of these terms and conditions; and if you do not give your express agreement to the revised terms and conditions within such period as we may specify, we will disable or delete your account on the website, and you must stop using the website.
- Assignment
- You hereby agree that we may assign, transfer, sub-contract or otherwise deal with our rights and/or obligations under these terms and conditions.
- You may not without our prior written consent assign, transfer, sub-contract or otherwise deal with any of your rights and/or obligations under these terms and conditions.
- Severability
- If a provision of these terms and conditions is determined by any court or other competent authority to be unlawful and/or unenforceable, the other provisions will continue in effect.
- If any unlawful and/or unenforceable provision of these terms and conditions would be lawful or enforceable if part of it were deleted, that part will be deemed to be deleted, and the rest of the provision will continue in effect.
- Third party rights
- These terms and conditions are for our benefit and your benefit, and are not intended to benefit or be enforceable by any third party.
- The exercise of the parties' rights under these terms and conditions is not subject to the consent of any third party.
- Law and jurisdiction
- These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law.
- Any disputes relating to these terms and conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.
- Our details
- This website is licensed and operated by Magic and Witchcraft.
- You can contact us by using by email to museumwitchcraft@AOL.com