February Miscellany

Creswell Crags Round Up

The big news in February was the discovery of a large number of protective marks in the caves at Creswell Crags. It hit the national and international press. A roundup of the coverage from online sources is listed below:

The Times Cave Explorers Make Spellbinding Discovery

ITV News The Gateway to Darkness

Live Science England’s Oldest Cave-Art Site is Covered with Signs to Ward off Evil Spirits

BBC Creswell Crags: ‘Witches’ marks’ found in cave network ‘Witches’ marks’ found in cave network

Church Times ‘Wtiches marks’ discovered in limestone caves

Yahoo News Mysterious ‘witches marks’ discovered in ancient cave in Creswell Crags, England

Irish Times Wtiches’ marks: Is the gateway to hell in the British midlands?

The Sun Eerie ‘witch symbols’ found scratched into ‘cave to hell’ near Sherwood Forest

Sky News Hundreds of ‘witches’ marks’ – including entrance to ‘hell’ – found in caves at Creswell Crags

The Guardian The gateway to hell? Hundreds of anti-witch marks found in Midlands cave

The Telegraph Entrance to hell discovered… in Nottinghamshire as witch marks reveal what Britons centuries ago thought was doorway to underworld

Fox News Mysterious ‘witches marks’ discovered in ancient cave

CNN ‘Witches’ marks’ to ward off evil found in cave system

Huffington Post UK’s Biggest Cache Of Witches’ Marks ‘To Prevent Evil Spirits Rising From The Underworld’ Discovered

Events

Brian Hoggard talk in Leeds – Magical House Protection: The Use of Bellarmines as Witch-bottles

Making Your Mark conference – Making Your Mark Symposium

Via @cerihoulbrook – Folklore Reseach: The Page and Beyond

Norfolk churches day – On the Edge of Halvergate Marshes – Church Tour

The N Yorkshire Graffiti survey is up and running – North Yorkshire Historic Graffiti Survey

Items of Interest

Roman Graffiti in a quarry in Cumbria

Courtesy of @medievalgraffiti on twitter – Introduction to Medieval Mason’s Marks –

Daisy wheel on the side of a threshing machine

Great article on ancient graffiti and the attitudes to it –

Via @he_archive the graffiti at Harrow school –

Whalers’ Graffiti found in Australia

Mason’s marks – in a spanish monastery

Museum Finds

In our irregular series Stuff Found In Museums, we have a couple of finds in the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery.

The first is the daisy wheel motif on a roman game board. The game is Ludo Duodecim Scriptorum. The daisy wheels would be where the coins used in gambling would be placed, possibly as a good luck symbol? The board in the display is a replica, but seems to be include design elements such as a 2nd century board found at Aphrodisias.

Handmade Pendants for Sale

These pendants were inspired by the graffiti and protection marks found in some religious buildings and old houses. These are thought to be marks inscribed to ward off evil spirits or bring good fortune to the occupants. I have collected some of these images and inscribed them onto wooden pendants.

The wood for these pendants varies according to what can be ethically sourced. Each piece is sawn out, filed and sanded with several grades of sanding material from rough to smooth, then wire wool. The end of a fine hot wire attached to a pyrography machine, is poked into the wood to produce dots that build the image. Another rub with wire wool then 2-3 coats of sander sealer. Another rub down then 2-3 coats of transparent polish. The pendant is then burnished and a final wax polish is applied to give it the finishing shine.

Each piece takes about 2-3 days from start to finish. More complex designs will take longer.

The cord can be rubber or waxed cotton for vegans or leather. There are standard lengths of approximately 24 cm, or particular lengths can be cut and made up as required. I could take a commission design, if you have a favourite. If very complex, the price may go up a little.

Pendants cost £22 each including UK p&p. Prices can be given for international shipping.

Jo West

If you would like one of the above designs or would like to discuss a commission with Jo, please get in touch with Linda Wilson of Raking Light who will put you in contact with Jo. Payment is by PayPal.