'Astonishing' witches' marks discovered at heritage site - including curses

A "staggering array" of witches' marks have been found at Gainsborough Old Hall, including "curse" inscriptions aimed at its old owner.

A volunteer for English Heritage, which looks after the Lincolnshire site, has discovered and mapped about 20 carvings at the Tudor property over the past two years - among the most found at any of the charity's 400 sites.

The witches' marks, also known as carved ritual protection or apotropaic marks, include rare curse inscriptions, which the charity said must have been made around the time that merchant William Hickman owned the property, from 1596.

In one inscription, Hickman's name is written upside down. The practice of defacing a name was widely believed to curse the named person and is something not seen before at an English Heritage site, the charity revealed.

Ricky Berry, the English Heritage volunteer who made the discoveries, also found simple circles that were believed to trap demons.

Others included overlapping Vs or Marian marks, which are believed by some to call on the Virgin Mary for protection, and a pentangle, which was originally used to protect against evil.

He also found around 100 burn marks - once believed to protect against fire.

English Heritage says this makes Gainsborough Old Hall one of English Heritage's most "protected" sites under its care.

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"It is astonishing that centuries on the amazing old buildings in our care still have secrets waiting to be discovered," the charity's head of collections Kevin Booth said.

"The Old Hall has undoubtedly had a tumultuous past, not least under the ownership of the apparently unpopular William Hickman, but why it's the scene of quite such a high concentration of protective carvings remains a mystery.

"We have a great team of volunteers across the country and it is testament to Rick's passion for the place that these incredible protection marks have been found at Gainsborough."

(c) Sky News 2024: 'Astonishing' witches' marks discovered at heritage site - including curses