Robert the doll: The Haunted Doll of Key West

Tags

Cursed dolls, Eugene Otto, Florida legends, Fort East Martello Museum, haunted dolls, Hoodoo, hoodoo curses, Key West, Robert the doll, Voodoo

Image source unknown, edited by Lenora

It takes a lot to freak me out, as a child I had the kind of bedroom that most of my friends thought was pretty wierd…lots of creepy old stuff, masks, dusty books, moth-eaten old fur stoles from long dead great great aunts….a distinct lack of anything girlie and pink.

Like many children I was compelled to go for piano lessons.  I hated them.  But I loved my piano teacher (a close family friend) and her house – she and it were like something out of another era.  The house was packed full of antique furniture and strange knickknacks.  Mrs A had lived in the far East for a time, and from what I gather, lived in rather grand style.  Even in her old age there was very much something of the Grand Dame of the British Empire about her.  Despite her sometimes imperious manner, she also had a wicked sense of humour, and owned possibly one of the most terrifying dolls I have ever had the misfortune to encounter.

I remember the very first time I saw the doll – I must have been 6 or 7 and I remember loathing it on sight.  It was a Victorian Porcelain doll, with (I swear) GREY hair, glassy staring eyes and a mean little mouth.  And worse of all at some point during its existence the doll had undergone some kind of cranial autopsy courtesy of Hannibal Lecter because the entire top of its head came off  – grey hair and all (as Mrs A loved to demonstrate) – leaving its gimlet eyes staring at you with nothing but empty air above them.  If I managed to hold my nerve when the doll came out to play, I definitely lost it when Mrs A invariably lifted its ghastly lid.  If ever a doll was possessed, as a child, I was convinced that one was….which brings me neatly to the subject of this post.

Robert the Doll

The Otto home, Key West, Florida. Image source unknown.

The story of Robert the doll begins in the early years of the twentieth century in Key West Florida in an elegant mansion on the corner of Eaton and Simonton Street.  The Otto family had lived in the house since the mid 1890’s and if you believe the rumours, they were non to kind to their servants.

The Otto’s young son Robert Eugene was particularly fond of a Bahamian maid who was employed to look after him.  The maid was dismissed in 1906, some say for practicing Voodoo, others that Mrs Otto was jealous of Robert’s fondness for the girl.  Before she left, the girl made a 3 foot tall, button eyed, straw doll for Robert.   Robert adored it.

Soon the family began to suspect that things were not all that they seemed with Robert and the doll.  Robert was heard whispering to the doll, not so unusual children often confide in dolls, but what was unusual was that the Otto’s and their servants heard another deeper voice answering back…

The doll seemed to exert some kind of hold over the young Robert.  He is said to have begun using his middle name Eugene or Gene because he said the doll’s name was Robert.

Violent commotion was heard in his bedroom at night, upon entering, Gene would be found cowering in his bed, Robert sitting opposite glaring at him with furniture overturned, toys mutilated.  When questioned Gene invariably said ‘It was Robert, Robert did it.’

Robert the doll, image from Tumblr

Soon servants began to leave and the family became convinced that the Bahamian maid had somehow cursed the doll.  The doll was banished to the attic of the family home…it is said that the aunt who put him there died of a stroke that very night.  Despite his banishment  rumours persisted…the sound of tiny footsteps and childish laughter was often heard in the attic….

As Gene grew to become an adult he became an artist and married.  When his parents died he inherited the old family home and he and his wife Annette moved back in.

It was not long before Gene found Robert in the attic and the two were reunited.  The adult Gene was constantly accompanied by Robert much to the distaste of his wife, who is said to have loathed the doll.

Eventually Annette, exasperated by Gene’s obsession with the doll, exiled Robert once again to the attic.  He does not seem to have liked that and Gene is said to have told Annette that Robert had demanded a room with a view of the street.  Naturally Gene obliged and fitted out the Turret room, his studio, for Robert.  Gene would spend hours locked away painting and talking to the doll.

Rumours soon spread about the neighbourhood, children going past the mansion on their way to school would try not to look up at the turret room because Robert had been seen staring malevolently back at them. Worse still, he had been seen running from window to window when the family were out.  People said that the doll was filled with evil voodoo relics, tiny animal bones, had a crystal heart, had human hair…was possessed by evil.

Popular tradition also embroidered the legend to say that Annette died insane because of the cursed doll.  Whether this is true or not, when Gene died in 1974 Annette was sane enough to get out quickly and leave Robert behind.  It is said that Gene Otto’s will stipulated that the house could be leased but that Robert should be left in peace.

The Legend Grows…..

Robert looking rather appealing and cute

The new family who took over the old Otto house had a 10-year-old daughter and with the typical perversity of childhood when she saw Robert, she loved him.  Robert however had less than affectionate intentions towards his new owner and soon the girl was having horrific nightmares and had become convinced the doll was trying to kill her.  Even decades later she is still convinced that Robert did attack her and try to kill her.  It was her terrified family who donated Robert to the Fort East Martello Museum where he resides today.

Robert the doll with letters from his victims, image by Cayobo

Robert sits safely behind glass in the Museum, travelling once a year to the Old Post Office to be displayed and occasionally featuring in paranormal conventions.  Yet despite being over 100 years old, and looking a little worse for wear, Robert is still a force to be reckoned with.  Museum staff claim he has been found in different positions, cameras break in his presence, footsteps are heard around the museum at night, and his expression is known to change in a way that can chill the blood.  Visitors are advised to seek Robert’s permission before photographing him, or risk being cursed, in fact letters from apologetic photographers cover the walls of his display cabinet.

The truth behind the curse…

Many people visit Robert as skeptics and leave convinced that there is something to the story.  But how much of the story is real?  Could it be that an affluent white family chose to blame the disturbed behaviour of their son on the evil magic of a black servant?  Was this easier to believe than that their child may have had a mental illness?  None of the sources that I have found on the internet have named the ‘Bahamian Servant’ or provided any substantial detail about her, so her story is unheard.  Has an act of fondness been twisted into a tale of black magic and revenge?

Is it also not possible that Robert Gene Otto, dropped the  name Robert, simply because his father was also called Robert? Perhaps it was easier for the family to distinguish between the two of them that way?

During Atlantic Paranormal Society’s Convention in Clearwater, FL., Sandy Duveau captured Robert’s Aura with a special camera

The voodoo (or should that be hoodoo) association is enforced by the long-held belief that Robert the doll’s hair is made from human hair, more precisely the hair of Gene Otto himself, and that it has grayed over time.  However, tests have revealed the hair to be a natural fibre such as wool.

It has to be said that museum has a vested interest in keeping the curse story alive, there is a website, Facebook page and twitter account for Robert; and after all who doesn’t enjoy the frisson of coming face to face with something really evil..so long as it is safely contained behind glass…

I wonder whether the curse of Robert the doll, hasn’t actually become real simply because people want it to be real.  The idea of the curse has been reinforced for nearly 100 years now, strange things do happen around Robert.  Perhaps the conjuring was not carried out by the Bahamian maid, but by all of us, every time we politely ask Robert for permission to take his photo….just to be on the safe side…

You can visit Robert at the Fort East Martello Museum.

Her is a short film about Robert the Doll from You Tube:

Sources

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/robert-doll
http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Robert_the_Doll:_True_Story
http://forteanfolly.com/tag/robert-the-doll/
http://www.robertthedoll.org/
http://www.squidoo.com/dollrobert
http://thehorrortree.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/robert-doll.html
http://voices.yahoo.com/voodoo-black-magic-robert-doll-perpetual-halloween-6635676.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Doll

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Canewdon: the village where witchfinders feared to tread…

Tags

Aleister Crowley, Canewdon witches, Cunning men, essex hauntings, Essex Witches, George Pickingill, James Murrell, matthew hopkins, witches, Witchfinders

“The Witch Country”

There is more to Essex than TOWIE!

For many people when asked what they know about the county of Essex, the most common responses are TOWIE, Essex girl jokes (What did the Essex girl say after the doctor told her she was pregnant? Is it mine?), Jodie Marsh, girls in miniskirts and white stilettos dancing around their handbags and Jamie Oliver cooking up school lunches whilst chattering away in his Estuary English patter. Negative stereotypes have left Essex as almost a poor relation to other counties in England a reputation which it definitely does not deserve! Essex is rich in history with over 14,000 listed buildings, the oldest Roman remains in Britain, a unique housing style known as weatherboarding (which was adopted in America and is now known as the New England Style), the oldest surviving wooden church in the world and the rumoured burial place of King Harold II.

There is a darker side of Essex which has almost been forgotten, away from the chocolate box villages and the dubious delights of the seaside town of Southend. It is a county steeped in a tradition of witchcraft which has spanned centuries. Essex was the starting point in 1644 of the worst witch hunt ever initiated in England, led by the witch-finder General Matthew Hopkins, with its inhabitants suffering indescribable horrors at his hand; the birthplace of James Murrell one of England’s greatest “cunning men” and; Canewdon, a small relatively nondescript village which was believed to be a centre of witchcraft for an area which became known as “The Witch Country”.

The village of Canewdon

Located in the Rochford District on the Crouch Estuary, the village is sited on the highest hill of coastal Essex. Its name derives from the Saxon meaning “hill of Cana’s people”. Local tradition has it that a camp near the village was used by Canute during the Battle of Assandun.

Even today Canewdon has a lonely feel to it. Surrounded by the mudflats and marshes of the Thames Estuary it is easy to imagine how isolated and insular the community must have been in the past.

Mudflats at the Crouch Estuary, image via Wikimedia

Dominating the village is the 14^th century Parish Church of St Nicholas. The church stands on a ridge overlooking the River Crouch, its most striking feature being the 15^th century tower which was built to commemorate Henry V’s victory at Agincourt.

Canewdon Church, image by Miss Jessell, edited by Lenora

A number of ghost stories abound in the area giving it the reputation of being one of the most haunted places in Essex. Most reports centre on the church, in particular around the church porch, graveyard and west gate car park. The most widely seen apparition is that of a grey lady with a poke bonnet and no face who has been spotted floating on moonless nights from the church’s west gate towards the river. Another popular story refers to a headless ghost seen in the church who has a tendency to pick unwary victims up and deposit them in a nearby ditch. Locals also reported in the 1980s that a man on a motorbike was chased by a small demonic entity that was just as fast as the bike.

A tiny demonic entity

Many of these ghosts are believed to be the spirits of witches who wander the earth unable to rest due to injustices committed against them when they were alive.  If so, then historically speaking there would only be a miniscule pool of potential candidates to choose from, as unlike many other places in Essex, in Canewdon only three cases of witchcraft were ever recorded as being brought to trial.

The Canewdon Witch Trials

The notorious Matthew Hopkins steered well clear of Canewdon – was he afraid…?

When you mention witches, most people would immediately think of Pendle, Berwick and of course Salem. Very few would name Canewdon; to be honest most people who live in Essex have never even heard of it. This is probably due to the fact that it had no sensational witch trials which could capture the public’s imagination; the village wasn’t even visited during Matthew Hopkins’ witch hunts. It is hard to imagine that if the connection between the village and witchcraft practice was as deeply rooted as folk memory claims how it managed to escape Hopkins’ attention. There are a number of possibilities: maybe land travel was too difficult due to the extremely isolated nature of the place; maybe the village was too poor to afford Hopkins’ services; maybe the witchcraft association does not go back as far as many people believe; was the link so strong that the villagers did not want outside interference and that witchcraft was silently accepted or were the witches considered too powerful to risk offending?

Traditional image of witches dancing with devils. Public domain.

It is very difficult to precisely date when Canewdon became synonymous with witches.  The three witchcraft trials span the short space of ten years. In 1580 the spinster Rose Pye was accused of bewitching to death Johanna Snow, a twelve month old child at Scaldhurst Farm. She pleaded not guilty and was acquitted but died in jail probably because she was unable to pay the fee needed to secure her release. In 1585, Cicily Makyn was also charged with practising witchcraft and given five years to mend her ways. In 1590 the ‘Goodwife’ Makins of Canewdon was indicted for witchcraft, as this trial occurs five years after the one involving Cicily Makyn it is safe to assume that they were one and the same, allowing for medieval flexibility with spelling.  It appears that Cicily did not heed the warning to reform and as punishment was excommunicated. So only two women in Canewdon were ever charged with witchcraft, one found innocent and the other found guilty and excommunicated but (although a severe punishment in Medieval England and regarded as damning the soul to everlasting torment in hell) not imprisoned or hanged. Why the leniency? Did they believe witches could be reformed?

“Three of cotton and three of silk”

One saying referring to Canewdon states that there will always be six witches in Canewdon, three of cotton (lower classes) and three of silk (upper classes). The use of the word cotton does help to date the saying as cotton only become widely available in Britain in the first half of the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution. Before that wool would have been the material of choice for the lower classes. It does seem that about this time stories of witchcraft do seem to resurge. Does this mean that for two centuries, the link was broken? Or simply that nothing had happened that would have been noteworthy to outsider. I personally feel that the latter explanation seems more plausible as otherwise how would it explain the presence of two men whose powerful personalities and fearful reputations brought the village and surrounding area to the attention of the outside world. I think it very likely their decision to practice in this area and their success was largely down to the strength of belief in witchcraft and magic which the locals held, which had been built up over generations.

The “Cunning Man” of Hadleigh

James ‘Cunning’ Murrell, image via http://www.teamhadleigh.org

James Murrell was born the seventh son of a seventh son in Rochford in 1780. In 1812 Murrell moved to Hadleigh, Essex and set up business as a shoemaker. Somehow about this time he met a witch/wizard called Neboad from whom he learnt about the craft. His natural skill in the art led him to give up shoe making and become a full-time ‘cunning man’. His fame grew as a cunning-man of unequalled ability and he was sought out by both local people and wealthy aristocrats from further afield. It was said that he would always ask people if their problem was ‘high or low’ i.e. did they need material or magic help. Material help would involve the use of herbal potions to combat ills. To tackle supernatural forces, Murrell would summon good spirits or angels to fight the bad ones. He was an expert in astrology and was consulted on a wide range of issues including finding lost objects, clairvoyance and his ability to cast and break other witches spells.  For instance one legend refers to his using a potion to send a ‘burning sensation’ to a gypsy woman who was believed to have cursed a girl. The potion when heated exploded and the next day the body of the gypsy was found burnt to death and the girl cured 1. Many stories about Murrell were passed down by word of mouth and storytelling creating a legend around a man who was said to be the greatest witch/cunning man who England had ever seen.

His connection with Canewdon was also a strong one.  The villages lie about nine miles from each other. It was reputed that Murrell was once engaged in a contest with a Canewdon witch to prove who was the most powerful. Commanding her to die, the witch immediately fell down dead. This ability to control other witches appears in another story.  According to the legend the Canewdon villagers petitioned their vicar, Rev William Atkinson “to let Murrell exercise his whistling powers and make the witches confess themselves by dancing round the churchyard.” The vicar refused to give in to their demands as he knew such an exercise would reveal his own wife to be a witch 2 (his wife Mary Ann and her sister, Lady Lodwick were believed by many to be part of a coven in existence prior to 1860). Apart from emphasising the traditionally believed link between the church and witchcraft these stories also confirmed for many Murrell’s position as Master of Witches.

Despite a commanding personality and the powerful aura that seemed to surround him, Murrell appears to have used his skills to help the people who came to him. His fees were modest and even in old age when he had in general given up practising his arts he would if a person was in dire need still provide assistance. You get the feeling that he was respected and even liked (albeit with more than a tinge of caution), not so with another Master of Witches, who was reputed to have more sinister intentions.

George Pickingill

George Pickingill, image via Wikimedia

George Pickingill along with his wife, Mary Ann and children moved to Canewdon sometime between 1864 and 1868. Often seen carrying his famous blackthorn walking stick, he was described as

“a tall, unkempt man, solitary and uncommunicative. He had very long finger-nails, and kept his money in a purse of sacking“. 3

Believed to be a hereditary witch, he performed many of the same services as other ‘cunning folk’ such as providing herbal remedies and finding lost objects but he was also believed to have used darker, malevolent magic to curse people. He was famed for his control of animals especially horses and legend has it that he had the ability to work at a superhuman rate possibly with the aid of his imps (familiars). It was claimed that many locals were terrified of offending him for fear of falling sick, for which the only cure was a touch of his walking stick. A touch of his stick was also believed to be able to stop the threshing machines.

Although the famous saying implies that there were only six witches in the village, many locals believed the number to be nine with many more of silk than cotton. These malevolent witches were not believed to know each other’s identities but were all under the control of one wizard or Master of Witches i.e. Pickingill who could summon them at will by means of a wooden whistle. It was also rumoured that he controlled nine covens established in Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Sussex that had been set up under his guidance.

Many of the darker stories about Pickingill come from the writer, Charles Lefebure. Lefebure claims that Pickingill sold his soul to the devil, was visited by black magicians from all over Europe and engaged in nocturnal orgies in the churchyard with his witches and kin. One legend goes that a young vicar newly appointed to the Parish was determined to put an end to this nightly revelry. On hearing noises he ran outside carrying a riding whip, only to be greeted by the sight of thirteen white rabbits. 4

Pickingill famously wrote “The Pickingill Papers” about the history and anthropology of Wicca and much more. Aleister Crowley was also thought by many to have been one of his students.  Many modern-day Wiccans separate themselves from the Pickingill tradition due to the perceived dark and satanic nature of his practices.

For others Pickingill’s reputation for evil practices was ridiculous. They instead regarded him as simply adhering to the traditional practices of the cunning folk and a man who was “in his later years more interested in caging (sic) beer and getting a rise out of the people than anything else.”5 Whether or not you believe in either Murrell or Pickingill abilities is in many ways irrelevant, what is important is the indelible mark they have left on the history and folklore of this part of Essex.

A walk around the tower

Various legends have grown up surrounding the church and witchcraft these include the belief that if a stone falls from the tower it means that one witch has died and another has taken her place in the coven, that there will always be witches as long as the tower stands and that a novice witch seeking a coven should perform a dance to summon the devil.

Canewdon Church Tower, image by Miss Jessel edited by Lenora

One other myth has numerous variations.  All of which can be seen to contain a subtle warning to take care when walking around the tower as you can never tell what might happen! It is believed that depending upon how many times you go round and in what direction you are bound to have a supernatural encounter e.g. anyone who walks around the tower at midnight will be forced to dance with witches; if you walk around the church witches will appear and sing to you; if you run around the tower backwards three times you’ll see a ghost at the top of the tower; if you run three times anti clockwise a portal will open and you will go back in time; if you walk around seven times on Halloween you’ll see a witch and thirteen times you will become invisible and if you run anti-clockwise round it on Halloween, the Devil will appear. All of this has made the church very popular, so much so that the police now cordon off the area to prevent investigators and ghost hunters from swarming the village at Halloween.

The tradition continues…

Canewdon Churchyard, image by Miss Jessell, edited by Lenora

Over the last fifty years, many people have become fascinated with the story of Canewdon.  Numerous articles have been published about the village, many debunking the myths that surround it.  One writer Claire Smythe in her article on Canewdon stated that the village was one of the last places that traditional belief in witches survived. She discovered during her investigations that the last six witches were documented to have lived around the 1880s. One was believed to possess imps and “bewitch wagon wheels”, another to inflict lice on those that annoyed her and a third to “fix people with glaring eyes” to prevent them from entering the church. One tradition which continued well into the twentieth century was that as Canewdon witches had the ability to bewitch wagon and cart wheels anyone who took a bicycle into the village would get a puncture. Smythe seems to have suffered a similar fate as she recounts that when she left the church

“after having had a look at the carved witches’ cat and the old altar tomb where it is said the children used to listen to the Devil rattling his chains – I found that my car had its first puncture for over five years.” 6

People visiting the church have witnessed strange phenomena including figures standing under the church portal and orbs in the church. One visitor claims to have been terrified when he saw women dancing in the churchyard after taking a walk around the tower.

Orbs at the Church gate, Canewdon 2007, image source unknown

Not surprisingly the ubiquitous Yvette Fielding and the “Most Haunted” team investigated St Nicholas.  They claimed to have felt the presence of Matthew Hopkins, which is strange as according to all records he never visited the village.  Maybe his ghost was lost or he had decided to make up for his negligence when he was alive!

I did not experience anything supernatural when I visited the village and church one Saturday afternoon. The only thing which struck me was how isolated, empty and strangely unwelcoming the village felt. The church itself also had an unsettling atmosphere intensified by the sheer weight of silence (we were the only two visitors) which seemed to hang heavy around it. Unlike in other churchyards where I love to amble, investigating and reading the headstones, I felt no desire to linger. Maybe ‘witches’ still live in Canewdon, probably not, but wandering around it was easy to imagine that the tradition has not yet been broken and that the enigmatic James Murrell was correct when he predicted that the village of Canewdon would be populated with witches forever.7

Notes

1 Maple, Eric (December 1960). “The Witches of Canewdon”. Folklore Vol 71, No 4.

2 Old George Pickingill and the History of Modern Witchcraft

http://www.pickingill.com/

3 Old George Pickingill and the History of Modern Witchcraft

http://www.pickingill.com/

4 Old George Pickingill and the History of Modern Witchcraft

http://www.pickingill.com/

5 Old George Pickingill and the History of Modern Witchcraft

http://www.pickingill.com/

6 Canewdon by Claire Smythe in ’50 Strange Stories of the Supernatural’

7 Witches of Canewdon, http://www.strangeuk.com/witchcraft/item/17-witches-of-canewdon

References

Cunning Murrell: The Facts, http://www.hadleighhistory.org.uk/page_id__198_path__0p3p.aspx

James “Cunning” Murrell, http://m.teamhadleigh.org/hadleigh-castle-tour-menu/hadleigh-castle-landmarks/estuary/james-cunning-murrell

Canewdon Church, Essex http://www.hauntedisland.co.uk/haunted-churches/canewden-church-essex

Canewdon, Claire Smythe, “50 Strange Stories of the Supernatural” (edited by John Canning)

James Murrell  http://ghe.myfreeforum.org/archive/james-murrell__o_t__t_2211.html

Old George Pickingill and the History of Modern Witchcraft http://www.pickingill.com/

The Witches of Canewdon, Eric Maple, Folklore Vol 71

Canewdon, http://www.hiddenea.com/essexc.htm

Witches of Canewdon, http://www.strangeuk.com/witchcraft/item/17-witches-of-canewdon

Widow Eliza Frost Lodwick (1784 – 1861), The wife of Jeremiah Kersteman Lodwick, http://www.deadfamilies.com/Z3-Others/Lodwick/Lodwick-Eliza-Frost-01.html

Essex Witch Trials, http://www.witchtrials.co.uk/years.html

Witchfinders: A Seventeenth-century English Tragedy, Malcolm Gaskill

Essex – Paranormal Database Records http://www.paranormaldatabase.com/essex/esspages/essedata.php?pageNum_paradata=2&totalRows_paradata=411

Hoodoo Folk Magic by Rachel Patterson

Tags

african american, folk magic, Hoodoo, jinxes, Rachel Patterson, spells, Tansy Firedragon, Vodou, Voodoo, Witchcraft

I originally posted this review on http://www.ingridhall.com, but it seemed in keeping with my blog so I decided to post it here as well….

Rachel Patterson, also known as Tansy Firedragon,  is an experienced witch and a Wiccan High Priestess.  Rachel was lucky enough to study with the highly respected Janet Farrer and Gavin Bone on their Progressive Magic Course.  She is also familiar with Shamanism, hoodoo and tarot and many other pathways; she has links to the Order of Bards and Druids.  She is also the founder of the Kitchen Witch Online School of Witchery.

This book is a concise guide to practical hoodoo.  Coming in at under 100 pages it contains a brief introduction to the historical origins of Hoodoo (African-American Folk-magic and root work, as distinct from the religious practice of Voodoo).  The book contains well-defined sections on all of the main topics including types of root work:  laying tricks and jinxes; spiritual washes; candle magic etc.  The book also provides a plethora of useful recipes for powders, washes and conjure oils including some new, and some old, such as the wonderfully named Bend Over Oil (it’s not what you think – it is intended to bend another to your will….oh well on second thoughts..I suppose actually it could be for that too…). It also provides a brief introduction to various relevant deities and spirits, glossary of terms and some useful sources for further study.

I know very little about Hoodoo,other than what I have picked up from a variety of cheesy horror films, so I was very curious to find out more about this subject.  As it happened I found the subject explained in a fascinating and straightforward manner.  I was intrigued by the similarities and dissimilarities with European Witchcraft and the incorporation of elements of Christianity.  One of the aspects that I found undeniably enticing but also a bit scary related to the dark side of Hoodoo practice.  Patterson is a witch of many years standing and as such is clearly aware of the ‘And it harm none’ philosophy of modern witchcraft.  However, hoodoo does not appear to have such caveats – and Patterson fully acknowledges this and gleefully delves into its dark side.

Although she does warn that if you use magic for harm you are likely to receive harm in return this is not overly stressed in the book, and I think that possibly the Hoodoo philosophy here isn’t so much  ‘Do what thou wilt, an it harm none’ but ‘Do what thou wilt – but don’t get caught!’.   After one particular section on laying tricks on an enemy I had an admittedly hilarious but worrying image of some over-keen Hoodoo newbie lobbing a bottle full of coffin nails, graveyard dirt and bodily fluids at the porch of some unfortunate neighbour and ending up with an Asbo!

Nevertheless, Hoodoo is not all about laying jinxes on your mortal enemies (tempting as that might be) it is primarily about positive and beneficial magic designed to improve your life, and although not a religion in itself, does form part of the practices of many religions such as Haitian Vodou, Cuban Santeria and West African Yoruba and as such should be given due respect.

I very much enjoyed this book, and probably will try some of the recipes for incense and washes – although will probably steer clear of jinxing anyone!  As a keen history geek I would have loved a bit more on the history of the this tradition and the deities involved, but as the aim of the book is to present a practical guide for hoodoo practitioners history clearly wasn’t its primary focus.  Patterson did however provide some fascinating biographies of some of the famous names associated with Hoodoo, such as Doctor John and Marie Laveau – I will definitely be doing some further reading on these intriguing characters.

Patterson presents a very individual interpretation of Hoodoo for the modern, possibly urban practitioner, an audience possibly with other Craft experience but who has not necessarily been raised within the traditions of hoodoo.  As such it is not pure ‘traditional’ hoodoo – and some may object to this.  Importantly Patterson is strongly against the sacrifice of animals for rituals or spells (here here!) but does suggest some harmless and innovative solutions to this aspect of the practice.

I would say that this book’s ideal audience of potential practitioners might be those who already have some expertise in their current field of magic – some of the practices might be a bit ‘strong’ for newbies – and after all as the author points out no magical practice should be undertaken lightly and without proper precautions.  All in all though it was an entertaining and informative book about a very misunderstood and maligned area of magical practice.

Hoodooo Folk Magic by Rachel Patterson is due to be published by Moon Books  on 30 August 2013.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pagan-Portals-Hoodoo-Folk-Magic/dp/1782790209/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369212320&sr=1-5&keywords=rachel+patterson

Find out more about Rachel Patterson/Tansy Firedragon on her website:

http://www.rachelpatterson.co.uk/

 

White Ladies, Wicked Lairds, and WT Stead at Hermitage Castle….

Tags

bad lord soulis, border history, Border Rievers, Earl of Bothwell, haunted castles, Hermitage Castle, Mary Queen of Scotts, Michael Scott, Scotland, supernatural, wicked lairds, Wizards, WT Stead

“Haunted Hermitage, Where long by spells mysterious bound,

They pace their round with lifeless smile.

And shake with restless foot the guilty pile,

Till sink the mouldering towers beneath the burdened ground.”

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“Haunted Hermitage, Where long by spells mysterious bound, They pace their round with lifeless smile. And shake with restless foot the guilty pile, Till sink the mouldering towers beneath the burdened ground.” – See more at: http://www.attackingthedevil.co.uk/spiritualism/hermitage.php#sthash.rlmK35D9.dpuf

“Haunted Hermitage, Where long by spells mysterious bound, They pace their round with lifeless smile. And shake with restless foot the guilty pile, Till sink the mouldering towers beneath the burdened ground.” – See more at: http://www.attackingthedevil.co.uk/spiritualism/hermitage.php#sthash.rlmK35D9.dpuf

“Haunted Hermitage, Where long by spells mysterious bound, They pace their round with lifeless smile. And shake with restless foot the guilty pile, Till sink the mouldering towers beneath the burdened ground.” – See more at: http://www.attackingthedevil.co.uk/spiritualism/hermitage.php#sthash.rlmK35D9.dpuf

Miss Jessel will shortly be departing these shores in pursuit of her governess duties. However, before leaving Old Blighty she decided to venture Up North from the Metropolis for a visit.  Together we took a trip into the Scottish borders and visited the isolated and brooding ruins of Hermitage Castle.  It was a somewhat wet and blustery day, and black and white photographs seemed to capture the bleak atmosphere of the place better than colour so here are a few of my pictures, along with a little bit of the history of the castle and some of the very juicy legends associated with this bloodiest of border strongholds.

The Castle

The forbidding stone fortress that is Hermitage Castle is situated in the wild and remote Liddlesdale Valley, only 6 miles or so from the English Border.  Rising up from the boggy earth, in the midst of the ‘debatable lands’, it was of vital strategic importance in the centuries long border disputes between Scotland and England.

Its history is one of bloodshed, revenge, betrayal and dark magic.

Little remains of the original castle built by the Lords Soulis – an earth and timber stronghold dating from the thirteenth century – all that is visible today is the earthworks upon which the later stone castle sits.  In 1360 Sir Hugh Dacre began building the central stone tower, more of a fortified house than full-blown castle.  Today you can see the central cobbled courtyard and spiral stairs giving access to the laird’s chambers on the upper floors.

Eventually three more towers were added to the central one, including a well tower and a prison tower.  The last tower to be added was the Douglas Tower, added in the 16th Century and providing kitchens on the ground floor and well-appointed apartments for the Earl and his family on the upper floors.  The apartments included a double arched window, fine fire-places and en-suite latrines, so although the Hermitage has always been a strong hold rather than a home, some luxuries were provided.  Even the higher status captives in the prison tower were provided with a latrine…not so the common ones who were simply flung in a deep dark hole and left to rot at the laird’s pleasure.

However, as noted, Hermitage Castle was primarily a defensible position in very hostile territory.  As such it has few windows. The openings that seem to look like large windows running round the very top of the castle are actually doors on to a long vanished wooden fighting platform.  This platform also explains the two dramatic flying arches that help to give the castle its forbidding air (looking in part like gigantic demonic gateways…).  The flying arches allowed the platform to run straight from one tower to the next without having to cut in and out again between the towers.

In the late 16th Century, as gunpowder threatened older castles, the Hermitage fell under Crown control, more defensive features were added including horizontal gun holes, allowing greater manoeuverability for cannons; and later till the large ravelin (grassy mound) in front of the West approach to the castle – the other sides were safe from artillery carriages due to the bog and river.

Dark deeds in the Debatable Lands

Hermitage Castle’s history is one of bloodshed and treachery – its strategic importance meant it occasionally fell into English hands; and more than one Scottish lord made a deal with the devil and took English coin in return for changing sides or looking the other way during a skirmish.  Consequently it changed hands a number of times:  from the Lords Soulis in the thirteenth century to the Dacres and Douglas’s in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to the Hepburns (Earls of Bothwell) in the sixteenth century.  In later centuries the Dukes of Buccleugh and the Scott family owned it.  At times it was run by the crown and in 1930 came into public ownership.

Some of its occupants exploits have passed into folk-lore and legend.

Wicked Lord Soulis and Robin Redcap

There is a very dark legend surrounding one of the Lords Soulis.  One version says that in the thirteenth century Ranulf de Soulis (or in some versions it is Sir Nicholas) was an evil sorcerer.  He was reputedly taught the magical arts by the famed scholar and wizard Michael Scott of Eildon.

De Soulis however was a very dark magician, and it was whispered he had made a pact with the devil who promised him immunity from harm by iron weapons or hanging.  De Soulis could call upon the devil in the form of Robin Redcap when he needed an assistant for his dark deeds. The locals believed that De Soulis was kidnapping and sacrificing children during his rituals; in fear and desperation they sought out famous local seer Thomas the Rhymer for advice on how to kill one who was impervious to iron weapons or hanging.

The villagers followed Thomas the Rhymer’s advice to the letter – overpowering the Wicked Lord and taking him to nine stane rig, a nearby stone circle, where they killed him in the following manner –

The Boiling of Bad Lord Soulis

On a circle of stone they placed the pot,
On a circle of stones but barely nine,
They heated it up red and fiery hot,
Till the burnished brass did glimmer and shine.

They rolled him up in a sheet of lead,
A sheet of lead for a funeral pall,
They plunged him in the cauldron red.
and melted him lead bones and all. [1]

The guidebook takes a slightly more prosaic view, noting that the Wicked Lord Soulis was killed by his servants before the family relocated to Hermitage Castle.  The legend goes to show how much a grain of truth can be embroidered after an individual has died – especially one with an already evil reputation.

Lord Soulis ghost is supposed to return every seventh year to the vaults in which he sacrificed his victims.  His terrifying spectre and the frightful screams of his innocent victims have been heard on more than one occasion.

The Cout of Keilder

The tale of a terrifying knight possessed of magical armour is sometimes linked to the Wicked Lord Soulis, sometimes not.  In one version of the tale the Cout of Keilder, a giant, comes as a champion to kill the sorcerer, but the sorcerer knowing the Cout has magic armour and cannot be killed by weapons tricks him and drowns him in Hermitage Water.  Other versions say the Cout was wicked himself and terrorised the inhabitants of the castle until he was drowned.

A grassy mound just outside the nearby chapel purports to be the burial-place of the Cout.  It is sited outside the graveyard on unconsecrated ground.

The Knight of Liddlesdale

One of the bloodiest tales associated with the Castle relates to the turncoat Sir William Douglas.  Jealous that Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie was made Sheriff instead of him, he ambushed Sir Alexander whilst at Church in Howick and carried him off to Hermitage Castle as a prisoner.  Sir Alexander was slowly starved to death, only sustained by a few grains of wheat falling from the granary room above him.  His emaciated corpse was found with the fingers gnawed to the bone.  When a skeleton was found walled up in the castle, with a rusty sword and a handful of chaff beside it, it was rumoured to be the remains of the unfortunate Sir Alexander Ramsay.

I would guess that a version of this gruesome tale has made its way into modern fiction as part of the exploits of Ramsay in The Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin.

Sir Alexander Ramsay is said to walk within the castle still, and his anguished cries sometimes reverberate off the moss covered walls.

A Queen’s Tryst

In October 1566 James Hepburn 4th Earl of Bothwell was lying wounded in Hermitage Castle.  Mary Queen of Scots was at Jedburgh 25 miles away when she heard the news.  Bothwell had become a trusted advisor to Mary and she rode over extremely rugged terrain to visit Bothwell.  It being unseemly for a married woman to remain overnight, she returned to Jedburgh the same day.  On her return visit she fell from her horse into a bog, the queen was rescued but succumbed to a dangerous fever and almost died.  It is said that the apparition of a white lady at the Castle is  Mary Queen of Scots.

Later Bothwell would abduct and possibly rape, then marry and finally abandon Mary to her enemies resulting in her long imprisonment and eventual execution in England.  However, fate also had an unpleasant end in store for Bothwell: he died insane in a filthy Danish dungeon.

WT Stead on Hermitage Castle

The noted Victorian Journalist WT Stead was very interested in the supernatural.  He complied a number of ghost stories and eventually set up Julia’s Bureau to transcribe messages from beyond the grave.  WT visited Hermitage Castle in his youth and recounted his experiences in his 1897 book ‘Real Ghost Stories’:

“When I visited Hermitage Castle I was all alone, with my memory teeming with associations of the past. I unlocked the door with the key, which I brought with me from the keeper’s cottage, at a little distance down the valley. As it creaked on its hinges and I felt the chill air of the ruin, I was almost afraid to enter. Mustering my courage, however, I went in and explored the castle, then lying down on the mossy bank I gave myself up to the glamour of the past. I must have been there an hour or more when suddenly, while the blood seemed to freeze down my back, I was startled by a loud prolonged screech, over my head, followed by a noise which I could only compare to the trampling of a multitude of iron-shod feet through the stone-paved doorway. This was alarming enough, but it was nothing to the horror which filled me when I heard the heavy gate swing on its hinges with a clang which for the moment seemed like the closing of a vault in which I was entombed alive. I could almost hear the beating of my heart. The rusty hinges, the creaking of the door, the melancholy and unearthly nature of the noise, and the clanging of the gate, made me shudder and shiver as I lay motionless, not daring to move, and so utterly crushed by the terror that had fallen upon me that I felt as if I were on the very verge of death. If the evil one had appeared at that moment and carried me off I should have but regarded it as the natural corollary to what I had already heard. Fortunately no sulphureous visitant darkened the blue sky that stretched overhead with his unwelcome presence, and after a few minutes, when I had recovered from my fright, I ventured into the echoing doorway to see whether or not I was really a prisoner. The door was shut, and I can remember to this day the tremour which I experienced when I laid my hand upon the door and tried whether or not it was locked. It yielded to my hand, and I have seldom felt a sensation of more profound relief than when I stepped across the threshold and felt that I was free once more. For a moment it was as if I had been delivered from the grave itself which had already closed over my head. Of course, looking back upon this after a number of years, it is easy to say that the whole thing was purely subjective. An overwrought fancy, a gust of wind whistling through the crannies and banging the door close were quite sufficient to account for my fright, especially as it is not at all improbable that I had gone to sleep in the midst of the haunted ruins.

So I reasoned at the moment, and came back and stayed another hour in the castle, if only to convince myself that I was not afraid. But neither before nor after that alarm did any gust of wind howl round the battlements with anything approaching to the clamour which gave me such a fright. One thing amuses me in looking back at a letter which I wrote at the time, describing my alarm. I say, “Superstition, sneer you? It may be. I rejoiced that I was capable of superstition; I thought it was dried out of me by high pressure civilisation.” I am afraid that some of my critics will be inclined to remark that my capacities in that direction stand in need of a great deal of drying up.”[1]

And finally…

Eventually the political scene changed:  James VI of Scotland became James I of England, effectively ending border warfare and making Hermitage Castle redundant.  No longer of strategic importance the castle was neglected and fell swiftly into ruin – its crumbling walls became home to wild birds and it’s ruined halls were patrolled only by lonely spectres of a vanished age.  Were it not for the efforts of Sir Walter Scott and the 5th Duke of Buccluech, and in the twentieth century, Historic Scotland, the castle might have been lost forever – and with it a colourful and bloody part of border history.

 

Notes

[1] Exerpt of WT Stead’s writings taken from:  http://www.attackingthedevil.co.uk/spiritualism/hermitage.php#sthash.rlmK35D9.dpuf

Sources

http://www.attackingthedevil.co.uk/spiritualism/hermitage.php#sthash.rlmK35D9.dpuf
Coventry, Martin; Haunted Castles and Houses of Scotland, 2004
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/scotland/roxburghshire/featured-sites/hermitage-castle.html
Historic Scotland, Hermitage Castle, 1996
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_149