Burley, a pretty little village in the New Forest, southern England, is famous for its witches. This began during the 1950s, when witch Sybil Leek moved to the area and opened a shop called A Coven of Witches at the Cross, Burley, Ringwood, Hampshire.Sybil claimed to come from a family of hereditary witches dating back to the 16th Century. She also published several books on witchcraft, including Moon Signs
and Cast Your Own Spell
, and did much to raise people's awareness of the craft by talking about it to the press.
Although Sybil moved to America, where she died in 1982, her shop in Burley is still flourishing. Burley's witchcraft heritage certainly seems to have helped it prosper. As well as A Coven of Witches, other shops including Witchcraft and The Sorcerer's Apprentice have become well established selling occult paraphernalia and gifts with a magical theme.The village also contains a cider farm, some excellent restaurants and a tea shop called The Black Cat. It is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.
Sybil Leek was not the first witch to be associated with The New Forest. Gerald Gardner, who founded Gardnerian Wicca, the best known tradition of witchcraft in the UK today, claimed he had been initiated to the craft by New Forest witch Dorothy Clutterbuck.
Nowadays, some people believe that these modern witches' claims to direct initiatory descent from an ancient witchcraft tradition might be a little exaggerated. However, they have certainly been extremely influential in promoting the craft as it is known today and have also left their own fascinating heritage in the lovely village of Burley, in England's New Forest.
Links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/southampton/features/newforest/witches.shtml
http://www.burleynewforest.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil_Leek
http://www.covenofwitches.co.uk/
Moon Signs
Cast Your Own Spell
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/08/bonewitss-essential-guide-to-witchcraft.html
11 comments:
Interesting, I may have to visit there, where I live there is no wiccan or new age shops, I have to get everything online. The book shops stock a few witch books, but not many, a nightmare!
Burley is definitely a great place to visit - shame there are no wiccan or new age shops near where you live.
I know, I live in Sunderland, there is one shop which is possibly new age, which sells mainly ornaments, and another 'Hippy' shop which sells a few craft pieces, but nothing worth buying, so I shop online, but try to make do with what I already have, apart from books, I am an utter bookworm, do you know any good fiction books based on witchcraft?
The Sea Priestess is a classic fiction book based on witchcraft.
I've also just finished reading The Deptford Mice trilogy, which is really for children but is wonderfully pagan.
I know Burley well and have visited that particular shop many times. The range of products is really amazing.
Hi badwitch:-)
I love Burley,that and Avebury are my 2 fave places in the world!
Off to the forest tomorrow in fact for a week :-)
Sybil Leek named the shop "The Coven of Witches" it wasn't her shop AFAIK(if that's what you meant by "opened")
COW is the best shop for witchy car stickers i've seen!
Blessings
Celt
Thanks for correcting me about tthe shop - have a fantastic week in the forest!
no probs BW :-)
Thankyou,i will endeavour to have the best time ever! xx
Celt
I love your blog and your comments about Sybil and the village of Burley. I know Sybil's last student and nurse, Chris Jones. A couple of corrections though: Sybil didn't open Coven of Witches; she merely gave the shop its name. She did, however, at one time own an antique shop on High Street in Burley. Also, her book "Moon Signs" is not a Witchcraft book, but an astrology book. Her most famous Witchcraft books are "Diary of a Witch", which was an international bestseller and got her on numerous TV shows--including the Today Show with Barbara Walters--and "The Complete Art of Witchcraft", arguably Sybil's best work. Anyway, thank you for this site and the terrific photos!
i visit burley every year and everytime i go, it still makes the hairs on my back come to a stand
We were in the New Forest last week - we drove though Burley in the daytime it just appeared as a really nice little village but when we drove back though at night its seemed to have taken on a whole new aura. Not frightening but weird. Unfortunately I was unable to go into 'The Coven of witches' shop. So Im checking it out online.
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