Eerie Witches' Marks Found Among Ruins of Medieval English Church

This week, archaeologists conducting excavations at the abandoned church of St. Mary’s in Stoke Mandeville, England, discovered strange stone carvings and medieval graffiti suspected to be “witches’ marks,” or protective symbols designed to ward off evil spirits.

Per a statement, the etchings are among the many “exciting” archaeological finds made ahead of construction of HS2, a controversial, high-speed railways set to connect much of Great Britain. Previous discoveries include the skeleton of an Iron Age murder victim, remnants of Britain’s prehistoric coastline and a prehistoric hunter-gatherer site on the outskirts of London.

Two stones found at St. Mary’s feature spoke-like lines radiating out from central holes—a design perhaps meant to entrap malicious spirits, dooming them to forever wander around an endless line or maze. Alternatively, the statement notes, the markings could be rudimentary sun dials, or scratch dials, used to signal when it was time for morning, midday and evening prayers.

One of the carvings identified at the site was situated close to ground level on the church’s west buttress, making it more likely to be a witches’ mark than a scratch dial. Witches’ marks, meanwhile, were often inscribed near the entrances of churches, houses, barns or caves. According to Historic England, researchers have previously spotted the ritualistic symbols on buildings dating from the early medieval period to the 19th century.

According to the statement, St. Mary’s was built as a private chapel around 1070. A church and aisle followed, and by the 1340s, the structure had become a communal house of worship. A new church located closer to the village replaced St. Mary’s in 1866.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/witch-markings-thought-ward-evil-spirits-are-discovered-england-180976112/