The Wellington Witch Ladder
The first recorded witch ladder found was in an old house in Wellington, Somerset which was demolished in 1878. Six brooms, an old armchair and a ‘rope with feathers woven into it’ were found in the space that separated the roof from the upper room and was inaccessible from the interior of the house. The brooms had handles so decayed they snapped under pressure, but these had been replaced so they could be used. The chair and rope were stored in a ware- house. Due to the investigations of local antiquarians, (Abraham Colles & E.B. Tylor) the find was published in the Folk-Lore Journal. This article detailed the responses to local enquiries, but was followed by a number of letters to the journal which expressed a range of opinions as to the function of the rope.
Read more about this topic: Witch's Ladder
Famous quotes containing the words wellington, witch and/or ladder:
“An age and a faith moving into transition,
the dinner cold and new-baked bread a failure,”
—Alfred Wellington Purdy (b. 1919)
“A witch is one who worketh by the Devil or by some curious art either healing or revealing things secret, or foretelling things to come which the Devil hath devised to ensnare men’s souls withal unto damnation. The conjurer, the enchanter, the sorcerer, the diviner, and whatever other sort there is encompassed within this circle.”
—George Gifford (16th century)
“The only difference between a man and woman climbing the ladder of success is that a woman is expected to put it in the closet when she’s finished with it.”
—Barbara Dale (b. 1940)