LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
MORE WITCHCRAFT IN SOMERSET.
[To TEE EDITOR OP THE "(SPECTATOR."] Sin, —Perhaps the readers of the Spectator may like to hear more on the subject of witchcraft in Somerset. The village of which I write lies at the foot of the Mendip Hills. The population is between three and four hundred. It is five miles from the nearest railway station, about twelve from Bristol, and is not far from the small village in which the other "witch stories" originated. The first instance hap- pened a good many years ago to a woman residing in the parish at the Tresent time. It appears that she had been "kippin' comp'ny " with a young man in the next village, and, concluding her affections were misplaced, settled them else- where. This greatly incensed the mother of the young man, who, being employed in the "black art," "overlooked" her. Finding her health in a precarious state, she instantly visited the Bristol Infirmary, where her ailment was pronounced to be " palpitation of the heart." This went on for a year, when some one strongly advised her to visit a " wise woman " living then two miles from Bristol. She accordingly went; and now the strange part commences. On arriving at the house, a fearful old creature opened the door, and said, " Come in ; you have been overlooked ;' no doctor could do you any good." The woman sat down, noticing there were a lot of empty picture- frames on the walls, and a curious thing in the middle of the ceiling. (What that was, I could not get her to describe.) The "wise woman" then went upstairs muttering inaudible nothings. At the same time the afflicted woman seemed to see blood running through all the picture-frames. On coming down again, the "wise woman" told her there was a witch in the next parish, by whom she had been " overlooked." The expert then said the Lord's Prayer backwards very quickly and several other passages, and she then called on the witch to appear. Then a vision of the witch rose up before the• afflicted woman, and she knew her enemy. Before leaving,. the wise woman, presenting her with a horseshoe, bade her nail it behind her door, when no more harm would reach her.. The fee for all this was two shillings.
A somewhat similar case happened to a companion of the woman above mentioned. Being out at service a few miles- from here, she engaged herself to some young man, who.' became false to her. Applying to a witch who was passing through the neighbourhood, she received advice, and im- mediately acted on it. Going into town, she bought a sheep's- heart, and sticking it full of pins, roasted it over the fire, calling her lover to return, and repeating his name three times. Then saying the Lord's Prayer backwards very rapidly, she went upstairs backwards, and the charm was- then completed. Of course things concluded satisfactorily.. Her lover, seeing the error of his ways, returned, and they were • eventually married. I think the fee for this was one- shilling.
Another instance, relating to a witch living in this village,. is as follows :—A man, breaking his engagement with her daughter, married some one else, and our witch " overlooked' him, and bade ill-luck follow him. Now he could not keep a pig, or horse, or cow,—every animal being bewitched took some disease and died. It is said as a fact, that he even changed his abode on this account, and went to live in an adjoining parish, when, going one morning to plough, the horses, which were perfectly well, fell down dead ! Then he- went to live in Wales, and is there now ; but he cannot keep any animal, and he is very poor, owing to our famous- witch. The daughter of this same witch has had her pigs " overlooked " by her mother, and none will live, and she is nearly always in trouble. The witch has also "overlooked" a fine cow and sheep, belonging to a farmer, and both of these have died.
A sale took place a few months ago, when a piece of furni- ture was promised to a local witch, and though quite worth- less, it seems she had set her heart on it. Being denied the- rights of possession, she instantly vented her indignation on the owner, swearing she would " make her pay for it." On the following Sunday, a valuable cow belonging to the unfor- tunate owner of the furniture choked whilst (-sting, and a pig also succumbed; and my informant said : '• That wer all °win' ter thick witch, an' as zure as thee zits in thick chair, it be true theus witches have the rower ter kill our animals, an ter make our loives mizerabble. They do kip books wi' funny letters in 'em, an' freames wi' nurruh picters 'em, an' tooads,.. oo dozins ov 'em, an' hose-shoes, and all zoorts o' queer things- ver charmin' a-people." It is stated that this witch has made a small girl deaf and dumb, and that the child will not recover- until the witch has left the immediate neighbourhood; and the last news is to the effect that she is going to live in the• small village of which " H. S." sent an account to your paper- some weeks ago.
In our parish there are no less than five witches ! It is said,. "'Tie love that makes the world go round ;" but we may -well say, " 'Tis love that makes the witch profession pay,"—for, in nine cases out of ten, it is from this source that the " wise women" derive their living.—I am, Sir, &c., H. D. P.
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