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In Search of the New Forest Coven
In 1954 a book was published which claimed that witches were not just some historical oddity but that the author, retired civil servant, Gerald Gardner, had been initiated into a witch coven in the New Forest, Hampshire, England in 1939.
Many dismissed his claims, but Philip Heselton, who has been investigating the story for over 20 years, is convinced that what Gardner wrote about the witch coven was essentially true.
He has found that the New Forest coven was started by a group of esoteric students in the early part of the 20th century who believed in reincarnation and that they had been witches in a previous lifetime.
Philip Heselton has uncovered the likely membership of the coven and has brought them to life as never before.
Many dismissed his claims, but Philip Heselton, who has been investigating the story for over 20 years, is convinced that what Gardner wrote about the witch coven was essentially true.
He has found that the New Forest coven was started by a group of esoteric students in the early part of the 20th century who believed in reincarnation and that they had been witches in a previous lifetime.
Philip Heselton has uncovered the likely membership of the coven and has brought them to life as never before.
- GenresOccultNonfiction
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 5, 2022
Amusing. Loved the hedging in one sentence that turned into fact a page later. Hated how the chapters just, you know, kinda en-
February 22, 2021
The origins of Wicca are surrounded in mystery. Already obscured by the sands of time or swirls of mist lie the origins of Wicca. Gerald Gardner , the father of Modern Witchcraft , retired from working in the Far East and retired near New Forest. It was here that he linked up with a local group whom he called witches.His book maintained that the witch cult had been kept alive for generation being practiced in the shadow.
Recent research by the likes of Ronald Hutton and others have found that the ancient witch cult might not be that ancient at all but rather what was witnessed was the birth of a new religion based on ancient principals. The debate is not dying out. If one were to ask author Philip Heselton is this a new religion or the remnants of a dying witch cult. His answer would be yes and yes.
The author in this work goes back to the origins of the New Forest coven which initiated Gerald Gardner. It must be noted that Gerald met these witches at a Rosicrucian meeting and they were off my themselves. The author looks at all the members of this “Coven” he gives a biography of who they were and their spiritual interests. ‘Dafo “ or Edith Grimes Woodford was most likely the one who had the most active role in initiating Gardner to the craft. She was his main contact. They may have been lovers. She taught drama and speaking. She may have used her talents in the birth of the new religion. Dorothy Clutterbuck Fordham made her fortune by falsely marrying a married man with a mentally ill wife. After he dies she inherits two houses which she she lets out to various groups. She has written poems about nature themes that may have made their way into the craft. The Mason family was involved with photography. Their spiritual interests would include psychic ability and involvement with Co Masonry. Katherine Oldham wrote many books with fairy themes along with other magical elements. Perhaps the witches of them was Rosalind Sabine. She was involved with magic, Rosicrucianism and divination . She may have been the witch queen or high priestess.
This group may or may not have been a coven but they were a ground that met together and perhaps not all met at the same time. Some may have believed they were witches and others not. It would seem that there were groups of people practicing ancient witchcraft traditions or there were bit and pieces lying around that could be formulated into a tradition. No less each of these spiritual seekers brought something to the table in all their backgrounds included Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, Ceremonial Magic and interest in psychic ability and diviniation. All this was brought together to form an old/new religion of tradition.
Recent research by the likes of Ronald Hutton and others have found that the ancient witch cult might not be that ancient at all but rather what was witnessed was the birth of a new religion based on ancient principals. The debate is not dying out. If one were to ask author Philip Heselton is this a new religion or the remnants of a dying witch cult. His answer would be yes and yes.
The author in this work goes back to the origins of the New Forest coven which initiated Gerald Gardner. It must be noted that Gerald met these witches at a Rosicrucian meeting and they were off my themselves. The author looks at all the members of this “Coven” he gives a biography of who they were and their spiritual interests. ‘Dafo “ or Edith Grimes Woodford was most likely the one who had the most active role in initiating Gardner to the craft. She was his main contact. They may have been lovers. She taught drama and speaking. She may have used her talents in the birth of the new religion. Dorothy Clutterbuck Fordham made her fortune by falsely marrying a married man with a mentally ill wife. After he dies she inherits two houses which she she lets out to various groups. She has written poems about nature themes that may have made their way into the craft. The Mason family was involved with photography. Their spiritual interests would include psychic ability and involvement with Co Masonry. Katherine Oldham wrote many books with fairy themes along with other magical elements. Perhaps the witches of them was Rosalind Sabine. She was involved with magic, Rosicrucianism and divination . She may have been the witch queen or high priestess.
This group may or may not have been a coven but they were a ground that met together and perhaps not all met at the same time. Some may have believed they were witches and others not. It would seem that there were groups of people practicing ancient witchcraft traditions or there were bit and pieces lying around that could be formulated into a tradition. No less each of these spiritual seekers brought something to the table in all their backgrounds included Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, Ceremonial Magic and interest in psychic ability and diviniation. All this was brought together to form an old/new religion of tradition.
September 4, 2020
A fascinating further exploration of the origins of Wicca. Having identified the members of the New Forest Coven in a previous book, we now get to see more details of their occult and Pagan-adjacent interests, especially the Mason family, Rosamund Sabine, Edith Woodford-Grimes, and Katharine Oldmeadow. It seems likely that the group of friends were a network of people with related interests, and that only some of them were actually in the coven. It’s also clear that Gerald Gardner was initiated by the group and that he didn’t just invent Wicca. He did inject material from other sources into the rituals he received, of course. There’s also an intriguing story about Cecil Williamson meeting Edith Woodford-Grimes and probably Rosamund Sabine during WW2.
Philip Heselton carefully distinguishes between known facts and conjecture in this book, which is very helpful for allowing the reader to make up their own mind. He also has an engaging and lively writing style which is a pleasure to read.
Philip Heselton carefully distinguishes between known facts and conjecture in this book, which is very helpful for allowing the reader to make up their own mind. He also has an engaging and lively writing style which is a pleasure to read.
January 4, 2022
Remarkable speculation into the mysterious "New Forest Coven."
Continuing his research into the origins of modern Wicca, Hesselton n weaves together a tapestry of individuals, who may have Bern members of the group that, in 1939, initiated Herald Gardner into the practice of witchcraft, commonly called Wicca.
Admittedly speculative, Hesselton provides backgrounds, family histories and historical anecdotes of people known to have been associated with the theatre group Gardner encountered, became friends with, and per his account, subsequently was initiated by.
Continuing his research into the origins of modern Wicca, Hesselton n weaves together a tapestry of individuals, who may have Bern members of the group that, in 1939, initiated Herald Gardner into the practice of witchcraft, commonly called Wicca.
Admittedly speculative, Hesselton provides backgrounds, family histories and historical anecdotes of people known to have been associated with the theatre group Gardner encountered, became friends with, and per his account, subsequently was initiated by.
October 4, 2020
This is an excellent investigation into the foundations of Gerald Gardner’s religious movement Wicca. Here Philip Heselton looks in-depth of those who influenced Gardner’s writing. More likely a network of individuals rather than actual coven but all with esoteric interests. The book allows the reader to make up their own mind and for me it becomes glaring obvious that Wicca is most certainly built on the Christian rites of Rosicrucian and Free Masonry with a dash of pagan gods and a sprinkle of herbs.
November 5, 2023
Fascinating information, far too much speculation, written in a style that's overly informal, and formatted like a bad conspiracy theory text. Probably dry beyond belief to someone without a serious interest in the subject matter as well.
January 29, 2022
This book is interesting but feels somewhat unfinished and speculative. Even so, I found it to be an enjoyable and informative read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2020
I bought this book because I had heard about the supposed coven in a podcast on Gerard Gardner and in a BBC sounds drama called Whisperer in the Dark. I was hoping for clear eyed examination of the New Forest Coven and it's place in the growth of the Wicca movement. My heart sank almost immediately, this is a book for enthusiasts and simpletons only. There is no examination of facts because I don't think there are any, just assumptions, suppositions and presumptions; and a whole lot of unhelpful genealogy. There is an interesting book to be written about why a lot of charlatans, tricksters, theosophists et al, all ended up in the same small locale - but this isn't it.
March 29, 2022
I really enjoyed this book.
It's not the fanciest book but it's practical. Heselton has done a lot of research and is very clear what can be backed up with facts and what is his assumption.
It's not the fanciest book but it's practical. Heselton has done a lot of research and is very clear what can be backed up with facts and what is his assumption.
January 19, 2025
A Treasure by the Great Philip Hesselton: The Leading Historian of Wicca! Sadly, Heselton's research is continually maligned by Pagans for daring to draw reasonable conjectures, which is ironic considering the fact that Professor Ronald Hutton of Bristol University engages in baseless speculation except for the fact that he puts forth his personal opinions as if they are established facts (when they are far from established). Heselton is simply much more honest about that fact as he is speculating, which is perfectly acceptable within the discipline of History.
Also, I would like to free this book and its author from the accusations made on Amazon by Phoenix Kelley to defame its reputation: Heselton does NOT do as Kelley implies, which is: "one of the sources the author has used in several places is Margaret Murray..." Kelley grossly exaggerates how often Heselton indulged in using Murray's books, let alone as a "source"! Heselton referenced Murray twice throughout the entirety of this book, and each citation was virtually superfluous as I will demonstrate:
1.) "With his friends...[Gardner] is discussing 'the Devil,' a term they say they [the Wicca] never use, but knew what he meant. Margaret Murray, whose 'The Witch-Cult in Western Europe' was published in 1921, wrote about the Devil as being an office-holder in each coven. Gerald seemed to be familiar with this and probably asked the witches who was the Devil in their coven" (p. 187).
2.) "...Rosamund [a member of the New Forest Coven] began to think of herself as a witch and began to read avidly anything to do with the subject. [...]. I suspect that this was intensified following the publication in 1921 of Margaret Murray's 'The Witch-Cult in Western Europe' and particularly following the review of ['The Witch-Cult'] in 'The Occult Review' the following year" (p. 248).
Even if Heselton had used Murray substantially, it is worth noting that Murray has consistently been maligned through Male Privilege since the accusations made against her (i.e., intentionally omitting passages that would have disproved her) are unproven lies when one compares the accusations made against Murray with what she actually wrote.
My only critique of this work is that Heselton shouldn't have spelled out his conclusions so early on within the first chapter; rather, they should have been left to the end of the text. Regrettably, his work has been largely ignored by scholars since it debunks Hutton's conclusion that Gardner "made it all up." Therefore, despite the private support of Hutton, who is well aware of Heselton's research and having interviewed Heselton for a documentary, Hutton continually ignores his research and findings. The same can be said of the field of Pagan Studies in general, which won't dignify Heselton with the courtesy of a review! Sadly, they hold amateur Hstorians to a higher standard than they due professional Historians! In fact, Heselton laid in the ground work that professional historians couldn't be bothered with, such as actual field work!
Also, I would like to free this book and its author from the accusations made on Amazon by Phoenix Kelley to defame its reputation: Heselton does NOT do as Kelley implies, which is: "one of the sources the author has used in several places is Margaret Murray..." Kelley grossly exaggerates how often Heselton indulged in using Murray's books, let alone as a "source"! Heselton referenced Murray twice throughout the entirety of this book, and each citation was virtually superfluous as I will demonstrate:
1.) "With his friends...[Gardner] is discussing 'the Devil,' a term they say they [the Wicca] never use, but knew what he meant. Margaret Murray, whose 'The Witch-Cult in Western Europe' was published in 1921, wrote about the Devil as being an office-holder in each coven. Gerald seemed to be familiar with this and probably asked the witches who was the Devil in their coven" (p. 187).
2.) "...Rosamund [a member of the New Forest Coven] began to think of herself as a witch and began to read avidly anything to do with the subject. [...]. I suspect that this was intensified following the publication in 1921 of Margaret Murray's 'The Witch-Cult in Western Europe' and particularly following the review of ['The Witch-Cult'] in 'The Occult Review' the following year" (p. 248).
Even if Heselton had used Murray substantially, it is worth noting that Murray has consistently been maligned through Male Privilege since the accusations made against her (i.e., intentionally omitting passages that would have disproved her) are unproven lies when one compares the accusations made against Murray with what she actually wrote.
My only critique of this work is that Heselton shouldn't have spelled out his conclusions so early on within the first chapter; rather, they should have been left to the end of the text. Regrettably, his work has been largely ignored by scholars since it debunks Hutton's conclusion that Gardner "made it all up." Therefore, despite the private support of Hutton, who is well aware of Heselton's research and having interviewed Heselton for a documentary, Hutton continually ignores his research and findings. The same can be said of the field of Pagan Studies in general, which won't dignify Heselton with the courtesy of a review! Sadly, they hold amateur Hstorians to a higher standard than they due professional Historians! In fact, Heselton laid in the ground work that professional historians couldn't be bothered with, such as actual field work!
February 1, 2025
I've always been fascinated by the history of the modern Witchcraft movement. There are a number of authors, Philip Heselton being among them, who I will always turn to for accurate, well-researched, in-depth, and, most importantly, interesting reading. In Search of the New Forest, Coven delivers on all these key points. I finished the book last night while laying in bed with that pure joy you get when you've read a book that causes your knowledge of that subject to feel greater than when you began. Professor Heselton begins with a question and then takes you on a journey connecting the people, places, circumstances, as well as the times they found themselves in to weave the story (so far) of how the modern Witch Cult, as Gerald Gardner, would describe it.
If you have any interest at all in the modern Paganism or Witchcraft. This book receives my highest recommendation. I was fortunate enough to obtain a hardcover copy, not the Kindle version.
Merged review:
I've always been fascinated by the history of the modern Witchcraft movement. There are a number of authors, Philip Heselton being among them, who I will always turn to for accurate, well-researched, in-depth, and, most importantly, interesting reading. In Search of the New Forest, Coven delivers on all these key points. I finished the book last night while laying in bed with that pure joy you get when you've read a book that causes your knowledge of that subject to feel greater than when you began. Professor Heselton begins with a question and then takes you on a journey connecting the people, places, circumstances, as well as the times they found themselves in to weave the story (so far) of how the modern Witch Cult, as Gerald Gardner, would describe it.
If you have any interest at all in the modern Paganism or Witchcraft. This book receives my highest recommendation. I was fortunate enough to obtain a hardcover copy, not the Kindle version.
If you have any interest at all in the modern Paganism or Witchcraft. This book receives my highest recommendation. I was fortunate enough to obtain a hardcover copy, not the Kindle version.
Merged review:
I've always been fascinated by the history of the modern Witchcraft movement. There are a number of authors, Philip Heselton being among them, who I will always turn to for accurate, well-researched, in-depth, and, most importantly, interesting reading. In Search of the New Forest, Coven delivers on all these key points. I finished the book last night while laying in bed with that pure joy you get when you've read a book that causes your knowledge of that subject to feel greater than when you began. Professor Heselton begins with a question and then takes you on a journey connecting the people, places, circumstances, as well as the times they found themselves in to weave the story (so far) of how the modern Witch Cult, as Gerald Gardner, would describe it.
If you have any interest at all in the modern Paganism or Witchcraft. This book receives my highest recommendation. I was fortunate enough to obtain a hardcover copy, not the Kindle version.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews