London witchcraft museum display concept.
SAMPLE MUSEUM:
There exist many displays and presentations of witchcraft, including in the museum of London itself, which, even as part of a politically mindful twenty first century society, readily accept ‘witchcraft’ as a reality by presenting ‘magical’ artefacts and spell books, overlooking its misogynistic derivative and neglect to address the reasons for and the effects of the emergence of this historical phenomenon. Thus, this display will present witchcraft throughout London’s history, but with a sociopolitical focus, educating both adults and children on the reasons why this phenomenon came about, highlighting the suffering that women had to endure, and introducing the idea that ‘witchcraft’ was and is not a thing in itself, but a camouflaged means of ostracising and othering women, throughout history. There is a great importance in changing the way that witchcraft is perceived. If not, this simply prolongs unseen inherent sexism. This display will personalise those who suffered, allowing for this genocide to be viewed like any other, serving as a reminder of the danger of propaganda.
The Museum of London states that it is a social museum, focussed on providing a learning experience about society throughout time, connecting people with the lived experience of London. However, the lived experience of the women who suffered false witchcraft accusations are not properly acknowledged. London being the hub for England’s most prevalent history therefore had a first hand experience of the witchcraft phenomenon. London prides itself on its inclusion and celebration of every type of person, thus by providing a better understanding of the segregation of women during this period, equality can be further established. Issues of feminism continue to be of great prevalence, so it is important that all constructs containing misogynistic undertone are stripped down to reveal their inherent sexism.
In order to captivate the interest of as many as possible, this display will be immersive and interactive: an experience rather than a ‘lesson’. Being properly involved, people are far more likely to form and maintain interest. There will not be any disadvantages for those with lower literacy levels, children or the elderly. There is the option to read more of the information through the means of a leaflet (provided at the end), or via a QR code (provided at every section), so the visitor is able to immerse themselves to their own desire and in their own time, in order to appeal to all. There will be seven sections, each focused on different time periods in order to create curiosity and maintain interest. There will be a combination of activities and objects with information in order to appeal to all age groups.
There will be seven sections to the display, presenting a chronological history of witchcraft in London, exhibited in different themes.
The first section introduces the viewer to the root of witchcraft in London. There is a display table containing two ancient artefacts. First, the Roman amulet used to ‘magically’ prevent illness and disease, and second, a medieval lead pilgrim badge used as a means of ‘magically’ protecting oneself against sickness. These two objects remind the viewer that superstition existed long before the concept of witchcraft and- typically worn by men- cause the visitor to disconnect magic and superstition from women. The amulet was also found in the Thames: a roman map of London will be displayed alongside this, pin-pointing the river, to enforce the object’s, therefore the subject of witchcraft’s, direct connection to London. This section contains the ‘Malleus Maleficarum,’ which was a document published in Germany in 1486 claiming that witchcraft was treason against God. Despite not being an originally English document, this artefact is paramount as it initiated the idea of witchcraft as a diabolical sin committed by women. It was eventually widespread throughout Europe, which resulted in the final object: a clipping from Henry VIII’s witchcraft act from 1541, which was the first English document to criminalise witchcraft- punishable by death. There will be a translation provided underneath in order for the information to be properly comprehended. It was this document which resulted in witch trials.
The second section focusses on the introduction to the prosecution. There are two old drawings mounted, which depict the hangings in Tyburn Gallows of women found ‘guilty’ of witchcraft. There is also a map, drawn in this era (the 16th century), drawn to portray ‘The Great Hunt’ of London, which involved the upswing of the persecution of accused women. In the display cabinet on the right, is a medieval ‘witch bottle’, which contained a combination of objects like hair, pins, nails, thought to repel witches. These objects successfully convey witchcraft in London at this time to be something of an epidemic. The piece of rope and the stone plaque on the left are specifically connected to one ‘witch’ in particular who was hanged: Anne Kerke . Not only does this further connect to London, but personalises the women involved, while creating a macabre visual to force the viewer to truly understand the suffering that took place.
The third section concentrates on the trials which later took place in London, where witches would be tied up and pushed into the thames, pronounced guilty if they floated, innocent if they drowned. Often, due to the loose clothing worn at the time and the way they were tied (right thumb to left toe), women were likely to float, and if they did not, they would die anyway. There is a ‘witches aprehended’ poster which would have been used in the 16th century, whose constant threat would have scared women into subordination. The iron rivets displayed in the cabinet resembles those that would have been driven into the legs of those pronounced guilty, to stop them from ‘rising from the grave.’ The atrocity that these objects represent hope to have an impact on the visitors.
The following section gives the visitor a break from information, and is wholly interactive. There will be a box full of small cloth dolls, wearing loose clothing. There will also be modern replicas of the previous discussed iron rivets. The visitor will have the opportunity of pinning the doll into the position that the witch would have been in, and throw it into a model of the thames, in order to visualise its brutality. On the right hand side is a model of a dress that a 16th century woman would have worn, which- upon lifting the skirts weight- one can apprehend the women’s certain demise.
The fifth section depicts some real women who were accused of witchcraft in London. The first: a pamphlet which circulated London, accusing Joan Peterson, ‘the witch of wapping’, of morphing into a black cat, bewitchment and talking to animals. As a herbalist, this profession commonly resulted in witchcraft accusations. Due to the rise in male medical profession, women would become healers to establish their own rights to medical care. The concern of female rivalry would of course allow for such accusations to be taken at face value, thus witchcraft accusations only became more and more frequent. The second woman, Jinney Bingham, (known as ‘the witch of Kentish Town’ ) was accused of witchcraft following the mysterious deaths of three of her husbands. Notorious for the accompaniment of her black cat, it is likely that this is what created the stereotype of a witch having a ‘familiar.’ Having a cat was also common due to the domesticated role of a woman, enforced by men. With such high pressure to be a good housewife, often, a woman would find it easier to admit to magical interference than to admit incompetency. This of course became dangerous in the rise of witch trials, so a woman was now either punished for poor housewifery, or for being a witch. The final case displays a clipping of the Old Bailey proceedings (the place where many witchcraft heatings took place) of Jane Kent, accused for bewitchment after being denied a bargain for swine. Not only does this object depict a real, once very relevant place in London (also shown through an image drawn in the 18th century), but also reveals the link between women who showed some sort of dominance and consequently being accused of witchcraft. The idea of witchcraft being an easy means for men to reduce women, becomes evident.
The sixth section moves to the early twentieth century, when women started to reclaim the term ‘witch’ and used it as a means of protestation or empowerment. Included is a framed record of the song ‘the art of witchcraft’ by Babetta- or ‘Babetta the sexy witch’- along with a speaker with a button, which the visitor would be able to press and listen to should they wish. During the late sixties, LPs with narrated rituals and spells became popular due to the decade’s interest in breaking societal conventions. After it became illegal to make witchcraft accusations in 1735, women were free to fight the convention, and the witch started to symbolise female empowerment. The W.I.T.C.H. (women’s international terrorist conspiracy from hell) movement began in America within the rise of second wave feminism. Despite not having a direct link to London, efforts to destigmatise witchcraft and empower womanhood like these, have contributed to religions such as paganism and Wicca now being widely accepted and celebrated in London: there are hundreds of shops and meeting places. ‘Witches’ of today focus on herbology and cartomancy, which was what the accused women in the past were actually practicing, not necessarily black magic. At the end of this section is a poster of the festival ‘witchfest’, which is a long weekend of celebrating paganism which takes place in Croydon every year. At this point in the exhibit, if a visitor finds themselves interested in learning more about modern witchcraft they have the opportunity of looking into it further.
In the final section of the display is a station where the visitors can make their own herbal spray: a common use of modern day magic. This hands on activity will further influence the visitors into associating magic and witchcraft with the ‘magic’ of plants and medicinal healing, rather than evil women. There is also a screen mounted onto the wall, desgigned to replicate the look of a modern day iPhone, where visitors can watch tiktoks of modern day witches. There will also be a QR code provided which will take someone with the app already on their phone to see all the videos underneath the hashtag #witchtok. This is an interactive way for a modern audience to learn more about witchcraft in modernity.
Footnotes:
1. Philippa Carter, ‘Work, Gender and Witchcraft in Early Modern England’, Gender & History (2023).
2. John G Kennedy, ‘Psychological and Social Explanations of Witchcraft’, Man, 2 (1967) pp.216-225.
3. John G Kennedy, ‘Psychological and Social Explanations of Witchcraft’, Man, 2 (1967) pp 216-225.
4. Danielle Thom, From Witches To Wellness: Medicine And Magic In London (2020), Museum Of London < https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/witches-wellness-medicine-and-magic-london > [accessed 22 December 2023].
5. Danielle Thom, From Witches To Wellness: Medicine And Magic In London (2020), Museum Of London < https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/witches-wellness-medicine-and-magic-london > [accessed 22 December 2023].
6. Iris S DeLis, Witches as Queer(ed) Comrades: How Patriarchy, Sexism and Religious Fanaticism Fueled the Early Modern European Witch Hunts (2021), PDXScholar <https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2365&context=honorstheses> [accessed 14 January 2024].
7. Rachael Davis, Gruesome Story Of First Ever 'Witch' To Be Executed In London (2021), My London <https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/gruesome-story-londons-first-ever-19746059> [accessed 23 December 2023].
8. Rachael Davis, Gruesome Story Of First Ever 'Witch' To Be Executed In London (2021), My London <https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/gruesome-story-londons-first-ever-19746059> [accessed 23 December 2023].
9. Alan Anderson; Gordon Raymond, ‘Witchcraft and the Status of Women- the Case of England’, British Journal of Sociology, 29 (1978) pp171-184.
10. Allison C Meier, Is There a Witch Bottle in Your House? (2019), JSTOR daily <https://daily.jstor.org/is-there-a-witch-bottle-in-your-house/> [accessed 24 December].
11. Rachael Davis, Gruesome Story Of First Ever 'Witch' To Be Executed In London (2021), My London <https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/gruesome-story-londons-first-ever-19746059> [accessed 23 December 2023].
12. John Rabon, The Hexing of London – The City’s History of Witches (2019), Londontopia <https://londontopia.net/history/the-hexing-of-london-the-citys-history-of-witches/#:~:text=In%20England%2C%20persecution%20of%20witches,the%20law%20occurred%20in%201599> [accessed 10 January 2024].
13. William Jewell, The Golden Cabinet of True Treasure (2011), Text Creation Partnership <https://textcreationpartnership.org/using-tcp-content/citing-the-tcp/> [accessed 17 January 2024].
14. Rachael Davis, Gruesome Story Of First Ever 'Witch' To Be Executed In London (2021), My London <https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/gruesome-story-londons-first-ever-19746059> [accessed 23 December 2023].
15. Rachael Davis, Gruesome Story Of First Ever 'Witch' To Be Executed In London (2021), My London <https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/gruesome-story-londons-first-ever-19746059> [accessed 23 December 2023].
16. Alison Murray, Witches Of The East End (2020), East End Women’s Museum <https://eastendwomensmuseum.org/blog/2020/8/12/witches-of-the-east-end> [accessed 22 December 2023].
17. Brian P Levack, The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America, ed. By Brian P. Levack, second edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013) p. 449.
18. Randall Martin, Women And Poison, in Women, Murder and Equity in Early Modern England (London: Routledge, 2008) pp123-155.
19. Markham Gervase, the English Housewife, ed. By Michael R. Best (London: R. Jackson, 1623)
20. Diane Purkiss, ‘Women's Stories of Witchcraft in Early Modern England: The House, The Body, The Child’, in Gender & History, 7 (1995) pp408-432.
21. Katie McCabe, A Brief History Of London’s Forgotten Witches (2021), Time Out <https://www.timeout.com/london/news/a-brief-history-of-londons-forgotten-witches-103017> [accessed 23 December 2023].
22. Katharine Hodgkin, ‘Historians and Witches’, History Workshop Journal, 45(1998) pp. 271-277
23. Melanie Xulu, Looking Back At A Time Where Major Labels Were Releasing Witchcraft Rituals (2019), Dazed <https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/45437/1/remembering-the-era-of-witchcraft-occult-lp-albums> [accessed 23 December 2023].
24. Fredric Jameson, ‘Periodising the 60s’, The 60s Without Apology, 9 (1984) pp.178-209.
25. Allison C Meier, Ectoplasm and the Last British Woman Tried for Witchcraft (2018), JSTOR daily <https://daily.jstor.org/ectoplasm-and-the-last-british-woman-tried-for-witchcraft/> [accessed 17 January 2024].
26. Jessica Crispin , Feminism’s Hidden Spiritual Side (2021), JSTOR daily <https://daily.jstor.org/feminisms-hidden-spiritual-side/> [accessed 11 January 2024].
27. Katie Wills, They Wear Balenciaga, Cast Spells on Instagram Live and Swear by Sound-Healing—Meet the New Breed of London Witches (2021) <https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-witches-feminism-urban-witchcraft-b962858.html> [accessed 24 December 2023].
28. Ronald Hutton, ‘Paganism and Polemic: The Debate over the Origins of Modern Pagan Witchcraft’, Folklore, 111 (2000) pp.103-117.
29. Katie McCabe, A Brief History Of London’s Forgotten Witches (2021), Time Out <https://www.timeout.com/london/news/a-brief-history-of-londons-forgotten-witches-103017> [accessed 23 December 2023]
30. Ronald Hutton, ‘Paganism and Polemic: The Debate over the Origins of Modern Pagan Witchcraft’, Folklore, 111 (2000) pp.103-117.
31. Katie Wills, They Wear Balenciaga, Cast Spells on Instagram Live and Swear by Sound-Healing—Meet the New Breed of London Witches (2021) <https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-witches-feminism-urban-witchcraft-b962858.html> [accessed 24 December 2023].
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson Alan; Gordon Raymond, ‘Witchcraft and the Status of Women- the Case of England’, British Journal of Sociology, 29 (1978)
Bever Edward, ‘Witchcraft, Female Aggression, and Power in the Early Modern Community’, Journal of Social History, 35 (2002)
Birks Arran, The ‘Hammer of Witches’: An Earthquake in the Early Witch Craze (2020), The Historian <https://projects.history.qmul.ac.uk/thehistorian/2020/01/24/the-malleus-maleficarum-an-earthquake-in-the-early-witch-craze/> [accessed 16 January 2024]
Carter Philippa, ‘Work, Gender and Witchcraft in Early Modern England’, Gender & History (2023)
Crispin Jessica, Feminism’s Hidden Spiritual Side (2021), JSTOR daily <https://daily.jstor.org/feminisms-hidden-spiritual-side/> [accessed 11 January 2024]
Davies Owen, ‘Urbanization and the Decline of Witchcraft: An Examination of London’, Journal of Social History, 30 (1997)
Davis Rachael, Gruesome Story Of First Ever 'Witch' To Be Executed In London (2021), My London <https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/gruesome-story-londons-first-ever-19746059> [accessed 23 December 2023]
DeLis Iris S, Witches as Queer(ed) Comrades: How Patriarchy, Sexism and Religious Fanaticism Fueled the Early Modern European Witch Hunts (2021), PDXScholar <https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2365&context=honorstheses> [accessed 14 January 2024]
Eller, Cynthia Living in the Lap of the Goddess: The Feminist Spirituality Movement in America, (Boston: Beacon Press, 1995)
Evans-Pritchard E.E, ‘WITCHCRAFT, ORACLES AND MAGIC AMONG THE AZANDE’, Sudan Notes and Records, 22 (1939)
Hodgkin Katharine, ‘Historians and Witches’, History Workshop Journal, 45(1998)
Hutton Ronald, ‘Paganism and Polemic: The Debate over the Origins of Modern Pagan Witchcraft’, Folklore, 111 (2000)
Jameson Fredric, ‘Periodising the 60s’, The 60s Without Apology, 9 (1984)
Jewell William, The Golden Cabinet of True Treasure (2011), Text Creation Partnership <https://textcreationpartnership.org/using-tcp-content/citing-the-tcp/> [accessed 17 January 2024]
Kennedy John G, ‘Psychological and Social Explanations of Witchcraft’, Man, 2 (1967)
Levack Brian P, The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America, ed. By Brian P. Levack, second edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013)
Markham Gervase, the English Housewife, ed. By Michael R. Best (London: R. Jackson, 1623)
Martin Randall, Women And Poison, in Women, Murder and Equity in Early Modern England (London: Routledge, 2008)
McCabe Katie, A Brief History Of London’s Forgotten Witches (2021), Time Out <https://www.timeout.com/london/news/a-brief-history-of-londons-forgotten-witches-103017> [accessed 23 December 2023]
Meier Allison C, Is There a Witch Bottle in Your House? (2019), JSTOR daily <https://daily.jstor.org/is-there-a-witch-bottle-in-your-house/> [accessed 24 December]
Meier Allison C, Ectoplasm and the Last British Woman Tried for Witchcraft (2018), JSTOR daily <https://daily.jstor.org/ectoplasm-and-the-last-british-woman-tried-for-witchcraft/> [accessed 17 January 2024]
Mohdin Aamna, 'Waking Up To Our Power': Witchcraft Gets Political (2019), The Guardian <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/08/witchfest-croydon-magic-occult-feminism-witches> [accessed 23 December]
Murray Alison, Witches Of The East End (2020), East End Women’s Museum <https://eastendwomensmuseum.org/blog/2020/8/12/witches-of-the-east-end> [accessed 22 December 2023]
Murray M.A, ‘Witches’ Familiars in England’, Great Britain: Witchcraft, 18 (1918)
Purkiss Diane, ‘Women's Stories of Witchcraft in Early Modern England: The House, The Body, The Child’, in Gender & History, 7 (1995)
Purkiss Diane, The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-Century Representations,1 (Routledge, 1996)
Rabon John, The Hexing of London – The City’s History of Witches (2019), Londontopia <https://londontopia.net/history/the-hexing-of-london-the-citys-history-of-witches/#:~:text=In%20England%2C%20persecution%20of%20witches,the%20law%20occurred%20in%201599> [accessed 10 January 2024]
Randall Martin, Women, Murder and Equity in Early Modern England (London: Routledge, 2008), ch. 4.
Thom Danielle, From Witches To Wellness: Medicine And Magic In London (2020), Museum Of London < https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/witches-wellness-medicine-and-magic-london > [accessed 22 December 2023]
Who is Elizabeth Sawyer and why is she considered one of the most infamous witches of the Stuart age? (2023), The London Dungeon, <https://www.thedungeons.com/london/information/news/who-was-elizabeth-sawyer-anniversary-of-her-death/#:~:text=London%20Witch%20Trials,be%20conspiring%20with%20the%20devil.> [accessed 17 January 2024]
Wills Katie, They Wear Balenciaga, Cast Spells on Instagram Live and Swear by Sound-Healing—Meet the New Breed of London Witches (2021) <https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-witches-feminism-urban-witchcraft-b962858.html> [accessed 24 December 2023]
Xulu Melanie, Looking Back At A Time Where Major Labels Were Releasing Witchcraft Rituals (2019), Dazed <https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/45437/1/remembering-the-era-of-witchcraft-occult-lp-albums> [accessed 23 December 2023]
PRE MORTEM:
Despite a great variety of activities and means of engaging the visitors, there are still some flaws, which could be rectified. The most prevalent weakness is the sheer size of the display, which could hold several different ones. Would the Museum of London want to dedicate so much space to just one topic- particularly one that is not wholly unique to the city of London itself? It must also be acknowledged that despite many hooks to engage the visitors, these are not visible until you enter each of the sections. From the outside, it would not be possible to see any of the display, so would this cause a lack of interest? There would be no immediate captivity (particularly for a child), and it would consequently benefit from some sort of signage informing the visitors of what the display will consist of in order to draw them in. There may also be issues regarding convenience of space. The first complication is that people would be constantly moving in and out of the different rooms, so would potentially create ‘traffic’ and cause the visitors to feel like they should rush in order to make room for others. It may be difficult for someone to read the information on the sides of the walls while another is trying to observe what is on the main wall. Especially for those in wheelchairs, having to continuously move in and out of a room would prove impractical. Furthermore, there is less freedom to leave and return. For example, one may want to read some of the information but find the speaker playing music distracting, but would have to leave the room and re enter. The second complication is that, once inside the different sections, the display cabinets and tables become a hindrance as they obstruct the vision of some of the labels and objects. With the display curated for both adults and children, there is also a risk of damage with having glass and precious artefacts in a semi enclosed space. Although the display has been designed with all age ranges in mind, there are evidently still sections better suited to adults and others for children, rather than a consistent in between. For example, would a child find the lack of touchable objects and amount of information- which may not even be visible at their height- boring? With a lack of variety and shapes, there may be no desire for a child to read the information which is essential to understanding the significance of the object. Would tiktok videos or the immersive activity with the dolls be interesting for an adult? Furthermore, the activity with the dolls may prove impractical in itself. Would there be enough dolls? How would they be returned? How would they be retrieved and dried from the water? Despite being a fun idea it may end up being too much of an inconvenience, particularly due to the use of water, and the same message could be conveyed in an alternative way. The same complications may arise with the ‘spray’ table.