Talk- Brian Hoggard- Within Walls: The Archaeology of Counter-Witchcraft

In this lecture Brian will talk about the evidence of witchcraft beliefs which has been discovered in the fabric of buildings throughout Britain and far beyond.  Objects such as witch-bottles, dried cats, horse skulls, written charms and markings which have been carved onto surfaces are all testimony to these strong the beliefs which were once commonplace.

Brian has been studying history, archaeology and folk beliefs since his teens. His undergraduate dissertation focused on folk beliefs and witchcraft and, having previously read Ralph Merrifield's Archaeology of Ritual and Magic (1987), he noticed there was a huge amount of work which could be done to further explore the archaeology of witchcraft.  At that point – back in 1999 – his research really escalated into a major project which has culminated in the publication of Magical House Protection: The Archaeology of Counter-Witchcraft (Berghahn 2019).

www.apotropaios.co.uk https://www.berghahnbooks.com/title/HoggardMagical