Deep in the heart of the New Forest lies a village dedicated to Witchcraft. Cottages emblazoned with stealthy ladies on broomsticks brim over with crystals and spell books in the manner of Glastonbury village.  But for all its witchery, there’s no denying it’s a village that leaves you spellbound. Fascinated by the folklore, I delved a little deeper into the bubbling cauldron of witchcraft in Burley.

The origins of witchcraft in Burley

Burley’s links to witchcraft date back to the late 1950s with the appearance of the famous white witch Sybil Leek who was frequently spotted flitting through the high street in her black cloak with obligatory jackdaw perched on her shoulder.   With the witchcraft Act only repealed in 1951, Sybil’s up front antics created much media attention and uproar amongst Burley villagers who viewed her alternatively as a fraud or a joke.

Shunned from the local community, Sybil took refuge in the States where her witchcraft books were more favourably received.  By the time of her death in 1982, Sybil had written more than sixty books and had made herself a millionaire.

During Sybil’s chequered career, numerous outlandish claims came to light including her recruitment by the British Government during the Second World War to provide fake horoscopes for Nazi astrology enthusiasts. This led to her creating a fake chart that it is claimed ultimately convinced the Nazi Rudolf Hess to fly to England where he was captured.

Whether you believe these claims or not, nobody can dispute Sybil’s huge influence on the growing witchcraft movement both in the UK and the in States.  A new coven has since been created in the New Forest – a move which I’m sure would have delighted Sybil.

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