Witch Krafting with Kat

  ‘The Wee Fairy Folk have come to London Town. Have you seen their home in the old, old oak in Kensington Gardens?’ Figurines depicting elves, fairies, goblins, witches and forest animals have been restored to a central London park. The statuettes, located in the Elfin Oak in Kensington Gardens, have been renewed for future generations to enjoy as part of a conservation project jointly funded by the Royal Parks charity and the Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. For full article please press link below https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ Standing in a bustling corner of Kensington Gardens is something quite extraordinary. At first glance it looks like a timeworn tree, but a closer inspection reveals a magical twist. Around its trunk dance a colourful cast of fairytale characters.   Known as the Elfin Oak, this whimsical sculpture has delighted generations of visitors. Its story is a surprising one that brings together an array of unlikely characters, from famou...

Petition for Thomas Harvey. (Catalogue ref: SP 18/183 f. 107) Welcome to another Witchy Wednesday, this week article is a real document petitioning for Thomas Harvey who was accused of Witchcraft. It was not just women who were accused of witchcraft. In this source, Henry Alcocke petitioned on the behalf of Thomas Harvey, who was accused of being a witch and then found innocent but was still in prison. 20 October, 1650. Thomas Harvey was a 17th-century mercer (fabric dealer) from Oakham, Rutland, England, who was arrested and tried for "suspicion of witchcraft and wicked practices with the devil". Although acquitted by a jury, he was held in prison due to the presiding judge's command. The majority of people accused of witchcraft in the early modern period were women. However, men could be accused too. In this petition to the Privy Council (a group of advisors at the heart of government), Henry Alcocke pleads for the release of Thomas Harvey, a mercer (dealer in fabrics) ...

  A man rides a gigantic white serpent in a river, watched by a woman in an orange shawl. Gouache painting by an Indian artist, ca. 1850(?). Date: 1850 Licence:  Public Domain Mark Welcome to another Witchy Wednesday! This week I thought it would be nice to share with you some more fabulous images I have sourced from the Welcome Collection. The Welcome Collection is a fantastic place to do historical research both in person and online.  https://wellcomecollection.org/ All of these images are of different depictions of strange and fascinating creatures across many countries, time periods. Most are in the public domain due to their age. I have put the licence details on each one.  Kali trampling Shiva. Chromolithograph by R. Varma. Raja Ravi Varma Licence: Public Domain Mark Vishnu lying on a serpent, with Lakshmi massaging his feet and Brahma in heaven. Chromolithograph. Licence: Public Domain Mark A serpent. Woodcut after C. Gessner. Conrad GessnerDate: 1613 Lic...