Revesby: A Sabbatic Hill in Lincolnshire?

By Stoatfire: Clan of Tubals Forge


 

If you travel out into deepest, darkest Lincolnshire you may find yourself in the sleepy hamlet of Revesby, which lies roughly between the market town of Horncastle on Wold’s edge and the Fenland port of Boston. Revesby would remain unremarkable if it were not for the remains of a Cistercian abbey (founded by the Earl of Lincoln, William de Romara in 1142); its connection to the Mysteries of the Plough Play and the presence of two tumuli - the focal point of this article.

Although academic debate still rages about the origins of the tumuli (from Medieval rabbit warrens to gun emplacements for Civil War cannons), what makes the mounds unique in Lincolnshire is that they have a very powerful and distinct story attached to them. The antiquary William Stukeley passed through Revesby and in his book ‘Itinerarium Curiosum’ he documents the mounds as being a “sacrificial burial site”. To make things really interesting, in 1926, Christopher Marlowe published a book called ‘Legends of the Fenland People’ which held a story entitled ‘A Witches’ Sabbath’ and described bizarre and disturbing activities going on at the mounds (full moon circa 1632).

Mr Marlowe begins his tale by describing how, even in the seventeenth century, Revesby locals believed the ‘lonely northern heights’ of the mounds to be the meeting place between Satan and his brethren and that witches flew great distance “through storm and tempest, bringing destruction where they alighted” to attend the ‘Sabbaths’. He describes how two to three hundred female witches utilized “broomstick and anointed body” to arrive at Revesby, where they assumed a squatting position astride the mounds and awaited their infernal master. The Dark Lord would rise from the mound, his form being a fusion of lion, bear and hydra and he would demand that the congregation retell their foul deeds (one by one!), which included:

· The stealing of un-baptised infants.
· The dedication of the aforementioned to his Satanic Majesty.
· The weaving of spells to “weaken good Christian folk into forsaking the service of God”.
· The spreading of famine and plague upon the community.

This diabolical confessional being concluded, the serious partying began, with ”loathsome sacrifice” and “bacchanalian feasting, dance and drunkenness” to the (no doubt) rhythmic shrieking and howling of “souls tormented by the Devil’s mass”. Fortunately (for the locals!) this event only occurred on the night of the full moon and the foul hordes are dispersed when “dawn drives the company to their homes”.

Now enters our hero, the Captain of His Majesty’s guard who arrives in Revesby on horseback as a road weary traveller on a pleasant full moon eve in the springtime of 1632 (oh lucky man).

The unnamed Captain (cue avid historians checking archives to identify him) has ridden from the Court of Westminster in London to the wilds of Lincolnshire, on route to Bolingbrook castle, presumably on the King’s business (as nobody would visit Lincolnshire for pleasure).

The Captain reaches ‘The Sun Inn’ (which is now the Red Lion Pub) and requests food and lodging for the night. He is initially refused, as the innkeeper is highly suspicious of any stranger arriving on such an auspicious evening (presumably his mind is changed by the magic of raw coinage). After the Captain is fed and watered, the innkeeper explains something of why all of the locals have left the bar and are in bed by 9.30pm (shutters secured) and suggests that his guest be wise and follow local practice. The innkeeper wishes the captain “as pleasant night as might be hoped for under the circumstances” and scuttles up the stairs to bed.

The Captain’s curiosity is aroused and “as the day waned and the shadows stole softly along the walls of the parlour” he decides (against all good advice) that he will go for a stroll in the moonlight. Some locals would call his actions “typical of a bloody minded southerner” but it was correct that the Captain regarded the innkeeper’s story as peasant superstition and he sets off fearlessly towards the moonlit mounds sporting a “stout ash stick”.

At points along his approach towards the mounds he hears “the whirring of wings behind him” but his legs force him on (seemingly against his will) until he stands behind “a great boulder” just below the summit of the mound. At this moment a shrill ‘weird cry’ is emitted from the tumuli and the Captain’s “blood turned to ice and perspiration streamed down his face” (maybe the locals are not inbred halfwits after all?). A great silence falls around him and he observes 50-100 squatting, half naked women who sway to a “bacchanalian tune” (the local musician is not named). At the centre of the mound is an altar of stone, on which, smoulders the remains of a “partially consumed sacrifice” (crikey, Old Bill Stukeley was right!) and the chanting harpies suddenly arise and swoop upon the terrified Captain. With sharp”vulture like” claws he is seized by the mob and like “an arrow” is carried through the air to be “suddenly released to fall through space until night surrounds him and consciousness is lost”.

Now I know that we all like a Scooby Doo ending but in this case, when daylight appears, the locals find the Captain’s torn and bleeding body outside the inn. He is sporting ‘twelve’ deep wounds, which are indicative of somebody who ‘fell out’ with ‘a great bird’. For many days the Captain drifts between life and death, but gradually makes a full recovery and returns to Westminster and relates his tale to city folk (which goes some way to explaining why the local tourist board have problems pulling the punters in). Christopher Marlowe concludes the tale by stating that the “orgies at full moon” persisted at Revesby for many a year and may still occur even today (1926) and comments that “The locals have the same fear of seasons and a reluctance to stir after dark as ever they did in the seventeenth century”.

Field Notes from the Clan of Tubals Forge
Given that this ‘Sabbatic’ tale is so unique to this county, the Clan of Tubals Forge (1) - a motley conglomeration of Cochranian (2) witches, decided to visit Revesby in the chill of December 2003 and gain some outer and inner resonance with this site.

Our first impressions were of a village that time and the Lincolnshire County Council had forgotten. The two tumuli adjacent to the inn were surrounded by a partially waterlogged ditch, which once inside, created the ambience of being within a sacred enclosure. The mounds are located on an east/west axis, the eastern mound being the larger, more circular of the two and certainly the main contender for the ‘scene of the Sabbat’. Although there were impressive open views of the surrounding countryside, our initial concern was that the boulder of Marlowe’s story was missing (presumably now a local fireplace or part of a garden rockery).

Mrs “S” - the resident Clan psychic, received a rather strong indication that a wooden pole (possibly a stang?) had been placed at the Northern edge of the mound at various times and we all had the distinct impression that this site is still visited by active practitioners (excluding us!). The Clan members huddled together in the frost, as the hard worn, long suffering Magister re-told Marlowe’s splendid tale and tried his utmost to empower the symbolic elements of the story as they arose. A brief ‘linking’ to the site was then performed (brief, as our toes and fingers were turning blue and frostbite loomed) and a small stone was retrieved from the site and taken back to our centrally heated ‘winter temple’ (cries of “fair weather/weekend witches” were heard around the land).

In the warmth and after enjoying lashings of hot toast and coffee, the Clan focused on the key elemental aspects of the Revesby enclosure and worked hard to forge a ‘bridge’ between the stone and the mound. At this point, I think it is fair to report that the Inner response to this ‘forging process’ was very powerful and left a lasting impression with all who were involved. Since working repeatedly with the ‘link-Stone’, the Clan members have been receiving a steady stream of inspired material relating to the pure essence of ‘Sabbatic celebration’ and although I am no expert on this subject (I bow humbly to Mr Jackson and Mr Chumbley), I would certainly say that that we all have a growing “intuitive” connection to this tradition.

Other interesting points of the story to be considered:
1. The concept the “The Sun Inn” represents a “human” power within the tale, to balance the supernatural “lunar” power of the witches’ mound.
2. The “squatting” stance of the witches indicates a physical “birthing” position enabling them to “summon the Master” (perhaps related to the restriction of blood flow?).
3. The inner meaning of the twelve wounds the Captain received and why/how he survived.
4. The potential use of “link-Stones” (from Sabbatic sites) at full/dark moons to attempt to join the Sabbatic convocations.
5. Marlowe may have hidden an "astrological" clue to the nature of the Infernal Master by his reference to it's composition (lion, bear and hydra).Could this not relate to the powers inherent in the constellations overhead and their subsequent effect upon land sighted patterns ?

Conclusion:
Although the specific nature of Revesby is indeed exclusive in Lincolnshire (so far it’s the only Sabbatic site we have located), it is important to remember that each village and ancient monument has it’s own evolutionary tale and place within our enduring and vibrant mythic landscape.

On my first visit to Revesby in the mid 1980’s, I was told by a local that the twin mounds were “civil war gun emplacements” and a close colleague who proudly sports a degree in archaeology swears blind that the tumuli bear the distinct hallmarks of medieval rabbit warrens (actually, I think he must have purchased his degree on the internet).

The villagers I have spoken to seem totally oblivious to the site’s history and are genuinely unaware of Marlowe’s tale. One of course wonders how much Mr. Marlowe’s word stands for today on full moon evening down in the village and also whether the locals perceive the subtle and ever present emanations that radiate from the mounds? (Yes, I do think that this energy may be able to penetrate through lace curtains). I also wonder just how many ‘locals’ still live in Revesby, as migrating or retiring City Slickers in search of ‘the Good life’ are dominating many of the surrounding villages.

Many aspects of our Clan’s developmental work has stemmed from direct “spirit contact” through the research and “re-awakening” of local folk tales such as this and we spend long hours studying ancient rhymes and songs hoping to gain a gradual understanding of the choreography of power within ‘Plough Plays’ and other obscured ‘sacred patterns’. I would therefore implore anyone interested in the ‘Sabbatic Witchcraft Tradition’ to conduct their own local research and try to visit and establish a link with sites of this nature (and there must be many more of them than are presently known about).

© Stoatfire: Clan of Tubals Forge (2005)
First published in The Cauldron Magazine – no. 112: May 2004

1. Tubals Forge: A Lincolnshire Cuveen engaged in the research, practice and teaching of Traditional Witchcraft in the spirit of the late Magister, Robert Cochrane. The Clan are committed to the re-awakening of patterns of power within old local folk tales and are dedicated to the re-consecration of forgotten altars. The Clan welcomes correspondence with genuine, sincere and hard working applicants, experienced or not and can be contacted at: wyrdstone@hotmail.co.uk

2. Robert Cochrane 1931-1966 (aka Roy Bowers): A brilliant, charismatic, tragically flawed genius whose self styled ‘hereditary Witchcraft’ offered a more complex, mystical vision than Old Gerald Gardner’s contribution. Cochrane formulated his “Clan of Tubal Cain” (aka The Royal Windsor Cuveen) whose mission was to reunite potent strands of the Old Craft, weaving philosophy, mysticism and ancient poetry together with skill, cunning and art. The Clan of Tubal Cain can be contacted at: caerochren@hotmail.co.uk

Although he never published, his legacy can be found in the form of articles and associated essays in 'The Roebuck in the Thicket': Robert Cochrane with Evan John Jones edited by Michael Howard (Capall Bann Publishing 2001). Cochrane’s correspondence can be found in: 'The Robert Cochrane Letters': Robert Cochrane with Evan John Jones, edited by Michael Howard (Capall Bann Publishing 2002).

Bibliography:
Marlowe, C.1926.Legends of the Fenland People (Cecil Palmer: London:) Section: “A Witches’ Sabbath” (page 174 to 181)

Stukeley, W. 1724. Itinerarium Curiosum. or, an account of the antiquitys and remarkable curiositys in nature or art, observ'd in travels thro' Great Britain. (Centuria I: London)

Suggested further reading:
Chumbley, A.D.1996 What is the Traditional Craft? A brief discourse regarding the nature of Traditional Witchcraft and allied forms of Magical Practice in present-day Britain (The Cauldron No: 81).

Jackson, N.A. 1994Call of the horned piper (Capall Bann publishing: Somerset)