Meyn Mamvro - No 086 - Winter 2015

Magazine Overview

Meyn Mamvro, Issue 86, Winter-Spring 2015, is a magazine dedicated to exploring ancient stones, sacred sites, and earth energies, with a particular focus on Cornwall. The issue is priced at £3.00 and is published by Meyn Mamvro.

Contents and Key Articles

The magazine features a wide array of articles covering various aspects of Cornish heritage and earth mysteries. The 'CONTENTS' section on page 2 provides a detailed list of the articles:

• Editorial (p. 1)
• Dowsing News (p. 2): This section details recent dowsing activities by various groups, including Trencrom Dowsers, Tamar Dowsers, and West Cornwall Dowsers, at numerous locations across Cornwall such as Trencrom Hill, Carn Les Boel, Hurlers stone circles, Treryn Dinas, Mên-an-Tol, Boskednan Nine Maidens, Castle-an-Dinas, Helman Tor, the Guilly complex, and Duloe stone circle. It highlights discoveries related to energy lines, geological fault lines, hut circles, and water lines.
• CASPN & LAN (p. 4): This report covers the activities of the Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network (CASPN) and Lizard Ancient Sites Network (LAN), including community outreach, clear-ups at ancient sites, and the 'Pathways to Past' annual weekend.
• World Goddess Day in Cornwall / Wells Corner (p. 5): This article describes the World Goddess Day Project, an initiative to bring the divine feminine back into the world, with a specific event held by the Priestesses of Kernow at Pengersick Castle in September 2014. The 'Wells Corner' feature discusses the Little Petherick well, a holy well not previously recorded in many guides.
• Ancient Tracks: 6 - Merry Maidens (p. 6): This article explores ancient pathways in West Penwith, focusing on the routes to the Merry Maidens stone circle, including a sunken lane that may be a Bronze-Age track. It also details an alignment of stones in the area.
• Home Sweet Ancient Home: 7 - Boswarva (p. 7): This piece describes the Boswarva Courtyard House settlement, located on the southerly slopes of Boswarva Carn, detailing its layout, preservation state, and the surrounding landscape.
• Megalithic Discoveries [1-4] (pp. 8-11): This series of articles reports on several megalithic finds. Pages 8-9 detail a small triangular standing stone at Higher Releath and another at Lezerea Vean, discussing their potential alignments and connection to ancient sites. Page 10 describes the Bodilly stone, noting its size and cut marks. Page 11 covers the 'Lost and Found' Tregonebris menhir and Sennen's stone settings.
• In Site: Chapel Carn Brea cairn (p. 12): This article focuses on the Chapel Carn Brea cairn.
• The Roughtor Effect: 2 - Framing Meaning (p. 14): This article, by Peter Herring, delves into the meaning and context of Roughtor.
• Cornish Cunning: 1 - Steve Patterson (p. 18): This is the first part of a series by Steve Patterson on Cornish Cunning.
• Book Review (p. 23)
• 20 years ago: spirit paths & haunted highways (p. 24): A retrospective look at past themes.

Controversies and Site Protection

The magazine addresses ongoing controversies and threats to ancient sites. An article on page 3 discusses the site of St.Nectan's Glen and the Kieve, which is facing controversy due to a planning application by its owner, Guy Mills, for a new visitor centre and facilities, with the aim of significantly increasing visitor numbers. The article notes that while public access is not threatened, the scale of development raises questions about preserving the site's spiritual feel. Additionally, on St.Breock Downs, the Pawton Quoit and the Nine Maidens stone row are under threat from nearby developments, including a large agri-building and a wind turbine complex. The lack of statutory protection for these Downs is highlighted as a concern.

Publications and Contact Information

On page 2, Meyn Mamvro also promotes its own publications, including guides to Earth Mysteries and Ancient Sites in Cornwall, such as 'Pagan Cornwall', 'Megalithic Mysteries of Cornwall', and 'Fentyow Kernow'. Contact details for Meyn Mamvro are provided, including its address in Penzance, Cornwall, website, and email address. Information is also given for joining FOCAS (Friends of Cornwall's Ancient Sites) and for reporting damage to sites.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the exploration and documentation of Cornwall's rich ancient heritage, including megalithic structures, ancient tracks, and sacred sites. There is a strong emphasis on dowsing as a method for investigating earth energies and hidden features. The magazine also highlights the importance of preserving these sites and raises awareness about threats from development. The editorial stance appears to be one of advocacy for the preservation of these historical and spiritual landscapes, while also celebrating and sharing knowledge about them through detailed articles and reports on community activities.

This issue of MEYN MAMVRO, number 86, published in Winter-Spring 2015, focuses on ancient stone monuments in Cornwall. The magazine's website is meynmamvro.co.uk/archive.

Missing Menhirs - Cornwall's Lost Stones

This section, part 14 of a series, discusses standing stones in Cornwall. It revisits the Tremenheere or Tremenhir stones, noting that the name means "place of the standing stone." While two such menhirs were recorded, only one remains near St. Keverne on the Lizard and another at Stithians. The article mentions a Tremenheere near Helston where two stones were removed years ago.

A different Tremenheere is located in West Penwith, near Gulval, which gives its name to the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens. These gardens feature two modern standing stones at their entrance. The original Tremenheere, consisting of Higher and Lower Tremenheere farms, presumably had its own standing stone, but no trace remains today.

However, an interesting stone, about 1.2m (4ft) high, is located near Tregarthen Farmhouse at SW48963 32625. This stone, which dowses as a Bronze Age marker stone, is situated at a junction in a hedge. The article highlights a strong energy line running from Ludgvan church, through this stone, and then through the site of the original Tremenheere menhir. This energy line connects to the Athena line through Ludgvan church and the Apollo line through Gulval Church.

Lost and Found - Trengonebris menhir

A standing stone, previously buried and unrecorded, has been discovered at Tregonebris in West Penwith. The stone lay in a field beside a public footpath and was dug up by the farmer because it interfered with his tractor. Archaeologist Yvonne Luke noticed the stone while walking the path and reported it to Historic Environment, leading to its listing.

The farmer subsequently moved the stone to the corner of the field. The stone measures 2.6m (8½ft) high and 1.36m (4½ft) wide. It formerly stood at SW 41622 28095, where it had fallen or been felled and subsequently buried. It was located near other menhirs on Boscawen-ûn farm and the Blind Fiddler menhir. The article expresses sadness that the farmer could not be persuaded to re-erect the menhir in its original position.

The Mystery of Sennen's Stone Setting

This article refers to a 2012 issue of Cornish Archaeology 51, which published findings from 2007 excavations ahead of a sewage pipeline installation between Sennen and Porthcurno. In Field 4 near Sennen, an enigmatic 'stone setting' was discovered, comprising three boulder stones (no.48: 2.4m x 1.4m, no.47: 1.5m x 1.15m, no.49: 0.8m x 0.5m) along with pits and postholes. Lithics (flints) were also found. The site dates to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (c.3000-1500 BCE) and is considered to have had ritual significance.

The excavators suggested it was a place where people sat while flint was knapped, leaving offerings. The article's author, MM, visited the site (SW3525 2560) and found it backfilled. Dowsing confirmed it was a late Neolithic site, but not primarily for ritual purposes. The suggested function was as a marker site to direct people carrying the dead from Cornwall to Sennen harbour for passage to the Isles of Scilly, known as the 'isles of the dead' in prehistoric times.

During the visit, a Propped Stone was discovered in the same field (SW3524 2554), dating from the Neolithic period (about 5000 years ago). Its presence indicates the site's significance from the beginning for prehistoric peoples.

In-Site: Chapel Carn Brea Summit Cairn

This feature focuses on the summit cairn at Chapel Carn Brea (SW3859 2807). Originally a late Neolithic entrance grave measuring 9.1m (30ft) in diameter with a south-facing chamber, it underwent numerous modifications. After its construction in the early Bronze Age, it was built over by a large cairn. Later, it was enlarged to an immense sugar-loaf shaped pile 4.6m (15ft) high and 19m (61¼ft) across, with three concentric retaining walls.

By the 13thC CE, a small hermitage chapel of St. Michael of Brea was built on top, where hermits kept a beacon light for local fishermen and travellers, marking the earliest record of a navigational light in Cornwall.

The chapel was illustrated by H.P. Tremenheere around the turn of the 19th century but was demolished in 1816. Antiquarian William Copeland Borlase further altered the cairn in 1868 and 1879, reducing its height to 2.7m (8½ft). Excavations revealed its complex structure, including a drystone-walled chamber containing a stone-lined cist with cremated remains and pot sherds. A free-standing stone ring originally surrounded the cairn but no longer remains.

After excavation, the remaining stones were built into an artificial beehive-shaped mound. During World War II, a shelter and observation post were built on the mound, effectively destroying the prehistoric structure. The site is now a heap of rubble and stones. Paul Bonnington describes it as a "prestige mound," likely a significant focus in the landscape by the Early Bronze Age, containing both Britain's most westerly long cairn and the foundations of the region's largest round barrow.

The Roughtor Effect 2: Framing Meaning

This article, an edited transcript of a talk by Peter Herring, discusses the "Roughtor Effect," a phenomenon observed by the late Roger Farnworth. Chris Tilley noted that many stone circles on Bodmin Moor are south of distinctive tors, particularly Rough Tor. Examples include Fernacre circle and Stannon circle.

Stone rows are also involved, often aligned to hills and tors. For instance, the Tolborough stone row only reveals Rough Tor at its end. Cairns on Bodmin Moor also incorporate tors in their viewframe. Two barrows mimic the shapes of Rough Tor and Brown Willy. Roger Farnworth considered this prehistoric art.

The article also discusses propped stones at The Cheesewring on Stowe's Hill, thought to represent a mother with two children. It notes that Bodmin Moor lacks dolmens or quoits, suggesting that tors may have served a similar function for excarnation (placing bodies for birds to clean flesh, leaving bones). Small chambers under rocks on Bodmin Moor, such as at Hawk's Tor, may have served as ossaries for storing these bones.

Roger Farnworth also investigated other sites on Bodmin Moor, finding propped stones that create specific viewframes, such as a diamond-shaped window to Brown Willy from Garrow Tor and a pyramid-shaped viewframe of Rough Tor from Alex Tor. He discovered platform cairns, low landscape features designed for viewing specific sacred hills like Rough Tor, Stowe's Hill, or Kilmar Tor.

Chris Tilley observed that stone circles are south of tors, and Roger suggested that stars observed from stone circles might appear to emerge from behind tors, representing spirits of the dead rotating around the pole star. Roger also documented sunrises and sunsets over tors, including the midsummer solstice sunrise over the Cheesewring and the midwinter solstice sunset behind it. His final project involved observing the midwinter sunset on Rough Tor, noting a 'freeze frame' effect where the setting sun could be held for many minutes.

Cornish Cunning - 1

This article by Steve Patterson recounts an event in autumn 2008 during a storm in west Cornwall. A slate fell from the roof of an old granite barn in the Parish of Mabe, revealing barely discernible scratches that formed a short verse:

"MAY HE WHO STEALS, MY ROUND STONES, MAKE EARLY DRY BONES. REPENT AND RETURN, AND LIVE FOREVER."

The verse is believed to be a charm, possibly created by an inhabitant driven to distraction by the theft of valuable "round stones." The composition follows a traditional formula for magical charms, involving writing an intent on a surface and 'empowering' it. This practice, known as "defixio" in classical magic, was used to 'bind' or constrain a recipient. The charm's power is drawn from its liturgical tone, and its activation would involve methods like nailing it to a shrine, dropping it in sacred waters, or posting it in a grave.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently explores Cornwall's rich prehistoric landscape, focusing on megalithic sites, standing stones, stone circles, cairns, and tors. There is a strong emphasis on the archaeological and historical significance of these sites, often linking them to ancient beliefs, rituals, and energy lines. The publication also delves into local folklore and magical practices, as seen in the 'Cornish Cunning' article. The editorial stance appears to be one of deep interest and respect for Cornwall's ancient heritage, aiming to uncover and document its lost or lesser-known aspects.

This issue of MEYN MAMVRO, dated Winter-Spring 2015 (Issue 86), delves into the rich tapestry of magical traditions in Cornwall, exploring historical practices, folklore, and their connection to the ordinary lives of people. The magazine features articles on charms, witch bottles, spirit paths, and a review of a book on Cecil Williamson's 'Witchcraft'.

Cornish Magical Traditions

The issue begins by examining the use of liminal spaces, such as crossroads, graveyards, and buildings, as 'psychic post-boxes' in medieval and modern magical systems. It highlights the tradition of charms, with a specific focus on a charm found in a barn built between 1880 and 1906 in Cornwall. The author suggests that the creator of this charm was likely educated and forward-thinking, challenging the misconception that magical practice was solely the domain of the uneducated.

The article discusses the 'Round stones' mentioned in the charm, speculating they might relate to monumental masonry or small magical 'kenning stones' used by cunning folk, as documented by folklorists William Paynter and William Bottrell. It emphasizes the paradox of magic being both 'other' and firmly rooted in the ordinary world, citing Plotinus's philosophy that 'The starting point is universally the goal.'

Practitioner Roles and Techniques

The text explores the diverse roles within magical practice, from clergy members who dealt with ghosts and spirits to specialist practitioners. It mentions a letter from the late 18th century detailing the construction of a witch bottle, a protective charm used to deflect malefic magic. The article clarifies that 'witchcraft' encompassed various practices, including folk healers and charmers who used hands-on healing, spoken charms, and 'kenning stones,' often considering their abilities a divine gift.

At the other end of the spectrum were 'gentleman ghost layers,' often clergy, who used ceremonial magic and studied magical texts. Examples include the 17th-century Rev. Thomas Flavel and the 19th-century Parson Woods. The issue also touches upon the Rev. Hawker of Morwenstow, known for his engagement with both spiritual and spectral realms.

The 'Pellars' and Societal Attitudes

In between these roles were the 'white witches,' or 'Pellars' in Cornwall, who acquired skills through study and magical means. They practiced divination, spell-making, and curse-making. The article notes that societal attitudes towards these practitioners were mixed. An obituary for 'The Wizard' of Park Bottom in Illogan (1874) highlights his miraculous cures and the respect he commanded, while a previous article from 1856 expresses shame that such figures still existed in the 19th century, learning a livelihood from credulity.

The shadowy figure of the witch, associated with riding storms and dancing with the 'Bucca,' is also mentioned, along with their ability to sell wind in knotted chords to sailors.

'Virtue' and the Evolution of Magic

The concept of 'virtue' is presented as a unifying doctrine, representing an essence that enabled magical practice and could be passed between practitioners or inhabit objects. The 'Milpreve' stone is described as a key object for the 'pellar,' believed to impart the gift of magic. The article asserts that magical traditions in Cornwall did not remain static, adapting to the industrial age and the changing world. While the two world wars and 20th-century materialism seemed to signal the decline of traditional forms, the rise of spiritualism, Theosophy, and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn led to a new incarnation of these practices, with modern therapists and spiritualists taking on roles previously held by charmers, and ceremonial magicians and neo-pagans reviving older traditions.

Book Review: Cecil Williamson's Book of Witchcraft

This section reviews Steve Patterson's book, 'Cecil Williamson's Book of Witchcraft: A Grimoire of the Museum of Witchcraft.' The book is based on a manuscript found at the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, founded by Cecil Williamson. Patterson's work includes an annotated transcript of Williamson's manuscript, a history of Williamson and the museum, and an account of Williamson's vision of traditional witchcraft, his interactions with figures like Aleister Crowley and Gerald Gardner, and his witnessing of the birth of 'Wicca.' The review praises the book as a valuable resource for witches, folklorists, and historians, highlighting Williamson's belief that the primary source of witchcraft knowledge lies in direct experience of the 'spirit world.'

20 Years Ago: Spirit Paths and Haunted Highways

This section revisits articles from MM25 (Autumn 1994) on Spirit Paths and Haunted Highways. The 'Spirit Paths' article discussed a church path near St.Ives associated with earlier wayside crosses and witchcraft, noting Zennor as a center of witch activity. The 'Haunted Highways' article explored pathways with ghostly sightings, including a white hare linked to a pre-Christian spirit path and a spectral dog at the Dog and Dragon restaurant in Porthtowan. It also mentioned an eerie fox-like creature seen near Tregerthen chapel on the old Zennor churchway, described as retaining a sense of otherworldliness.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the enduring presence and evolution of magical and witchcraft traditions in Cornwall. The magazine consistently challenges simplistic views of magic, emphasizing its integration into everyday life and its adaptation to changing societal contexts. There is a clear stance in favor of preserving and understanding these historical and cultural practices, presenting them not as relics of an irrational past but as vital aspects of human experience and belief systems. The editorial approach is scholarly yet accessible, drawing on folklore, historical records, and personal accounts to provide a comprehensive picture of Cornish magical heritage. The inclusion of a '20 Years Ago' section suggests a commitment to revisiting and building upon previous content, fostering a continuous dialogue within the readership.