The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Boscastle, England

A witch’s poppet, The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

The Song of the Witches

"Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble".  The witches of Macbeth set an ominous tone for things to come.  But witches were not always seen as green-skinned, warty-nosed, cackling women riding on broomsticks, foreshadowing the downfall of Kings.  

The history of witchcraft instead paints a picture of traditions as old as the land itself, passed down from generation to generation.  Stemming from pagan folklore and using the plants found in nature to make remedies to heal and cure.  Those with the skill of healing were known as the ‘cunning folk ’, and were seen as an integral part of the community in which they served.  

Just as  ‘magic’ could be used for good, it could also be used for evil.  When the healer failed to cure the afflicted, or control the spread of disease, or famine struck, they were seen to be using the latter kind of magic. Illness, bad luck, failing crops, and bad weather were all signs that dark magic was at foot.  And by the 1500s, the Christian religion had begun to teach the evils that witchcraft brought through its association with the Devil himself.

With this fear of witchcraft came the persecutions that followed and continued throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.  The Puritan era in England saw the peak of the ‘witch trials’ with approximately 500 people - mostly women -being accused, tortured, and executed, though this number was in the thousands in Scotland. The last execution in this country for the crime of witchcraft was in 1685. However, the fear never completely disappeared from the people’s minds.

Despite this deep-seated fear of back magic, rural parts of England retained their ‘wise-women’ as they had very little access to doctors and other healers, and thus relied on the remedies based on the traditional methods passed through the generations of their local healers, just like the pagans of old.

A witch’s herb cupboard, The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

The Witches Brew

"Eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat, and tongue of dog, adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, lizard's leg and owlet's wing."  The ingredients Macbeth’s three witches famously gathered for their cauldron.  But what they were actually using —mustard seed, holly leaves, and gypsyflower —just doesn't have the same ring!

Witches were actually quite competent in the field of herbology.  Mixing herbs while whispering incantations, they would create their potions for the use in all sorts of ailments, from headaches to poor crops.  It was thought that it was the magic that made the potions effective, but as we now know, many of the herbs and roots that were used actually have known medicinal properties due to their pharmacological effects, though not as effective at helping crops!  The witches’ medicinal cabinet often contained a myriad of herbs and substances from nature they could draw from, some of which are still in use today, such as St John’s Wort - used to treat depressive symptoms, camomile - to help one fall asleep faster, and lavender - used to induce calmness. But their cupboards also contained far more potent ingredients.

Love potion, not just used by the lovesick teenage wizards of Hogwarts, was actually an incredibly popular item, used for a millennium to help revive lackluster marriages and cure an unrequited love.  The elixir of love was said to include potentially dangerous ingredients used in just the right amounts to create the illusion of love and desire in those who ingested it.  These ingredients included the use of mandrake root extract - a highly narcotic substance with aphrodisiac qualities, henbane leaves - a known hallucinogen,  areca nut - which produces the feeling of euphoria, and yellow hemp, which contains the stimulant ephedrine - used in cold remedies and crystal meth production!  When used in just the right quantities, plus or minus the called-for menstrual blood, these substances could definitely cause one to get all up in the feels.

Sleep potion, not just for Disney Princesses, was also a commonly sought-after remedy.  This concoction was said to include a number of highly toxic substances, again used in just the right quantities, to give the ingester a solid night's sleep, though too much of an ingredient would see them off to sleep forever!  The ingredients used in the sleeping elixir included foxglove - a plant known to contain digoxin which is a potent anti-arrhythmia drug that lowers the heart rate, dried frog extract - containing a substance called bufotoxin which reduced body temperature,  serpentine root extract - containing reserpine which acts on the central nervous system causing drowsiness,  and lastly,  almond oil - which served as a solvent for these components and adding a pleasant taste to get off to sleep with.  

Boscastle harbour

Top Tips

The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic is a delightful little museum located in the coastal town of Boscastle in Cornwall.  Don’t be fooled by the quaint villages and stunning scenery of the Cornish countryside; this part of England has a long history of witchcraft and magic, seeing its fair share of witch trials and executions back in the day.  Despite the persecution,  the ‘wise women’ in this area persisted in offering their traditional practices of healing and treating those in need, some of which are still in use today.  The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic is a great place to learn about the foundations and ongoing culture of witchcraft in Britain.

Opening hours:  daily from 10 am -4:30 pm from early April until the end of October

Prices: £7 – Adults, £5 – Children aged 6-17 years, Free - 5 years and under.  No need to book in advance, and payments can be made by cash or card at the entrance.

There is no onsite parking, and there are no public restrooms in the museum, but there are some located next door in the National Trust cafe (not linked to the museum).  Parking can be found in the village in the public car park, which is about a 5-minute walk away.

The museum takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on how much you want to read about the various displays, which are spread over two floors in the museum.  There is a small gift shop at the entrance with an assortment of memorabilia available to purchase should you feel the need for a souvenir.

The museum is located in the harbour area of Boscastle and is on the village trail, which is a lovely circular walk through the village, along the harbour, and up over the cliffs.  A nice way to see the sights of this historic fishing village and the stunning Cornish coastal views.  If time permits, just outside of the town lies an ancient Celtic churchyard, complete with mossy crooked graves, slowly being reclaimed by the forest around it.