Witchcraft Curses of the Twentieth Century

Lecture on the collection of curses and cursed objects at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall

a recording of this lecture will be sent to ticketholders who miss the event

Witchcraft Curses of the Twentieth Century

The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic is in the beautiful Cornish village of Boscastle, UK. It was opened in this location in 1960 and is still there today. The founder of the museum, Cecil H Williamson, acquired an array of artifacts, some donated, some bought and some that he may have made. These artifacts include a collection that were made to harm, or worse, to kill. They do not all come from practitioners, some were made in domestic settings as revenge. Dr Louise Fenton has been researching the collection of curses and cursed objects at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic for the past ten years. In this fully illustrated talk she will discuss a range of reasons for the creation of the curses, what the intention was behind the objects, and some of the stories behind these fascinating artifacts.

Dr Louise Fenton of University of Wolverhampton is an academic, artist and cultural historian. Her recent research has been focused on the social history of Witchcraft, visual and literary representations of Voodoo, Vodou and Zombies, and haunted and cursed dolls.