Well I am captivated, absorbed, titillated, and intrigued at once by this gripping series, Peter! Thank you for your efforts. Each new installment is carefully crafted and expertly written... a joy to read.
This one is going to keep me up again! I've always wondered if that was the same De La Haye / Delahaye that Williamson mentioned, all the times roughly fitted, but I couldn't pin her down enough to be certain. I'm a bit confused with the timeline here as I was under the impression Williamson was much younger when he was visiting France. He'd have been 20 in 1929, and was already a year-deep into his filming work, so it seems a bit odd to be holidaying with his Nan if he had his 'beloved Mayfair' at his disposal? I've done a bit of digging and I'm 99% certain those tableau photos are from Bourton-on-the-Water, as that version of it features in a snapshot from the ITN footage, and the backdrop / altar arrangement changed at least twice whilst in Boscastle. It's interesting to note that Williamson bought the site in Boscastle around 1960, but didn't leave the Cotswolds until 1965, so perhaps whatever inspired the Tanit idea gestated during this period? I still believe that this particular tableau was as much a dig at the Wiccans as it may have been a sly elucidation to what you're referring to. I cannot wait for more of this gear, this series has been a proper rollercoaster so far. You're digging up some serious gold.
I think it is the same Delahaye, I've enhanced the pics of her and Dior, they seem to be the same woman. As to the age of Cecil in Dinard, I can't untangle the timelines properly here, and am open to suggestions. For the purpose of narrative I've put him there a little older, as that seems most likely to me, but it doesn't really impact on the thrust of the idea. I'm also not bound by the constraints of the historian, and have allowed a little of the free-play which enables a glimpse of the deeper truths, as I see them.
Yes, those tableau are in Bourton-on-the-Water, as per the ITN footage. They have that earlier geometric Tanat symbol as a giveaway. What I don't have a record or time for is when the 'black magic' version of the tableau with the astrological backdrop was staged, and what precipitated that; I think that is another Boscastle variant, perhaps, and this is my best guess, the Tanat symbol was damaged in transit and he used a holding one until the flaming vesica image was completed. My conjecture about the artist who painted it will be revealed later, but I am sure you can think of who the likely culprit is...
If Cecil bought the Boscastle building in 1960 I wonder why he bounced about Looe and then Tintagel? Seems odd behaviour.
Yes, there is an implicit dig at the Wiccans, which was my initial position, but given his ritual practices around the Cult, it is much more than that.
Like a serial killer, the complexity of the tableau suggests that he has put a lot of thought and erotic energy into the scene. So I think an imprint of Tanit must have come from literature as well as the antiquarian speculations referenced in my first article. Prime suspect for me is Flaubert, but I will also be turning to Dennis Wheatley in due course, which could peg the name as early as 1934 with the publication of The Devil Rides Out.
You'll have to forgive my literalness in regards to the timeline. His activities between leaving education, going to Zimbabwe and returning to the UK remain muddled; with all the fresh earth you've turned over recently had me worried I'd missed something! I believe the astrological backdrop was the first one used at Boscastle. It appears in the documentary Legend of the Witches, which was filmed between 1968-69, but is gone by the time the postcards are published in the mid 1970s. Genuinely excited to hear your thoughts regarding the artist on that. Williamson had an excellent eye for graphic design and I'd love to find out more about the artists he employed for the signage seen at the museum during this period.
As to his bouncing around, he had a number of attractions running concurrently during this time, some of which were quick wins or false starts. I think there's a connection with Paynter in regards to the Cornish location that goes largely unacknowledged; the ground already prepped for an attraction of this type.
There's an awful lot of erotism in Williamson's displays not counting the tableaus! Though incredibly effective materia in their own right, the frequency of stockings, shoes and pubic hair on display always surprises! There's definitely a strong Wheatley influence to the tableaus, but the Flaubert link is a new one for me. The illustration of Tanit from Salammbô is a wonderful and very compelling in this sense! I think Flaubert will be a bedside companion for the coming weeks, although I'm not sure he'll be any less racy than Williamson,...
Really happy with any corrections to my ideas! This is a team effort, and you will be credited when this series finds its way into print.
I'll watch through Legend of the Witches to see if there is anymore to catch there. Paynter is certainly under examined.
The stockings, shoes and pubic hair can be explained partly by the provenance. The red shoe curse was performed by a cunning woman in Union Street, which when I was growing up in Cornwall in the 70s was a by-word for sin, as the jack tars would disembark in Plymouth and that is where the prostitutes worked.
All of Cecil's stories bear an erotic imprint, pogo stick to Eros et al. The strength of the erotic is fundamental in us all, and heightened in those who engage in magick and witchcraft.
The Flaubert is a lot of fun, and meticulously researched. I will probably have more to say about that too. Just going to keep following the current.
It's a joy to contribute. Like many others, the museum was the initial catalyst to my interest in this subject and any further research into the roots, inspirations and drives behind it help develop my own work.
I think Dr Tabitha Cadbury's thesis is still online to view, but she mentions the ubiquity of certain objects in the curses collection which might be useful. Your contextualisation of Union St helps nail that particular example down, though Black Doris (fruit-based pseudonym or otherwise) continues to remain at large.
Did you grow up in or around Plymouth? Would be keen to hear if you've any Lenkiewicz stories as his life and work are another interest of mine.
Grew up in Cornwall, so no Lenkiewicz stories to add, Plymouth was 'the big city' a place that many Cornish folk had never even travelled, and considered to be 'up country'; a difference that made the sinful reputation of Union Street even more powerful.
Well I am captivated, absorbed, titillated, and intrigued at once by this gripping series, Peter! Thank you for your efforts. Each new installment is carefully crafted and expertly written... a joy to read.
Thanks Erin, glad you are enjoying how this is unfolding.
This one is going to keep me up again! I've always wondered if that was the same De La Haye / Delahaye that Williamson mentioned, all the times roughly fitted, but I couldn't pin her down enough to be certain. I'm a bit confused with the timeline here as I was under the impression Williamson was much younger when he was visiting France. He'd have been 20 in 1929, and was already a year-deep into his filming work, so it seems a bit odd to be holidaying with his Nan if he had his 'beloved Mayfair' at his disposal? I've done a bit of digging and I'm 99% certain those tableau photos are from Bourton-on-the-Water, as that version of it features in a snapshot from the ITN footage, and the backdrop / altar arrangement changed at least twice whilst in Boscastle. It's interesting to note that Williamson bought the site in Boscastle around 1960, but didn't leave the Cotswolds until 1965, so perhaps whatever inspired the Tanit idea gestated during this period? I still believe that this particular tableau was as much a dig at the Wiccans as it may have been a sly elucidation to what you're referring to. I cannot wait for more of this gear, this series has been a proper rollercoaster so far. You're digging up some serious gold.
I think it is the same Delahaye, I've enhanced the pics of her and Dior, they seem to be the same woman. As to the age of Cecil in Dinard, I can't untangle the timelines properly here, and am open to suggestions. For the purpose of narrative I've put him there a little older, as that seems most likely to me, but it doesn't really impact on the thrust of the idea. I'm also not bound by the constraints of the historian, and have allowed a little of the free-play which enables a glimpse of the deeper truths, as I see them.
Yes, those tableau are in Bourton-on-the-Water, as per the ITN footage. They have that earlier geometric Tanat symbol as a giveaway. What I don't have a record or time for is when the 'black magic' version of the tableau with the astrological backdrop was staged, and what precipitated that; I think that is another Boscastle variant, perhaps, and this is my best guess, the Tanat symbol was damaged in transit and he used a holding one until the flaming vesica image was completed. My conjecture about the artist who painted it will be revealed later, but I am sure you can think of who the likely culprit is...
If Cecil bought the Boscastle building in 1960 I wonder why he bounced about Looe and then Tintagel? Seems odd behaviour.
Yes, there is an implicit dig at the Wiccans, which was my initial position, but given his ritual practices around the Cult, it is much more than that.
Like a serial killer, the complexity of the tableau suggests that he has put a lot of thought and erotic energy into the scene. So I think an imprint of Tanit must have come from literature as well as the antiquarian speculations referenced in my first article. Prime suspect for me is Flaubert, but I will also be turning to Dennis Wheatley in due course, which could peg the name as early as 1934 with the publication of The Devil Rides Out.
Good luck sleeping tonight!
You'll have to forgive my literalness in regards to the timeline. His activities between leaving education, going to Zimbabwe and returning to the UK remain muddled; with all the fresh earth you've turned over recently had me worried I'd missed something! I believe the astrological backdrop was the first one used at Boscastle. It appears in the documentary Legend of the Witches, which was filmed between 1968-69, but is gone by the time the postcards are published in the mid 1970s. Genuinely excited to hear your thoughts regarding the artist on that. Williamson had an excellent eye for graphic design and I'd love to find out more about the artists he employed for the signage seen at the museum during this period.
As to his bouncing around, he had a number of attractions running concurrently during this time, some of which were quick wins or false starts. I think there's a connection with Paynter in regards to the Cornish location that goes largely unacknowledged; the ground already prepped for an attraction of this type.
There's an awful lot of erotism in Williamson's displays not counting the tableaus! Though incredibly effective materia in their own right, the frequency of stockings, shoes and pubic hair on display always surprises! There's definitely a strong Wheatley influence to the tableaus, but the Flaubert link is a new one for me. The illustration of Tanit from Salammbô is a wonderful and very compelling in this sense! I think Flaubert will be a bedside companion for the coming weeks, although I'm not sure he'll be any less racy than Williamson,...
Really happy with any corrections to my ideas! This is a team effort, and you will be credited when this series finds its way into print.
I'll watch through Legend of the Witches to see if there is anymore to catch there. Paynter is certainly under examined.
The stockings, shoes and pubic hair can be explained partly by the provenance. The red shoe curse was performed by a cunning woman in Union Street, which when I was growing up in Cornwall in the 70s was a by-word for sin, as the jack tars would disembark in Plymouth and that is where the prostitutes worked.
All of Cecil's stories bear an erotic imprint, pogo stick to Eros et al. The strength of the erotic is fundamental in us all, and heightened in those who engage in magick and witchcraft.
The Flaubert is a lot of fun, and meticulously researched. I will probably have more to say about that too. Just going to keep following the current.
It's a joy to contribute. Like many others, the museum was the initial catalyst to my interest in this subject and any further research into the roots, inspirations and drives behind it help develop my own work.
I think Dr Tabitha Cadbury's thesis is still online to view, but she mentions the ubiquity of certain objects in the curses collection which might be useful. Your contextualisation of Union St helps nail that particular example down, though Black Doris (fruit-based pseudonym or otherwise) continues to remain at large.
Did you grow up in or around Plymouth? Would be keen to hear if you've any Lenkiewicz stories as his life and work are another interest of mine.
I'll look for the thesis, thank for that.
Grew up in Cornwall, so no Lenkiewicz stories to add, Plymouth was 'the big city' a place that many Cornish folk had never even travelled, and considered to be 'up country'; a difference that made the sinful reputation of Union Street even more powerful.
Very good! Thanks Peter
Beautifully written.