‘Betwixt God and the Devil’ by Richard Ward
Richard Ward, Betwixt God and the Devil: An Inquiry into Essex Magic from the 16th Century to the Present Day. Somerset: Ninth Circle Press, 2024
by Ian Chambers
Working adroitly with magic teaches one to carefully consider and divine potentially favourable courses in many instances. Being so minded inevitably colours one’s overarching behaviour and influences even the most apparently mundane decisions in our daily lives. When I chose to publish my first book[1] with Llewellyn, it was not a hasty or naive determination, yet one that drew some criticism from peers not privy, of course, to my intimate reasoning and auguries. I am immensely proud of that work, and grateful for the editorship and professionalism that afforded the material an opportunity to achieve relative accessibility by its intended audience. My next work, however, is a different animal altogether, and shares a publisher with Betwixt God and the Devil: An Inquiry into Essex Magic from the 16th Century to the Present Day, by Richard Ward.
When asked by Ninth Circle Press whether I would consider contributing a book-length work to the new publisher’s catalogue, several factors aligned agreeably and I am delighted to be amongst an esteemed stable of authors. Formed in 2023, Ninth Circle produce limited print run hardback books, together with special editions of their works, specialising in occultism, esoterica, grimoires and magical tradition. Ninth Circle Press founder and operator A.D. Mercer penned the first output, Sefer ha Sitra Achra, which sold out within months of release in both standard and special editions. Following the success of that debut, the second title from Ninth Circle Press — Betwixt God and the Devil, by Richard Ward — went on sale around the summer solstice of 2024 and is available as standard and special hardback, with deluxe copies promised soon[2].
Some books have a spirit of their own, a character that can be recognised along with the fingerprint of the author that are traceable through language, subject and context. We sacrifice a piece of ourselves in our creations, just as a sorcerer breathes life into an effigy. It may sound pretentious, but I have always been a wordsmith and a passionate student of literature as art and a discipline of magic. The word spell, for example, shares meanings with storytelling, prose, narrative, and “read by letter”. Any author worth their salt has spent a huge amount of time immersed in their subject, intimately enchanted by the material in both wake and dream before expressing this weaving through symbol and form — for what are letters and words but sigils that sigh their secrets to those who can divine their purpose? Working with and courting their muse to tease out a whisper of beauty, the writer is soaked in their work’s theme by the time it is birthed into the world. Good writing is a spell that enchants the reader, conjuring fantastic vistas and vivid worlds that are rich in imagination and the power to leave us changed.
Betwixt God and the Devil writer, Richard Ward, is certainly bewitched by the narrative spell of the muse throughout this book, fashioning a wonderful arch that elucidates the history of magic and witchcraft in the English county of Essex. Indeed, as the subtitle suggests, the book’s contents delve recommendably deep into Essex folk magic from the sixteenth century to the present day. From the early modern period and the infamous witch trials, the detailed history of folk magic in the region proves fascinating and relevant. Where Ward truly is at home, however, is tapping an intimate knowledge and experience of his native region in the more recent sections — such as his encounters with the late witch Andrew D. Chumbley, for example. Evidently engrossed by the culture of his homeland, Ward writes from within his subject, meaning that we have, in Betwixt God and the Devil, an expert guide equipped with both knowledge and passion.
The book is divided into three distinct parts that orientate the reader within the subject. The first of these deals with the magical history of the county, laying the necessary foundation and grounding the reader in the fields of folk magic and cunning craft as they pertain to the area. Locating the roots of Essex magic in Anglo-Saxon sorcery, via “Celtic, French, Classical and, in particular, northern Germanic and Scandinavian sources” (p. 31), Ward observes that it is the leechbooks[3] and associated manuscripts of the early English that inform much of the culture of magic as it evolved throughout medieval England. Importantly, Ward points out that this inherently contains reference to both Christian and pagan religious perspectives that persist throughout what has been called “dual faith” observance common amongst folk magic practitioners until recent times. Indeed, the history chapters of Betwixt God and the Devil traverse the historical landscape from this first reckoning through to the emergence of modern Wicca and a renewed witchcraft following the influence of Gerald Gardner from the nineteen-fifties onward. Rather than repeating material, Ward goes into good amounts of detail regarding witchcraft within the early modern period and practical service magic of the cunning folk as they were in Essex. By concentrating squarely upon a particular county, Ward manages to sacrifice none of the broader ideas while examining the detailed nuances that pertain specifically to Essex.
History can be a fickle topic, with interpretation seductively leading many a writer off track as they attempt to fashion a narrative out of the silent witness in order to relate the story they really want to tell, regardless of how well it actually fits facts. Ward does not, thankfully, succumb to this temptation and diligently operates within the bounds of the recorded history of magic in early modern Essex — and there is plenty to provide the reader with a rich seam for further exploration. Where Ward does introduce his own perspective is in those later parts of the history — the rebirth of the Nameless Art in the twentieth century — and the subject matter benefits substantially from his first-hand experience of these insights.
One particular area of interest here, for those following the path of modern Traditional Witchcraft, is that relating to the so-called cunning man of Canewdon, George Pickingill. Pickingill was promoted toward the end of the last century with stories spread of his being master of a great number of covens including, allegedly, the New Forest coven into which Gerald Gardner was inducted. These stories were most notably referenced by the work of one E.W. Liddell who published a series of articles over many years in periodicals such as the late Michael Howard’s The Cauldron. Ward handles the topic of Pickingill sensitively but accurately, sandwiched as it is between an in-depth and studious examination of the most influential nineteenth century cunning man of the region, James “cunning” Murrell, and Gerald Gardner’s renaissance of witchcraft in the mid-twentieth century. This segment is enriched by some considerable research and accounts of genuine cunning folk of Essex, their influence and expertise in folk magic, as well as potential sources of magical knowledge. Ward is to be commended for this work in particular, being non-partisan in his summation of the magical currents that diffused throughout Essex from the sixteenth century, while delicately handling the twentieth century and following it up into the present – specifically including many notable characters upon the scene.
My personal delectation is greatly in favour of a sojourn through history that shares its practical aspects and sources, being fundamentally grounded in the reality of circumstances and based upon the historical record. These unearth something tangible of the peoples and magics as they were worked and utilised, as well as the suggestion of those who might employ them. Once again, this requires no interpretation by the author to extrapolate popular or fabulous ideas. Thus denuded of the more fanciful notions about the past — an area fraught with danger and deception — Betwixt God and the Devil reveals some of those folk magics as they were recorded, handled and practiced.
The second part deals with the folklore of Essex, beginning with land spirits — being an important facet of the colour and character of the very soil of the county and the genius that influences its communities. Folklore is sometimes elusive in its nature, being a fluid spectrum of beliefs, superstitions, ideas and stories passed on orally. However, in its organic tradition are recorded the needs and hopes of a people, the incidents of note and import — the living memories of community — meaning that folklore is the lifeblood of a group bonded by the narratives that cohere humans together from time immemorial. As such folklore is a part of the adumbration of an egregore, hinting at the edges of the group spirit itself. In this, Ward proves sensitive to the spirits of Essex in his handling of the subject.
Within the section of folklore, Ward examines the spirits, ghosts and fairies that haunt Essex, being indicative of the beliefs and sentiment that prevail. The chapter moves from land spirits to familiars and the Devil himself, and the folklorist Eric Maple (1916-1994) is alluded to often, just as he was in the previous part. Maple was arguably instrumental in making Essex, Murrell and Pickingill well known within the burgeoning witchcraft revival following his influential work The Dark World of Witches (1962). This book followed Maple’s foray into the scholarly world of folklore studies when he published research articles for Folklore — the journal of The Folklore Society — including “Cunning Murrell” and “The Witches of Canewdon”, both in 1960.
Local Essex accounts and locations of legends and myth are recounted in admirable style in Betwixt God and the Devil, presenting the reader with some meat to the bones of the county lore. Common to many an English region, the where, to whom and how the devil might appear or be summoned are given their uniquely Essex report. This colourful journey into the traditions of the people, adjacent as it is to its history, is a much needed palate cleanser following the history section, which can become rather staid and dusty to some readers. Thankfully, Ward carefully avoids boring his reader and becoming bogged down in the duller aspects of history, moving deftly about in a well-arranged book as our expert guide along a much-loved path.
The final section in the second part discusses “Belief in Dreams, Omens, and Superstitions”. Sadly lacking greater length and detail, nevertheless this segment includes a broad range of belief, practice and interpretation of dream work in the area. From discussing the meaning of some dreams and omens, there is brief mention made of Andrew D. Chumbley once more.
Finally, Betwixt God and the Devil concludes its main body with the third part: Folk Magic Practices. Commencing with divinatory techniques utilised in Essex, we move on to herbal charms and remedies, through cursing, agricultural magics and onto perhaps the most tantalising segment regarding the Society of the Horseman’s Word and the now popular Toad Bone Rite, or Waters of the Moon. Various local Essex treatments and lore surrounding herbalism and plant medicine render a broad picture, while cursing and the removal of curses gives as thorough an account as would be hoped. Being so intimately tied to agriculture, this area of discourse is well received in regard to magical practices as it returns the rural customs that once commonly occupied most working country folk to their proper place. As with many English counties, Essex has a substantial agricultural history and legacy, which is closely associated with its peculiar seam of magical belief. With something so precariously important to the survival of a community, it is unsurprising that humans have utilised all methods at their disposal in the pursuit of good harvests. This shouldn’t need saying but, regretfully, it does bear repeating occasionally. While most of us are not now so personally bonded to pastoral or arable lifestyles — which occupied mankind since the first settled communities cultivated cereal grasses — we nevertheless depend greatly upon such practices and the cultural milieu that developed around them. Furthermore, agriculture was the necessary basis of every permanent conurbation and Essex, being so close to London, would have been one of the significantly important areas. As such, a legacy of belief and magic, astrology and superstition are discussed by Ward in good detail and with a considerate view to the county and its rural cultural heritage.
Needless to say, when the horse became the dominant work animal on farms — providing James Watt with the term “horsepower” as a measure of output for steam engines — the social guilds that formed to protect working-class trades included both the horsemen and miller — essential occupations both. As any form of trade union was illegal in Britain until decriminalisation in 1867, working people sought to protect their professional skills and knowledge in secret, while teaching new recruits and ensuring their usefulness. Societies such as the Masons were a significant influence upon these fraternities, which remained illegal and underground for much of their life. Groups such as the Tolpuddle Martyrs swore oaths before banners of momento mori, usually depicting a skeleton as Death, the grim reaper. These six agricultural labourers from Dorset were prosecuted when they formed a secret Friendly Society and convicted in 1834 of “swearing unlawful oaths”, before being deported to the penal colony in Australia. Such groups were influential to the Society of the Horseman’s Word, and they each developed an idiosyncratic lore, legend and character. I digress here to illustrate the importance, and danger, such groups posed historically to rural communities living in difficult times. While the secretive and mystical nature of Societies was often the stuff of myth, the Horsemen developed a reputation for witchcraft and sorcery in East Anglia and Essex — especially concerning the use of toads in charming our equine companions. Betwixt God and the Devil provides a good history and discourse upon the subject as it pertains to Essex, and Ward discusses all the key witnesses and accounts, citing the sources and providing excellent commentary.
Overall, Richard Ward does a marvellous job of enchanting the reader throughout Betwixt God and the Devil, nimbly navigating the line between history, folklore and storytelling to produce a thoroughly coherent, informative and entertaining piece of work. The well-measured journey through the beliefs and lore of Essex provides an enhancing new look over old material, feeling both fresh and steeped in the past at the same time. This requires the careful handling of one who is adept in the fascination that well-crafted words can conjure, and Ward has certainly achieved this task. Being judiciously arranged in three parts that delineate between history, folklore and practical magic, this book is continually engaging, leaving little room for unnecessary and tedious repetition and exposition. There is sufficient practical history, therein, for the modern cunning man or witch woman to pick the threads and reinvigorate the weft into a new patterning from that passed on in Essex tradition, and revealed by the work of Richard Ward. Indeed, the author treads with a light touch, yet reveals himself as one immersed in his subject and an expert in this field. Betwixt God and the Devil, then, is a wonderfully rich tapestry that offers the reader a view upon the enchanted and magical world of Essex, through its diverse cultural history.
Footnotes
[1] Chambers, Ian. The Witch Compass: Working with the Winds in Traditional Witchcraft. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2022.
[2] Correct as of July 2024
[3] The Anglo-Saxon term ‘leechbook’ refers to medical manuscripts. ‘Leech’, in this context, derives from Old English læce, meaning ‘physician’.