MessageToEagle.com – A number of 17th century demon traps, the so-called “witchmarks” intended to keep evil spirits away from a member of royalty, have been discovered at Knole House, Sevenoaks, Kent.
Knole House – now located in a medieval deer-park – originally was an Archbishop’s palace, the house passed through royal hands to the Sackville family – Knole’s inhabitants from 1603 to today.
The marks were found under the floorboards and surrounding the fireplace of a room which was built for King James I, in anticipation of his planned visit to Sevenoaks.
They have been hidden for centuries and are believed to be linked to the Gunpowder plot that took place in November 1605, in which some Catholics, most famously Guy Fawkes, plotted to blow up James I, the first of the Stuart kings of England.
The earliest written report regarding the Gunpowder Plot, is now for sale.
“A few months before the marks were engraved, the infamous plot caused mass hysteria to sweep across the county. Accusations of demonic forces and witches at work were rife.
The etchings, also known as apotropaic marks, are described to be interlocking, chequered and v-shaped.
They were thought to form a ‘demon trap’, warding off demonic possessions and have been dated back to 1606 by archaeologists who used tree ring dating methods,” according to Kent Online.
Experts from the National Trust believe the markings were carved by craftsmen working for the owner of Knole house, Thomas Sackville, in anticipation of a visit from the King – a visit he never made.
“King James I had a keen interest in witchcraft and passed a witchcraft law, making it an offence punishable by death and even wrote a book on the topic entitled Daemonologie,” said James Wright, an archaeologist at the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA).
“These marks illustrate how fear governed the everyday lives of people living through the tumultuous years of the early 17th century.
“To have precisely dated these apotropaic marks so closely to the time of the Gunpowder Plot, with the anticipated visit from the King, makes this a rare if not unique discovery.
“Using archaeology to better understand the latent fears of the common man that were heightened by the Plot is extremely exciting and adds huge significance to our research about Knole and what was happening at that time.”
The discovery comes as part of the National Trust’s £7 million, five-year project, supported by Heritage Lottery Fund, to conserve Knole, one of Britain’s most important historic houses. The Heritage Lottery Fund announced a £7.75m grant for repairs and conservation of the former Archbishop’s Palace in Sevenoaks.
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