An architectural historian has challenged the popular interpretation of carved symbols on historic English buildings as 'witches' marks' or 'ritual protection symbols', stating there is 'absolutely no evidence' for such claims.
Stonemasons' Marks, Not Witchcraft
Jennifer Alexander, a professor of architectural history at Warwick University, argues that symbols like daisy wheels or hexafoils are simply the working marks of stonemasons. In her new study, she explains that these designs were used for training apprentices in geometry and tool use on stone surfaces.
'Do you remember at school when you were first given a pair of compasses and you made a daisy wheel? It's that,' Alexander told the Guardian. 'There are hundreds of such marks and they tend to be of varying degrees of skill. It's much more the sort of thing you'd use to train apprentices with.'
English Heritage's Claims Under Scrutiny
In 2024, English Heritage announced that research at Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire had revealed 'a staggering array of carved ritual protection, or apotropaic marks – sometimes called witches' marks'. The charity stated that simple circles were believed to trap demons, and overlapping Vs or Marian marks called on the Virgin Mary for protection.
In 2016, Historic England asked the public to hunt for witches' marks, describing them as dating back to times when belief in witchcraft was widespread. Its website acknowledges that the significance of hexafoils is disputed, noting that some interpret them as sun motifs or geometric exercises, but adds that 'their interpretation as a ritual protection mark is the most widely accepted theory at present.'
Evidence from Historic Barns
Such symbols have been found on the stonework of grand barns, including a 14th-century tithe barn at Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire. Alexander contends that these marks indicate the barn was used as a schoolroom or mason's training shop when not needed for farm produce.
'There are a huge number of designs on the walls there and they vary enormously in skill,' she said. 'If you're drawing a circle with a pair of compasses, you get three-quarters the way round and it's very difficult to make a nice clean line because your wrist is upside down. When you're doing it on paper, it's bad enough. When you're doing it on stone, it's even harder. So people have to be trained.'
Alternative Explanations for Marks
Alexander notes that while there are symbols to ward off the evil eye, these are generic. Marks like capital W or M are mason ciphers used to order building components or identify work. Her book, 'Stonemasons' Marks', published by Routledge ahead of the International Medieval Congress in Leeds, explores how marks reveal information about buildings and their builders.
Responses from Heritage Bodies
Historic England welcomed the research, stating: 'We welcome new research that adds to our understanding of these marks. The more we learn about them, the richer our picture of the people who made and used these places becomes.'
English Heritage also embraced the debate: 'We welcome debates such as this, which encourage fresh perspectives on the past, and look forward to seeing where future research leads.'
