Rick Berry had seen the burn marks for years, dozens of them in neat rows, singed into the walls of Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire, England. Perhaps they were from a candle or stray flame, he thought — small, unintentional arsons in the aged oak.
“It was my cynicism really, thinking they were accidental,” said Mr. Berry, a volunteer guide at the centuries-old manor house.
Now, however, the house’s caretakers say they have determined the marks indeed had meaning. English Heritage, the charity that manages the site, said this week that the burns and other markings were believed to be medieval protective symbols, meant to guard the home and its residents from fire, witchcraft, and one particularly mercurial landowner.
Mr. Berry first discovered some of the symbols two years ago, and through his own research, he became convinced that the markings had greater meaning. He has since combed through the facility, uncovering medieval graffiti, curses, and symbols etched into the hall’s structures.
Some reports have suggested the symbols were drawn by witches — perhaps unsurprising given the announcement’s proximity to Halloween — but Mr. Berry believes that to be a misinterpretation.
“They’re not called ‘witch marks,’” Mr. Berry said, noting that some of the symbols actually seem designed to protect against witchcraft. “They’re ritual protection marks.”
Such markings and symbols from that time period have been found throughout Britain, but little is known about who made them or why, experts say.
“They’re quite common,” Catherine Rider, an associate professor of medieval history at the University of Exeter, said of the markings. “The weird thing is, there’s very little written down at the time to tell us why.”
Built more than 500 years ago, Gainsborough Old Hall is one of Britain’s best-preserved manor houses. Originally built by Sir Thomas Burgh II, a pious servant of the British Crown, the home was sold in 1596 to William Hickman, a merchant.
Unlike the home’s previous resident, Mr. Hickman was ruthless and domineering, widely disliked by the local townspeople and his employees. That reputation was underscored by one of Mr. Berry’s finds: the name “Hickman” etched upside down into the home’s walls, a traditional way to curse someone.
Indeed, some of the inscriptions suggest sinister aims.
In another etching, a one-legged dog stands alone — Mr. Berry has wondered if it was meant to curse a hound, perhaps one that belonged to Mr. Hickman. Another has an etching of a hangman’s gallows, with five nooses.
“It seems that somebody didn’t like him,” Mr. Berry said, of Mr. Hickman.
Three weeks ago, Mr. Berry said, he found an etched pentacle — another symbol that, while contemporarily associated with Paganism, could also be a medieval symbol for the Virgin Mary.
“It’s not something that’s necessarily regarded as Pagan,” Ms. Rider said of the pentacle.
Although Mr. Berry said he didn’t necessarily subscribe to the supernatural theories, Gainsborough Old Hall has long been rumored to be haunted by the tormented ghost of Mr. Burgh’s daughter, whom he is said to have locked up to prevent her from running away with a low-class lover.
Despite the house’s supernatural history, experts agree that Mr. Berry’s findings are almost certainly related to more mortal instincts.
Still, the increased interest is a good teaching moment, historians said.
“Even though most of this stuff isn’t related to witches or demons, I don’t think it’s a horrible thing that people are learning about this stuff,” said Crystal Hollis, who recently earned a Ph.D. in historic graffiti. “It’s something deeper, and something that’s more based in the local community.”
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