Philip Heselton
Author of Wiccan Roots: Gerald Gardner and the Modern Witchcraft Revival
Works by Philip Heselton
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1946
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- conservation officer
- Short biography
- Philip Heselton (born 1946) is a retired British Conservation Officer, a Wiccan initiate, and a writer on the subjects of Wicca, Paganism and Earth mysteries. He is best known for two books, Wiccan Roots: Gerald Gardner and the Modern Witchcraft Revival and Gerald Gardner and the Cauldron of Inspiration, which gather historical evidence surrounding the New Forest coven and the origins of Gardnerian Wicca. He is currently working on a biography of Gerald Gardner.
In his non-literary life his interest in landscape led to a degree in Geography and a career in Town and Country Planning; eventually he became a Conservation Officer for Hull City Council before his retirement in 1997. - Nationality
- UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- UK
Members
Reviews
A fascinating further exploration of the origins of Wicca. Having identified the members of the New Forest Coven in a previous book, we now get to see more details of their occult and Pagan-adjacent interests, especially the Mason family, Rosamund Sabine, Edith Woodford-Grimes, and Katharine Oldmeadow. It seems likely that the group of friends were a network of people with related interests, and that only some of them were actually in the coven. It’s also clear that Gerald Gardner was show more initiated by the group and that he didn’t just invent Wicca. He did inject material from other sources into the rituals he received, of course. There’s also an intriguing story about Cecil Williamson meeting Edith Woodford-Grimes and probably Rosamund Sabine during WW2.
Philip Heselton carefully distinguishes between known facts and conjecture in this book, which is very helpful for allowing the reader to make up their own mind. He also has an engaging and lively writing style which is a pleasure to read. show less
Philip Heselton carefully distinguishes between known facts and conjecture in this book, which is very helpful for allowing the reader to make up their own mind. He also has an engaging and lively writing style which is a pleasure to read. show less
A well-written and meticulously researched account of the life of Doreen Valiente, whose poetic vision hugely enriched the witchcraft revival. Engaging and entertaining to read.
Excellent presentation of known facts of Valiente's life and career as well as informed speculation about unknown factors. Heselton admits to having only laid the groundwork for future scholars, but the groundwork seems firm.
Inspiring account of the New Forest ritual of 1940, meticulously researched by Philip Heselton and with the tender and lyrical writing of Moira Hodgkinson. This should have an honoured place on every Wiccan’s bookshelf.
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Statistics
- Works
- 15
- Members
- 502
- Popularity
- #49,319
- Rating
- 4.2
- Reviews
- 10
- ISBNs
- 27
- Favorited
- 2