The Only Way Is Witchcraft

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live (Exodus  22:18)

Blonde, dumb, easy, sleeps around, drunk every night, is known for being a slut, stupid, cheap, hair tight to head etc. (Urban dictionary)

It’s my theory that, despite memories of the witch hunts fading, the reputation of the county’s women never really recovered, which is why, when the Essex girl reared her flossy blonde head she was taken up so quickly and decisively. (Syd Moore, ‘Were women accused of witchcraft the first Essex Girls?’)

Welcome to Witch County. Prepare to rethink everything you know about the stereotypical witch (and the stereotypical Essex girl). And remember: The Only Way Is Witchcraft. Revising the traditional ghost story, Syd Moore’s novels bring supernatural mysteries into the twenty-first century, putting the figure of the witch - and at the same time that of the Essex girl - at their heart. Moore’s novels are the perfect blend of Gothic and unapologetic feminism: and trust me, once you start reading them you won’t be able to put them down. 

But first, let me explain why I am so bewitched by these novels, and I’ll start with a confession: I am an Essex girl. Although relatively new, the Essex girl stereotype has been around for a few decades -  and if you're not sure what an 'Essex Girl' is, watch the above video from 1991 for a fairly accurate representation of this stereotype. Sure, I might not always sound ‘Essex’ (my mum is from London you know); I don’t wear white stiletto heels (being 5 foot, you may have noticed I do wear a lot of heels, but mainly of the black variety); and I’ve swapped the orange, baked, fake tan for a pale complexion more befitting a vampire. Also, while we’re here, no I don’t know anyone from TOWIE and no, we don’t all hang out at the Sugar Hut (FYI - Essex is a very big county). But that exactly the point - stereotypes aren’t accurate, and whether we choose to wear stilettos or not, or choose to be tanned or pasty, there is more to every Essex girl than the dumb, blonde stereotype. So, to summarise, I may not fit the stereotype, but this is what an Essex girl looks like.

(Thurrock heritage sign marking Dracula connection)

And even though I’m up in Sheffield researching the Gothic, I haven’t left Essex behind. Vampires have cropped up in my research a few times, and, when I say vampires, that includes the Count himself. Which is perfect for me, because not only is Dracula one of my favourite novels, but I especially enjoy reading the parts set in Purfleet, Essex (for those not as obsessed with Dracula as I am, that’s where Dr Seward’s Lunatic Asylum and Dracula’s Carfax house are situated). I can even remember visiting a local Purfleet museum, and turning into a hidden corned who should I find myself face-to-face with but the infamous Count Dracula! Ok, disclaimer: it was only a coffin surrounded by Dracula posters, but still, it marked a pretty important piece of Essex’s Gothic heritage. And I would be lying to say that I’m not thinking of the Count every time I pass Purfleet station on my journeys to and from Essex and Sheffield. 

(This image captures the importance of trains within Dracula) 

I never pretend that I’m from London as some of my friends have done, because I love where I’m from (although I’m also proud of my ties to London’s East End, but that’s a story for another time). And that’s why, when I walked into my local Essex book store and saw a book with a gorgeous skull on its cover, a playful tagline declaring that ‘The Only Way is Witchcraft,' and blurb that mentioned the ‘Essex Witch Museum’, I knew I had to read it. 

That book was Strange Magic, the first in Moore’s Essex Witch Museum Mysteries series where she links the historical stereotype of the Witch and the contemporary stereotype of the Essex Girl and questions the accuracy of them both:

‘The Essex girl threatens because she is attractive. That’s why she’s put into, a box, a stereotype, in the first place. So she can be controlled. And disempowered.’

‘Like women accused of witchcraft.’

‘Also controlled. Also disempowered by their label.’ 

(Strange Magic, 2017)

In the age of the Me Too movement, and as cries of a ‘Witch Hunt’ are inauthentically uttered (here is looking at you, Trump), it is important to remember that historical Witch Hunts, and the creation and perpetuation of stereotypes such as the Witch and the Essex girl, function to control, disempower, and silence women. The Me Too movement has proved powerful in empowering women and other disempowered individuals, giving them back, to some extent, control and their own voices. And this is exactly what Moore does through all of her novels, too. Reclaiming the narratives and identities of witches throughout history and that of the recent Essex girl, Moore’s novels are, simply, bewitching.

The Drowning Pool (2011)

Moore’s debut novel tells the story of Sarah Grey, a widow relocating to Leigh-on-Sea with her son Alfie after the death of her husband; expecting to rebuild her life, Sarah and Alfie are soon targeted by several hauntings, including eerie encounters with ‘the burning girl.’ The novel begins with a drunken séance, after which the hauntings begin. Sarah is especially targeted by a ghost who turns out to be her namesake, delving into local Essex legends that mark the nineteenth century Sarah Grey as a witch and therefore evil incarnate. This story is a great introduction to Moore’s expert juxtaposition of the historical witch stereotype and contemporary stereotypes of women, and especially the Essex girl stereotype. It also beautifully ties the fictional ghost of Sarah Grey to local Essex histories as Moore’s witch is based on the legends of Sarah Moore, Leigh’s very own sea-witch.

Witch Hunt (2012)

(Colchester Castle)

Delving deeper into the myths and legend of witches, Moore’s second novel explores the infamous Witch-Finder General, Matthew Hopkins, as well as drawing inspiration from the legends of his female victims accused of witchcraft such as Rebecca West. The novel’s protagonist, journalist Sadie Asquith, emulates Moore in her desire to research historical witches, acknowledge connections between the witch and the Essex girl stereotype, and also claim back these narratives for women. As Sadie investigates the ‘dark past of the Essex witch hunts,’ she soon experiences strange visions and hauntings. These include a very chilling episode during a visit to Colchester castle where Sadie is accidentally locked in one of its cells: yes, the very ones in which women accused of witchcraft would have been detained in during Matthew Hopkins reign. If that isn’t enough for you, Moore also weaves into her story a brilliant, though fictional, twist regarding the fate of Matthew Hopkins - which you will just have to read to find out! 

The Essex Witch Museum Mysteries

#1 Strange Magic (2017)

#2 Strange Sight (2017)

#3 Strange Fascination (2018)

Not only does the The Essex Witch Museum Mysteries Series have the best books covers, but they are simply fabulous stories. From the moment I read the first book, Strange Magic, I was hooked: the story opens with an eerie prologue detailing the demonic possession of a small boy by the ghost of a child from the era of witch hunts, and anyone who knows me will know that I find demonic possession stories terrifying (and no, I still won’t rewatch The Exorcist). Luckily, the book introduces its feisty protagonist, Essex girl Rosie Strange who has just inherited the Essex Witch museum from her grandfather, Septimus Strange. Skeptical about witches, ghosts and magic, and initially planning to tear down the museum (a museum that is, by the way, designed to look like a skull), Rosie ends up on a embroiled in a mysterious hunt with the museum’s curator, PhD student (who’s dissertation is on, you guessed it, witches) Sam Stone, who Rosie humorously oscillates between finding extremely irritating or attractively captivating. Teaming up, Rosie and Sam embark on a journey to find the bones of the Essex witch from St. Osyth, Ursula Cadence, in order to save the possessed boy. Along the way, Rosie is visited by the ghost of Ursula herself - or, surely not, because ghosts and witches aren’t real, are they? 

(Skeleton of a witch, believed to be Ursula Cadence or Kempe, found at St Osyth, Essex)

Moore’s wit makes Rosie and Sam one of the best literary detective duos, and trust me when I say that you will want to follow their relationship and their investigations throughout this series. The second book, Strange Sight, introduces a paranormal lockdown situation where the pair investigate the apparent haunting of an East End restaurant (did I mention that half of my family is from the East End?) while Strange Fascination explores the mysteries of a centuries-old boulder in the fiction Adder’s Fork, home to the Essex Witch Museum, as it is moved by developers. The boulder is said to mark the grave of a witch and is based of the legends of Ann Hewghes who lived in the village of Great Leighs, Essex where she was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake, her remains buried under the boulder.

Throughout this series, Moore stylishly offers a commentary on the witch and Essex girl stereotypes. If you like Gothic tales of witches full of hauntings, magic, wit, and plenty of unashamed feminism, then this series is for you. And, like The Drowning Pool and Witch Hunt, Moore brilliantly ties her stories to the histories, myths, and locales of Essex while revisiting the stories of the counties many victims of historical witch hunts. 

Think you know witches? Think you know Essex girls? Think again.

Mary Going is a PhD researcher at the University of Sheffield exploring exploring depictions of Jewish characters, myths and legends - such as Shylock, vampires, and the Wandering Jew - in late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century literature. She is co co-organiser of Sheffield Gothic and the Gothic Bible project, as well as being Sheffield Gothic's current Vampire Slayer, and keeping with the Witch theme of this blog Mary recommends the Buffy episode 'Gingerbread' (E11 S03) as a must watch. You can also find her on twitter: @MazGoing.