Gerald Brosseau Gardner
(1884 - 1964)
(1884 - 1964)
Gerald Brosseau Gardner was born June 13th, 1884 in Blundellands, near
Lancaster, England. Gerald was an English hereditary Witch and responsible
for reviving Witchcraft in the modern Western world.
Gerald was one of three sons, and suffered severely with asthma. To alleviate
his condition his nurse Josephine "Com" McCombie convinced his parents to
permit him to travel with her in Europe during the winter. She eventually
married a man in Ceylon and took Gerald with her, where he worked on a tea
plantation. He later worked in Borneo and Malaysia.
While in the Far East Gerald became acquainted with the natives and familiar
with their spiritual beliefs, which influenced him more than Christianity. He was
fascinated by the ritual daggers and knives, especially the Malaysian kris; a
wavy blade dagger, and wrote Kris and Other Malay Weapons, which was
published in Singapore in 1939. The book established Gerald as the world
authority on the kris. It remains the standard on the subject, and was reprinted
posthumously in 1973.
Lancaster, England. Gerald was an English hereditary Witch and responsible
for reviving Witchcraft in the modern Western world.
Gerald was one of three sons, and suffered severely with asthma. To alleviate
his condition his nurse Josephine "Com" McCombie convinced his parents to
permit him to travel with her in Europe during the winter. She eventually
married a man in Ceylon and took Gerald with her, where he worked on a tea
plantation. He later worked in Borneo and Malaysia.
While in the Far East Gerald became acquainted with the natives and familiar
with their spiritual beliefs, which influenced him more than Christianity. He was
fascinated by the ritual daggers and knives, especially the Malaysian kris; a
wavy blade dagger, and wrote Kris and Other Malay Weapons, which was
published in Singapore in 1939. The book established Gerald as the world
authority on the kris. It remains the standard on the subject, and was reprinted
posthumously in 1973.
In 1927 he married an Englishwoman Donna. Gerald retired in 1936, at the age of 52,
and they moved to England. Much of Gerald's time was spent on archaeological trips
throughout Europe and Asia Minor. It was in Cyprus that he saw things which he had
previously dreamed about which convinced him that he had previously lived there in
another life.
Apparently on medical advice, Gerald took up naturism on his return to England, and
also pursued his interest in the occult. He and his wife lived in the New Forest region of
England, where he was initiated into a traditional Wiccan coven by "Old Dorothy" or
Dorothy Clutterbuck the High Priestess of a New Forest Coven in September of 1939
The coven, including Gerald, joined with other Witches in southern England on July 31
(Lammas Eve), 1940, to perform a ritual to prevent Hitler's forces from invading
England. Five members of the coven died shortly afterwards. Their deaths were blamed
on the power drained from them during the ritual. Gerald, himself, felt his health had
been adversely affected.
Through the introduction of Arnold Crowther Gerald met Aleister Crowley in 1946. For a
brief number of years, Gerald was a member of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), a
magical order of which at one time Crowley held leadership. Crowley had once practiced
Witchcraft as Gerald wrote in a letter to his recent acquaintance Cecil Williamson Feb.8,
1950: "By the way Aleister Crowley was in the Cult, but left it in disgust. He could not
stand a High Priestess having a superior position and having to kneel to her and
while he highly approved of the Great Rite, he was very shocked at the nudity.
Queer man, he approved of being nude in a dirty way, but highly disapproved of it in a
clean and healthful way. Also he disapproved of the use of the scourge to release
power for the practiced reason if you teach a pupil the use of the scourge, he can get
a mate and do it on his own. If you have a highly paying pupil, if you teach them the
concentration and meditation method they go on paying you for years. But he didn't
simply pinch lots of the witches ritual and incorporate it in his works. He claimed that he
rewrote the Rituals for them but I doubt this. He did rewrite some Masonic rituals, and
made an awfull hash of them."
and they moved to England. Much of Gerald's time was spent on archaeological trips
throughout Europe and Asia Minor. It was in Cyprus that he saw things which he had
previously dreamed about which convinced him that he had previously lived there in
another life.
Apparently on medical advice, Gerald took up naturism on his return to England, and
also pursued his interest in the occult. He and his wife lived in the New Forest region of
England, where he was initiated into a traditional Wiccan coven by "Old Dorothy" or
Dorothy Clutterbuck the High Priestess of a New Forest Coven in September of 1939
The coven, including Gerald, joined with other Witches in southern England on July 31
(Lammas Eve), 1940, to perform a ritual to prevent Hitler's forces from invading
England. Five members of the coven died shortly afterwards. Their deaths were blamed
on the power drained from them during the ritual. Gerald, himself, felt his health had
been adversely affected.
Through the introduction of Arnold Crowther Gerald met Aleister Crowley in 1946. For a
brief number of years, Gerald was a member of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), a
magical order of which at one time Crowley held leadership. Crowley had once practiced
Witchcraft as Gerald wrote in a letter to his recent acquaintance Cecil Williamson Feb.8,
1950: "By the way Aleister Crowley was in the Cult, but left it in disgust. He could not
stand a High Priestess having a superior position and having to kneel to her and
while he highly approved of the Great Rite, he was very shocked at the nudity.
Queer man, he approved of being nude in a dirty way, but highly disapproved of it in a
clean and healthful way. Also he disapproved of the use of the scourge to release
power for the practiced reason if you teach a pupil the use of the scourge, he can get
a mate and do it on his own. If you have a highly paying pupil, if you teach them the
concentration and meditation method they go on paying you for years. But he didn't
simply pinch lots of the witches ritual and incorporate it in his works. He claimed that he
rewrote the Rituals for them but I doubt this. He did rewrite some Masonic rituals, and
made an awfull hash of them."
There is speculation that Gerald asked Crowley information about Craft rituals, which he might incorporate into
his own, but this is doubtful as there is no evidence suggesting that Crowley gave him any specific Craft material.
Though it was his desire to write about the survival of Witchcraft, his coven would not allow it because at the time
Witchcraft was still against English law. He published a fictional account of witches in 1949 under the pen-name
Scire, called High Magick's Aid.. The work included rituals which he had learned from his coven, and the worship
of the Horned God, but the Goddess was not mentioned.
his own, but this is doubtful as there is no evidence suggesting that Crowley gave him any specific Craft material.
Though it was his desire to write about the survival of Witchcraft, his coven would not allow it because at the time
Witchcraft was still against English law. He published a fictional account of witches in 1949 under the pen-name
Scire, called High Magick's Aid.. The work included rituals which he had learned from his coven, and the worship
of the Horned God, but the Goddess was not mentioned.
In 1953, Gerald initiated Doreen Valiente into his coven. The coven's rituals were virtually identical to those that
Gerald described in High Magic's Aid. Since the material which he inherited from his first coven was
fragmentary, Gerald reworked the material. He ‘freshen' the rituals with his own work, adding quotations and
extracts from Crowley's work. Doreen discouraged this, advising Gerald that Crowley's material was
inappropriate because it was "too modern," thus most of Crowley's work was subsequently deleted through
rewriting of the material. Gerald and Doreen collaborated through the years of 1954 to 1957 on writing ritual and
non-ritual material. The body of work, or Book of Shadows, became the authority for what is currently known as
the Gardnerian tradition.
Gerald described in High Magic's Aid. Since the material which he inherited from his first coven was
fragmentary, Gerald reworked the material. He ‘freshen' the rituals with his own work, adding quotations and
extracts from Crowley's work. Doreen discouraged this, advising Gerald that Crowley's material was
inappropriate because it was "too modern," thus most of Crowley's work was subsequently deleted through
rewriting of the material. Gerald and Doreen collaborated through the years of 1954 to 1957 on writing ritual and
non-ritual material. The body of work, or Book of Shadows, became the authority for what is currently known as
the Gardnerian tradition.
In 1954 Gerald published his first nonfiction book about Witchcraft, Witchcraft Today. The book supports the
theory of the British anthropologist Margaret A. Murray, that modern Witchcraft is the surviving remnant of
organized Pagan religion which existed during the witch hunts. Margaret wrote the introduction to the book.
The book's immediate success gave emphasis for new covens rising up throughout England and Gerald
suddenly found himself in the spotlight. Due to his numerous media appearances the press referred to him as
"Britain's Chief Witch," a title he did not seek. He was not interested in exploiting his fame for money and personal
glory. In 1959 he published his final book, The Meaning of Witchcraft.
In 1960 his wife died and he began suffering again from asthma. In the winter of 1963 he met Raymond Buckland,
an Englishman who had moved to America. This was shortly before Gerald was to leave for Lebanon. Raymond
was initiated into the Craft by Gerald's High Priestess Monique Wilson (Lady Olwen). It would be Raymond who
would introduce the Gardnerian tradition to America.
After suffering a heart attack, Gerald died aboard ship while returning from Lebanon on the morning of February
12, 1964. His burial was February 13 in Tunisia.
In his will, Gerald bequeathed the museum, his ritual tools and objects, notebooks and the copyrights to his
books to Monique. Other beneficiaries of his estate were Patricia C. Crowther and Jack L. Bracelin, who authored
an authoritative biography of Gerald, Gerald Gardner: Witch (1960). Monique and her husband kept the museum
opened for a short time while holding weekly coven meetings in Gerald's cottage. Eventually the museum was
closed and most of its contents were sold to the Ripley organization, which dispersed the objects to various
museums.
Doreen Valiente described Gerald as a man "utterly without malice," who was generous to a fault and who
possessed some real, but not exceptional, magical powers.
One of Gerald's missions was to attract young people to the Old Religion. In Witchcraft Today he said science
was replacing reliance on the old ways:
"I think we must say good-bye to the witch. The cult is doomed, I am afraid, partly because of modern
conditions, housing shortage, the smallness of families, and chiefly by education. The modern child
is not interested. He knows witches are all bunk..."
theory of the British anthropologist Margaret A. Murray, that modern Witchcraft is the surviving remnant of
organized Pagan religion which existed during the witch hunts. Margaret wrote the introduction to the book.
The book's immediate success gave emphasis for new covens rising up throughout England and Gerald
suddenly found himself in the spotlight. Due to his numerous media appearances the press referred to him as
"Britain's Chief Witch," a title he did not seek. He was not interested in exploiting his fame for money and personal
glory. In 1959 he published his final book, The Meaning of Witchcraft.
In 1960 his wife died and he began suffering again from asthma. In the winter of 1963 he met Raymond Buckland,
an Englishman who had moved to America. This was shortly before Gerald was to leave for Lebanon. Raymond
was initiated into the Craft by Gerald's High Priestess Monique Wilson (Lady Olwen). It would be Raymond who
would introduce the Gardnerian tradition to America.
After suffering a heart attack, Gerald died aboard ship while returning from Lebanon on the morning of February
12, 1964. His burial was February 13 in Tunisia.
In his will, Gerald bequeathed the museum, his ritual tools and objects, notebooks and the copyrights to his
books to Monique. Other beneficiaries of his estate were Patricia C. Crowther and Jack L. Bracelin, who authored
an authoritative biography of Gerald, Gerald Gardner: Witch (1960). Monique and her husband kept the museum
opened for a short time while holding weekly coven meetings in Gerald's cottage. Eventually the museum was
closed and most of its contents were sold to the Ripley organization, which dispersed the objects to various
museums.
Doreen Valiente described Gerald as a man "utterly without malice," who was generous to a fault and who
possessed some real, but not exceptional, magical powers.
One of Gerald's missions was to attract young people to the Old Religion. In Witchcraft Today he said science
was replacing reliance on the old ways:
"I think we must say good-bye to the witch. The cult is doomed, I am afraid, partly because of modern
conditions, housing shortage, the smallness of families, and chiefly by education. The modern child
is not interested. He knows witches are all bunk..."
Between 1923 and 1936 Gerald was employed by the British government in the Far East as a rubber plantation
inspector, customs official and inspector of opium establishments. He made considerable money in rubber
which allowed him to dabble in his great interest of archaeology. He claimed to have discovered the site of the
ancient city of Singapura.
inspector, customs official and inspector of opium establishments. He made considerable money in rubber
which allowed him to dabble in his great interest of archaeology. He claimed to have discovered the site of the
ancient city of Singapura.
Gerald broke from the New Forest coven to form his own coven in
1951, the year that the law against witchcraft was repealed.. In
the same year he traveled to the Isle of Man, on which was a
Museum of Magic and Witchcraft which had been established by
Cecil Williamson and housed in a 400-year-old Craft farmhouse.
Cecil originally named it the Folklore Centre and intended it to
become a center for currently practicing Witches. Gerald became
the "resident Witch" and added his personal substantial collection
of ritual tools and artifacts. Gerald purchased the museum
from Williamson.
1951, the year that the law against witchcraft was repealed.. In
the same year he traveled to the Isle of Man, on which was a
Museum of Magic and Witchcraft which had been established by
Cecil Williamson and housed in a 400-year-old Craft farmhouse.
Cecil originally named it the Folklore Centre and intended it to
become a center for currently practicing Witches. Gerald became
the "resident Witch" and added his personal substantial collection
of ritual tools and artifacts. Gerald purchased the museum
from Williamson.
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