Protecting Clandon
In the Speakers’ Parlour, a ground floor room that survived the fire miraculously well preserved, we’ve carefully removed the wood panelling and placed it in store. Behind the panels on the south wall we were surprised to discover a supporting timber, reused from the previous Tudor house at Clandon Park, which hadn’t been seen since the 1730s. The sharp, angular, 400 year old scratch marks here form the interlocking letters V and M, representing the Virgin Mary which the maker believed would protect them from harm.
In the basement, a room directly beneath the Green Drawing Room, which was probably used by the upper servants to eat their meals, boasts more demon-busting graffiti. Between two windows on the outside wall you can make out two marks scratched into the surface of the 1730s plaster. The first is a daisy wheel, a circular mark surrounding a series of concentric petals or arcs, radiating from a central point. The second is simpler and more familiar, a five-pointed star or pentagram formed by two interlocking triangles.
Late to the party
Gradually, by the 18th century, the fear and persecution of witches reduced as people began to understand the world around them better. In 1735, as Clandon Park was being built, George II passed the Witchcraft Act which reduced such crimes to confidence tricks only. The age of enlightenment had accelerated and, as scientific discoveries developed with an incredible pace of change, the use of protections such as apotropaic marks started to decline.
Given that Clandon was built in the 1730s, it’s extraordinary to see that people here still felt compelled to use these special marks in an important and prestigious ground floor room like the Speakers’ Parlour. Where evil spirits are concerned, perhaps it’s always better to be safe than sorry…