Raymond
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Funeral For A WitchA woman who was beheaded and buried in unholy ground 700 years ago is to receive a church funeral.
The woman's remains were found near a church graveyard nearly a year ago, with her head buried by her side.
Removing the head and being buried on un-consecrated ground was the norm for those found guilty of witchcraft in the past.
The Rev. Andy Harding has decided to re-bury the woman in the main churchyard in St. Werburgh, Kent.
He said: "I felt the need to give her a proper burial".
Bloody vicar. What makes him think she wants a 'proper burial'. If she were a witch I'm sure the last place she'd want to be is in so-called 'consecrated ground'.
Flippin' christian do-gooders. Haven't they got anything better to do? Well obviously no, they haven't, but you get what I mean...
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evergreen
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I think its wrong too
not only is she perhaps where she wants to be but also the fact we think we know best... hmmm I guess his heart is in the right place its just a same that his eye sight is so short sighted
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david hobbs
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They often dig people up near the church in my village. Is does not mean they are witches, just poor.
The ones who could pay went in the yard the plebe's went anywhere.
Regarding the tradition of removing a witches head that is a new on on me. I wonder if that is where the idea of ghosts with their heads under their arms sprang from?
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Raymond
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Oh yeah, way back before they wrote books on how to kill witches they used to remove the head.
Being buried on unconsecrated ground was always set aside for Witches and suicides I thought.
A crossroads was another good place.
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beantighe
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I agree, I think it was wrong to dig her up and put her in the churchyard. This vicar was wrong to impute modern-day thinking to someone who lived and died 700 years ago.
In any case, I think witches would have been more comfortable with being buried at a crossroads, because crossroads have always been sacred to Hecate, who is associated with deep mysteries, magic and inner knowledge. She is the Crone part of the Greek triple goddess, which consists of Persephone (Maiden) Demeter (Mother) and Hecate (Crone). Hecate has deep connections with the Underworld, which is called by different names in different cultures, where souls are believed to journey to rest between incarnations. There is an aspect of Hecate which is called Hecate Tri-Via, or 'three ways', which is the origin of our word 'trivia'.
It saddens me in a way that this vicar thought it was OK to dig up and re-bury this woman's remains. How would he like to be buried eventually in, say, a moslem or a jewish cemetery, when he is not of that religion? He should have called on a local witch or Druid to say a blessing for her, before covering her up again where she was.
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Raymond
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One thing that facinates me in this story is once again we see the removal of the head.
We have lopped off people's heads in this country literally from day one.
Win a battle with someone and we'd have his head on a pole. Boundary walls were decorated with severed heads. Find someone guilty of a crime and his head would be off. Displease the monarch and it's off with his head!
Tribes in ancient Britain used to have heads sitting around as part of their worship and religious observances.
Even up until recent times our prefered method of capital punishment was hanging - ok, not exactly removal of the head but as good as.
What is it about taking someone's head off that we Brits find so appealing?
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beantighe
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Good point, Raymond, and it is intriguing. It's been done as a method of execution for centuries, and I think it's one of those things where we've forgotten the original reason for it, but still carry on doing it.
I still have this theory that it goes back to ancient Celtic times, where the head was thought to house the soul and the essence of a person. Take away the head, and you deprive that person of his soul. Encircling your round-house with your enemies' heads conferred not only protection for you, your household and your dwelling, it also bestowed on you your enemies' strength and courage, in their way of thinking.
Do you remember the story of Bran the Blessed? (I said Bran, not Brian, LOL!) 
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Raymond
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LOL! yes.
Now Brian Blessed, - there's a man I'd love to spend an evening in the pub with.
"Gordon's Alive?" lol!
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beantighe
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Yes, he is a larger than life character, isn't he? And very entertaining, too. He's come an awful long way since Z Cars.
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stardust2
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How dare he disturb that grave.The witch was treated badly at the end of her or his life here and this tosspot is now going to do something else that the she or he will not like.Apart from that there is nothing else I can add to what you lot have said.
But things like this really do piss me of.
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david hobbs
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Interestingly we dig up people who were buried thousands of years ago and put the remains on show. Think Valley of the kings.
How long do you have to be buried before you can be put on public display without the word desecration being shouted out?
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evergreen
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was having this discussion today with an archeologist friend I have made... Aboriginals don't allow their sites to be dug up at all I think its a shame its interesting to have a look into the past.. hmm but hen I'm not an aboriginal
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white wolf
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I rather fancy a woodland burial myself..................
I recentley read an article about Rob Roy ,apparentley they are thinking about digging him up to do test on him.Bloody discrace and i hope they dont do such a thing.Dont see what they hope to achieve anyway.
ww
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Raymond
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Just watch an episode of Time Team and you'll see the incredibly annoying Tony 'Baldrick' Robinson bouncing up and down waving around a bit of someone's pelvis and trying to pass it off as science.
Bloody fool.
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white wolf
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agh HE MUST HAVE A CUNNING PLAN LOL
ww
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