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Re: Witch Burial Site Under Threat
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Goffik,
If you were heading for Old Winchester Hill, you most probably took the Bishops Waltham road, which is the left hand fork after Botley station (wait...of course you took the BW road 'cos Curdridge church is on it!). Kitnocks Hill is on the Wickham road, which is the right fork.

Old Winchester Hill is great - been going up there for 38 years - have you seen the tree-shrouded dew pond up there called Seven Wells? Beacon Hill, across the Meon valley from O.W.H. is also worth looking at. There's a Bronze Age linear bank there(traceable in the car park), the line of which appears to be extended by the modern road, which itself aligns on the deserted medieval village of Lomer,named after a tree-shrouded pond (is there a theme developing here?).

Do have a look round Curdridge, I'd be interested to know what you think and what you might find out. Not strictly 'prehistoric' perhaps, although a Bronze Age urn was found on Kitnocks Hill in the nineteenth century, which is now in the Winchester Museum. I do wonder, though, whether some of these witch stories convey echoes of primeval goddesses - if Curdridge was in Ireland would we be talking about 'the Cailleach' or a Sidh woman?

Another thing that needs sorting is whether Kitty Nocks and another Curdridge witch, Kate Hunt, are different people, or the same woman with different names. Kate Hunt, or 'Hare Kate' used to transform into a white hare, until she was shot with a silver bullet (fashioned from a sixpence?). She used to ride a five-bar gate to meetings at Bishops Waltham. She was also associated with Pink Mead, by the River Hamble at Botley.
Cheers,
SI


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Posted by Seventhorn Inn
28th July 2009ce
21:45

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