Eleanor Bone
Encyclopedia
Eleanor "Ray" Bone was an influential figure in the neopagan religion of Wicca
. She claimed to have been initiated in 1941 by a couple of hereditary witches in Cumbria
. She later met and became friends with Gerald Gardner
, and was initiated into Wicca
, becoming the High Priestess in one of his covens. She was a friend of several important figures of the modern Wiccan revival, including "Dafo
", Jack Bracelin, Patricia Crowther
, Doreen Valiente
and Idries Shah
. Bone was a close confidant of Gardner's initiator Dafo, and she reported that the New Forest coven
was a hereditary coven that followed the old ways of the Hampshire
region, and that they traced their origins to the time of the death of King William Rufus in the Norman
era.
Bone was regarded by some as the "Matriarch of British Witchcraft". She founded a coven in south London in the early 1960s. Among her initiatory down-line are Madge and Arthur Worthington, who went on to found the well-known Whitecroft line of Gardnerian Wicca
. In May 1966 Bone and Patricia Crowther combined to denounce Alex Sanders
, whom they accused of having an invalid initiation. According to Ronald Hutton
, his response was to claim an entirely independent, traditional line of descent, leading ultimately to the appearance of Alexandrian Wicca
as an entity separate from Gardnerian Wicca
.
There is some confusion over the spelling of Ray Bone's preferred first name: many modern authors and websites give it as 'Rae', possibly in confusion with Rae Beth. A 1964 article and photograph from the UK magazine 'Tit-Bits' gives the authoritative spelling.
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
. She claimed to have been initiated in 1941 by a couple of hereditary witches in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. She later met and became friends with Gerald Gardner
Gerald Gardner
Gerald Brousseau Gardner , who sometimes used the craft name Scire, was an influential English Wiccan, as well as an amateur anthropologist and archaeologist, writer, weaponry expert and occultist. He was instrumental in bringing the Neopagan religion of Wicca to public attention in Britain and...
, and was initiated into Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
, becoming the High Priestess in one of his covens. She was a friend of several important figures of the modern Wiccan revival, including "Dafo
Dafo
Edith Rose Woodford-Grimes was an English Wiccan who achieved notoriety as one of the faith's earliest known adherents. She had been a member of the New Forest coven which met during the late 1930s and early 1940s, and through this became a friend and working partner of Gerald Gardner, who would...
", Jack Bracelin, Patricia Crowther
Patricia Crowther (Wiccan)
Patricia Crowther is considered influential in the early promotion of the Wicca religion. She was born in Sheffield as Patricia Dawson....
, Doreen Valiente
Doreen Valiente
Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente , who also went under the craft name Ameth, was an influential English Wiccan who was involved in a number of different early traditions, including Gardnerianism, Cochrane's Craft and the Coven of Atho...
and Idries Shah
Idries Shah
Idries Shah , also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi , was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition who wrote over three dozen critically acclaimed books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.Born in India, the descendant of a...
. Bone was a close confidant of Gardner's initiator Dafo, and she reported that the New Forest coven
New Forest coven
The New Forest coven were a group of Neopagan witches or Wiccans who allegedly met around the area of the New Forest in southern England during the 1930s and 1940s...
was a hereditary coven that followed the old ways of the Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
region, and that they traced their origins to the time of the death of King William Rufus in the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
era.
Bone was regarded by some as the "Matriarch of British Witchcraft". She founded a coven in south London in the early 1960s. Among her initiatory down-line are Madge and Arthur Worthington, who went on to found the well-known Whitecroft line of Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian Witchcraft, is a mystery cult tradition or denomination in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. The tradition is itself named after Gardner , a British civil servant and scholar of magic...
. In May 1966 Bone and Patricia Crowther combined to denounce Alex Sanders
Alex Sanders (Wiccan)
Alex Sanders , born Orrell Alexander Carter, was an English occultist and High Priest in the Neopagan religion of Wicca, responsible for founding the tradition of Alexandrian Wicca during the 1960s. He was a figure who often appeared in tabloid newspapers...
, whom they accused of having an invalid initiation. According to Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton is an English historian who specializes in the study of Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and contemporary Paganism. A reader in the subject at the University of Bristol, Hutton has published fourteen books and has appeared on British television and radio...
, his response was to claim an entirely independent, traditional line of descent, leading ultimately to the appearance of Alexandrian Wicca
Alexandrian Wicca
Alexandrian Wicca is a tradition of the Neopagan religion of Wicca, founded by Alex Sanders who, with his wife Maxine Sanders, established the tradition in the United Kingdom in the 1960s...
as an entity separate from Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian Witchcraft, is a mystery cult tradition or denomination in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. The tradition is itself named after Gardner , a British civil servant and scholar of magic...
.
There is some confusion over the spelling of Ray Bone's preferred first name: many modern authors and websites give it as 'Rae', possibly in confusion with Rae Beth. A 1964 article and photograph from the UK magazine 'Tit-Bits' gives the authoritative spelling.