Page 42 - The Flickering Cauldron Magazine - April 2022

There are many little nooks and crannies in with wonderful crystal, spiritual, and witchcraft shops, selling an array of fabulous goodies.
We have to mention the ‘Witchcraft’ shop. Small in comparison to ‘A Coven of Witches’ but makes up in its atmosphere with unique gifts, and all things witchery. We found a wonderful little tea room in the ‘Ole Farmhouse’ for a bite to eat and a refresh before exploring some more.
With ponies and cattle roaming around the village and pretty thatched cottages, Burley has remained untouched by time, so it came to no surprise to hear the village of Burley is also home to several ghosts. The ghost of a cat can be seen and heard residing in the ‘A Coven of Witches’ shop. Not something seen by us though when we were there, but maybe next time.
There have been ghostly figures of horsemen riding through Burley Lawn in the centre of town, and the nearby Burley manor hotel is also home to a lady wandering the halls.
The pub in the village 'The Queens Head', used to have strange noises emanating from below the bar floor, apparently in 1950, underneath the Stable bar, a tunnel and cellar was found, with all sorts of remnants of past smuggling. This was all cleared out and since then, the strange noises are only heard every now and then.
Now on to our favourite, dragons!
The Bisterne Dragon in particular, is noted in English Folklore as having his lair at Burley Beacon, which lies on the edge of the village.
There are several stories surrounding the Burley Dragon, all quite sad! One in particular tells the tale of him flying each morning to Bisterne, whereby he would be given his daily milk quota. One morning a knight lay in wait with his dogs to slay him. When he arrived the hut door they were hiding behind opened,
and the dogs ran out and attacked the dragon, keeping him occupied long enough for the knight to take him by surprise to slay him.
Unfortunately for the dogs, it was the last thing they ever saw. Even though the knight took the dragon by surprise, the dragon was strong and fought back. They fought furiously throughout the forest, until finally the dragon succumbed and was killed just outside Lyndhurst.
The dragon's body is said to have turned into a great hill which is now known as Boltons Bench. The battle played a toll on the knight who was haunted by the slaying of the dragon; it was said to have mentally broken him. He eventually went back to the place he defeated the dragon at Boltons Bench, and died there alone on top of it. The ground soaked up the knight turning his body into a yew tree, which is still there today, and worth the visit!
For such a tiny little village, it has a rich, spooky and busy history and is well worth exploring, and the surrounding New Forest is absolutely stunning. Definitely a day not to be missed if you can get there.
Now onto Sybil Leek
What a character she was!
She was referred to in the press as ‘Britain’s most famous witch’.
It’s fair to say that she was much loved and loathed in equal measure.
She first came to prominence when she lived in the village of Burley in Hampshire in the late 1950’s, when she declared herself to be a White Witch, and a descendant of Molly Leigh, who was accused of witchcraft (but died before her trial) in 1746, and is still said today to haunt the town of Burslem in Staffordshire where she is buried.
Her claims caught the attention of the world’s media
42 | The Flickering Cauldron® Magazine - The Witchy Village of Burley