Robert Cochrane and the Gardnerian Craft: Feuds, Secrets and Mysteries in Contemporary British Witchcraft
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v13i2.205Keywords:
Robert Cochrane, Neo-Paganism, Luciferianism, traditional WitchcraftAbstract
The English occultist Robert Cochrane (1931–1966) has remained one of the most enigmatic figures from the burgeoning contemporary British Witchcraft movement, being the founder of the Cochranian tradition and a core influence on the “Traditional Craft” current that has blossomed in the West since the early 1990s. The magister of a coven named the Clan of Tubal Cain, Cochrane was known for his scathing criticisms of Gerald Gardner and the Gardnerian tradition of Wicca, but at the same time allegations have emerged in recent decades that Cochrane was himself an initiate of that very tradition. In this paper, the author explores the complex relationship between Cochrane and the Gardnerian Craft, examining the nature of his criticisms and the evidence for his involvement in it, utilising both a textual examination of his published writings and private letters, accompanied with information obtained from discussions with some of his contemporaries and later followers.References
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———. Unpublished notebooks, 1959–1989.
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Bourne, Lois. Dancing with Witches. London: Robert Hale, 1998.
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Cochrane, Robert. “Genuine Witchcraft is Defended.” Psychic News, 9 November 1963.
———. “The Craft Today.” Pentagram 2 (November 1964), 8.
———., and Evan John Jones. The Robert Cochrane Letters: An Insight into Modern Traditional Witchcraft. Milverton, Somerset: Capall Bann, 2002.
Di Fiosa, Jimahl. A Coin for the Ferryman: The Death and Life of Alex Sanders. Boston: Logios, 2010.
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Finnin, Ann. The Forge of Tubal Cain. Sunland, Calif.: Pendraig, 2008.
Gardner, Gerald. Witchcraft Today. London: Rider and Co., 1954.
Harper, Clive. “Blessed B…,” The Cauldron 137, August 2010.
Howard, Michael. Modern Wicca: A History from Gerald Gardner to the Present. Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn, 2009.
———. Children of Cain: A Study of Modern Traditional Witches. Richmond, California: Three Hands Press, 2011.
———. “The Robert Cochrane Tradition,” http://www.clanoftubalcain.org.uk/ rctrad. 2009.
Hutton, Ronald. The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Hyman, Tom. “Space–Age Witches,” Saga, March 1966.
John of Monmouth, Gillian Spraggs, and Shani Oates. Genuine Witchcraft is Explained: The Secret History of the Royal Windsor Coven and the Regency. Milverton, Somerset: Capall Bann, 2011.
Jones, Evan John. Witchcraft: A Tradition Renewed. London: Robert Hale, 1989.
Jones, Evan John, and Chas S. Clifton. Sacred Mask, Sacred Dance. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 1996.
Jones, Evan John, and Robert Cochrane. The Roebuck in the Thicket: An Anthology of the Robert Cochrane Witchcraft Tradition. Milverton, Somerset: Capall Bann, 2001.
Lamond, Frederic. Fifty Years of Wicca. Sutton Mallet: Green Magic, 2004.
Leland, Charles Godfrey. Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches. London: David Nutt, 1899.
Oates, Shani. Tubelo’s Green Fire: Mythos, Ethos, Female, Male & Priestly Mysteries of the Clan of Tubal Cain. Oxford: Mandrake, 2010.
Philips, Julia. “History of Wicca in England: 1939–Present Day,” http://www.ecauldron.net/historywicca.php. 1991.
Richardson, Alan, and Marcus Claridge. The Old Sod: The Odd Life and Inner Work of William G. Gray. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: Skylight Press, 2011 [2003].
Ruickbie, Leo. Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History. London: Robert Hale, 2004.
Sanders, Maxine. Firechild: The Life and Magic of Maxine Sanders, “Witch Queen.”Oxford: Mandrake of Oxford, 2008.
Seims, Melissa. “The Coven of Atho,” The Cauldron 126, 2007.
Semple, Gavin. The Poisoned Chalice: The Death of Robert Cochrane. London: Reineke Verlag, 2004.
Taliesin. Response to “Taliesin Attacked,” Pentagram 5, December 1965.
Valiente, Doreen. An ABC of Witchcraft: Past and Present. London: Robert Hale, 1973.
———. “Letter of Welcome from Doreen Valiente,” Pentagram 1, 1964.
———. The Rebirth of Witchcraft. London: Robert Hale, 1989.
———. Unpublished notebooks, 1959–1989.
Published
2013-01-14
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Doyle White, E. (2013). Robert Cochrane and the Gardnerian Craft: Feuds, Secrets and Mysteries in Contemporary British Witchcraft. Pomegranate, 13(2), 205-224. https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v13i2.205
