Roy Bowers (aka Robert Cochrane) may or may not have been the progenitor of a tradition that, regardless, is now an established extant lineage. Whether or not these are archane roots or more recently germinated, most who were involved with his group and have commented agree that his was an effective and original resuscitation of the mysteries.

Of course, within the core of a tradition are the teachings and the mythos which the system hangs upon. In Bowers' case, we have come to know some of this through his letters and few public writings as the Clan of Tubal Cain tradition. Indeed, whilst much is publicly available, one must imagine there is much out there that is the privilege of those who have been initiated into the tradition.

Two things to consider here: 1) the importance of initiations to you and 2) the induction of the initiated into the group.

Life is full of initiations, from birth, first day at school, first job, etc. Indeed, the word implies the initial moment of something especial or recurring in one's life; the act of starting something for the first time. For many, initiation into a magical order would be, and likely should be, an initiation in this sense and possess a certain jen e say qua. Ritually, man has marked initiation points from the earliest of times and aboriginal tribes still do. So, this is both a celebratory milestone in a life whilst also imparting a certain something whilst admitting entry into an exclusive association.

The latter, that is admission to the core of a tradition, is significant in inaugurating the initiated. This can be from a base level, and/or a higher plain. For example, we must all have a distant memory of not being accepted into a group or team when children. On the other hand, the elation of being "picked for the team" almost has a life of its own. Higher up the scale, a cohesive and tight-knit ritual group are known to operate with one mind. In addition, initiations bring the initiate in line with the current and enables contacts within. Therefore, the association can be, or perhaps should be, inclusive of the sentience of the current. Indeed, whether a mortal being is the initiator or not, that deific instigator should necessaruly be present to transmit the body of gnosis.

So why is this relevant? Because, if that same group that Cochrane formed were still alive today it would have at its core that essence that made it what it was then, wouldn't it? Traditions can, and should, work in this manner. I heard a story the other day of a man who had an axe that had been in his family for three or four generations. What was amazing was that they had only changed the handle 6 times and the head 3. That's ridiculous, I hear you say, it's not the same axe. Ah, but is it? To him it is, despite the fact that all of its constituent parts have been updated since it first incarnated. So the spirit of the axe still lives, while its physical being is altered. In Platonic philosphy the object possesses the form or idea of what it is to be the axe.

So, through the transmission of the tradition it remains existent and the validity of the lineage, or path of inheritance, is important in keeping it alive through generations. Whilst the constituent parts of the group may change the spirit should not.

Warwickshire was once famous for its folklore, customs and being amongst the most widely reputed Witch counties in England.

The most famous of the Witchcraft villages is without doubt Long Compton, where it was once said there were enough witches to pull a wagon of hay up Meon Hill.

Meon Hill and Long Compton have, in the past, been home to some more famous murders in the country associated with Witchcraft. Charles Walton's fateful end upon Meon Hill is well documented, but investigation often throws up poor Ann Tenant. Ann was an elderly lady who was brutally attacked by a labourer who claimed she bewitched him in the 1870s. The culprit was deemed a lunatic and locked away, but his becrying of Witchcraft in the region stuck, accompanied as it was with the stories of Meon Hill and the nearby Rollright Stones.

Documents pertaining to the incident

The Banbury Advertiser carried this story in September 1875 about the incident.

These interesting accounts reveal a great deal about the mental stability of the murderer and the local perceptions at the time taken from the Stratford Herald 24th September 1875.

I am grateful to Ron and Diane Jeavons for sharing these documents with me. The murdered Ann was an ancestor of the Jeavon's and confirm that James Hayward died in Broadmoor Asylum in 1890.