'Witches Marks,' Curses Cover This Historic Manor

A "staggering array" of markings said to ward off evil spirits and witches have been discovered lining the walls of a historic English manor, along with a curse against a former owner. William Hickman was an "astute and ruthless businessman" who, beginning in 1596, manipulated his authority as owner to "maximize both his control and income," says English Heritage, the organization that oversees historic properties, including Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire, per NPR. One of several "curse" inscriptions found at the site features Hickman's name carved upside down and a "rude drawing," per the Washington Post. "The practice of defacing a name was widely believed to curse the named person," English Heritage says, per the BBC.

The markings, mostly found in the Tudor manor's servants' wing, were mapped by English Heritage volunteer Rick Berry over the past two years. They include apotropaic or "witches marks," believed to protect against witches and evil spirits; overlapping lines in the shape of a "V," known as Marian marks, which are believed to call upon the Virgin Mary for protection; what are thought to be hexafoil designs, considered by some to be able to trap demons; and a type of pentagram that "was originally used to protect against evil," English Heritage says. One hundred burn marks, also found around the site, may have been the result of a ritual meant to protect the house from fire, per NPR.

"I just keep finding them," Berry tells CNN of the markings. It's unclear when each was left. The property was built in the 1400s and had many owners. It was also visited by Henry VIII. "It is astonishing that centuries on, the amazing old buildings in our care still have secrets waiting to be discovered," English Heritage curator Kevin Booth, says in a statement. "The Old Hall has undoubtedly had a tumultuous past, not least under the ownership of the apparently unpopular William Hickman, but why it's the scene of quite such a high concentration of protective carvings remains a mystery." According to the Post, the manor is said to host the ghost of a former resident who was locked away from her lover and died of a broken heart—before Hickman took ownership. (More discoveries stories.)