Dorothy Clutterbuck

Dorothy Clutterbuck (January 19, 1880–January 12, 1951), was a well-to-do woman who lived near Christchurch, England, and was named by Gerald Gardner as a leading member of a coven of witches. She never publicly identified herself as a witch, and she attended the Church of England ; however since her death she has become important in the history of Wicca as a proposed leading member of the New Forest Coven into which Gardner claimed he was initiated, the owner of the house in which this initiation supposedly occurred. It has even been suggested that she personally initiated Gardner into witchcraft. The most substantial documentary evidence regarding her beliefs are her diaries for the period 1942-1943, which were intended for visitors to read, and contained daily entries of poetry, illustrations and folklore.

Her Life

Clutterbuck was born in India, the daughter of an army captain. After his retirement, she appears to have moved back to England with her father and lived with him in the Christchurch area of the New Forest. After his death she continued to live in the same house alone, but at the age of 55 she married Rupert Fordham, local Justice of the Peace who was of high rank in the Salvation Army. Fordham died in May 1939 in a car accident. To all outward appearance Mrs Fordham was respectable, conservative member of the local community, and a staunch supporter of the Conservative Party and the Church of England, leaving a large amount of money to the local vicar in her will. She died leaving an estate of £60,000, a very large sum for the time. The one scandal attached to her was an allegation that Fordham had a wife still living, who was mad, so the two were not legally married. Clutterbuck had certainly reverted to her maiden name by her death.

Dorothey Clutterbuck and Wicca

Latimers, the house in Highcliffe owned by Dorothy and reputedly the site of Gardner's initiation.

After her death in 1951 she was identified by Gardner as a leading member of the New Forest Coven into which he was initiated in September 1939, and thus as one of the earliest known practitioners of "Wicca". Gardner's statements were interpreted by Doreen Valiente as implying that Clutterbuck was also his initiator, but later authors such as Philip Heselton and Eleanor Bone claim his initiator was in fact Edith Woodford-Grimes. Some, such as historian Jeffrey Russell, opined that Clutterbuck was a character invented by Gardner to support his claim that witches still existed and to link his work with established ancient beliefs. In rebuttal, Valiente, a friend of Gardner, tracked down Clutterbuck's birth certificate, marriage certificate,death certificate, and Last Will and Testament and published a basic outline of her life.

Both Ronald Hutton and most recently Dr Leo Ruickbie have examined the historical data on Dorothy Clutterbuck, and concluded that she is unlikely to have been involved with Gardner's Craft activities, particularly because of her seemingly active Christianity. Hutton states the cross on the couple's grave "bears one of the longest and most impassioned affirmation of faith in salvation through Jesus Christ that I have ever read upon any funerary monument." Hutton also suggests that Gardner may have used Clutterbuck to distract attention from "Dafo", his first priestess, using the name of a local worthy for a joke would have matched his sense of humour. Hutton also points out that the date of Gardner's initiation would coincide with a mourning period in 1939 in which Clutterbuck had cancelled all other social occasions.

Philip Heselton also investigated Dorothy Clutterbuck, giving information on the community she lived in, and her involvement in the community including many indications that she was at the very least involved in or aware of alternative spiritual traditions such as theosophy, Rosicrucianism, and offshoots of Freemasonry.

The diaries

Dorothy left three volumes of diaries, which are actually more like commonplace books, filled with daily poems and illustrations and intended to be read by visitors. Hutton and Heselton have both read these diaries and come to completely different conclusions about their contents. Hutton believes that none of the poems have any relevance to paganism or the occult; however Heselton completely disagrees. He suggests "It is clear on reading these that Dorothy was a pagan in all but name." Heselton notes that "there is hardly a mention of Jesus and it seems as if her deepest spiritual experiences come from nature and, particularly, her garden." Little Christian sentiment is expressed, even on Christian holidays. Of the few direct references to Christianity, this for Whit Sunday 1942 is characteristically oblique:

"The Sunday that comes in the time of the May

With its crown of white blossoms for this sacred day

The Essence of this Day - The Spirit of Prayer

Brings to us those loved Spirits who used to be here"

[ 1942-05-24 ]

"Midsummer," Heselton says "is lauded as 'the day of all days most dear'". Nature and the feelings of magical enchantment that come from it are commonly repeated themes, as is the theme of a fairy-like dancing maiden, often referred to as 'the Queen', who seems to personify the seasons and the land. For example:

"... I knew you were a vision

The loveliest ever seen

But I also knew that you were Real

And of my heart, the Queen."

[ 1943-10-27 ]

"I am waiting for my Lady

For, down the pathway shadey

I think I hear her footfall light

My heart beats wildly with delight

...

I cannot wait — the minutes drag

Just when I'm in despair

Dear Heaven! She is coming! And now She's here! She's here!"

[ 1942-07-30 ]

"Of all the Ladies that I know

There's only one can please me so

That all her Looks and all her Ways

Make Music for me all my Days.

For Life, I love her, and adore

I only saw her once — not more

But once I saw her, as I say

But once she crossed my Path, my Way

For Ever. She will be my Queen

Where did I see her? — in a Dream."

[ 1943-06-21 (Midsummer Eve) ]

The diaries also contain frequent references to fairies and the full moon; bits of herb-lore, and occasionally vivid descriptions of classical gods such as Aurora. Other examples seem more ambiguous, and could equally express Christian or Pagan sentiment, or simple poetic metaphor:

"Then with a flash of Scarlet

Sweeping across the snows

Comes Christmas, Radiant Creature!

She's laughing as she goes. The shining holly fills her lap

Blue pages hold her train

Dear Time of lovely memories. So here you are again

There stand the glittering Christmas Trees

The Fires flame and glow

Soft fingers tapping on the pane

Are fairies, made of snow

The Bells ring out, The Carols mount

All the old songs are dear

The First Most Sacred Festival

The best of all the year"

[ Christmas 1942 ]