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Doreen Valiente: the mother of modern Witchcraft

To her neighbours, Doreen Valiente was very ordinary, but she was an internationally-regarded witch who played a key part in nurturing the modern Pagan revival.

"She turned an aural tradition into something that could be written down and spread. And it did. Paganism and Wicca and witch craft are now the seventh biggest religious faith group in Britain", explains Ashley Mortimer, director of the centre of Pagan studies and a trustee of the Doreen Valiente Foundation.

Marilyn Rust has been to a new exhibition entitled Folkore, Magic and Mysteries: Modern Witchcraft and Folk Culture in Britain at Preston Manor Museum in Brighton. The exhibition celebrates Doreen Valiente's life and features her own collection of witchcraft tools and documents.

(Photo: Doreen Valiente. Credit: Doreen Valiente Foundation)

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Duration:

4 minutes