‘Witch’s Mark’, Waterville
Scratched into the surface of a door at Waterville is the above unusual marking. It is possibly an apotropaic mark, more commonly known as a witch’s mark. These geometric symbols were carved into chimneys, doors or windows – anywhere a bad spirit might enter a building and cause mischief or harm. The pattern was meant to distract the eye of the wicked intruder and act as a defense against evil spells. During the 17th and 18th centuries in Bermuda, a number of women (and indeed some men) were found guilty of witchcraft and executed on Gallow’s Island in St. George’s. Spells included such evil-doings as spoiling soap-making, cursing a pig, causing a miscarriage or summoning the very devil himself!