Marian Marks
Marian mark from Ashleworth Barn, Gloucestershire.
There is a category of marks known as 'Marian' marks because they relate to the Virgin Mary. Where we get overlapping V's and the letter M in isolation from other letters we can be fairly confident that these refer to the initials of the Virgin. Importantly, when these letters are with other letters we then have to regard them as initials, whether of someone's name or potentially of a popular latin devotional phrase.
Worship of the Virgin Mary was a very important part of pre-Reformation religion and it did not completely die away post-Reformation with the abolition of the Marian cult. Of course she remained an important figure in the Christian story and was much loved as a mother figure. It seems that these marks are an invocation to the Virgin that she may protect the location in question.
Worship of the Virgin Mary was a very important part of pre-Reformation religion and it did not completely die away post-Reformation with the abolition of the Marian cult. Of course she remained an important figure in the Christian story and was much loved as a mother figure. It seems that these marks are an invocation to the Virgin that she may protect the location in question.
 An example of Marian marks and a butterfly mark from inside Prince Arthur's Chantry in Worcester Cathedral.
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Marian mark from lead font lining, Kington, Worcestershire.
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Brian Hoggard, Magical House Protection - The Archaeology of Counter-Witchcraft, Berghahn, 2019.
Brian Hoggard and Alicia Jessup, ‘Llancaiach Fawr Manor: Fortified Against Evil’, The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Magazine, Autumn 2017 , pp51-5.
Timothy Easton, ‘Scribed and Painted Symbols’, in Paul Oliver (ed), Vernacular Architecture of the World, 1997/8 (four vols), CUP.
Timothy Easton, ‘Ritual Marks on Historic Timber’, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum Magazine, Spring 1999, pp22-30.
Brian Hoggard, 'The archaeology of counter-witchcraft and popular magic', in Owen Davies & Willem de Blecourt, Beyond the Witch-Trials, 2004, Manchester University Press, pp167-186.
Dean, J & Hill, N. 2014, 'Burn Marks on Buildings: Accidental or Deliberate', in Vernacular Architecture, vol 45, 1-15.
Brian Hoggard and Alicia Jessup, ‘Llancaiach Fawr Manor: Fortified Against Evil’, The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Magazine, Autumn 2017 , pp51-5.
Timothy Easton, ‘Scribed and Painted Symbols’, in Paul Oliver (ed), Vernacular Architecture of the World, 1997/8 (four vols), CUP.
Timothy Easton, ‘Ritual Marks on Historic Timber’, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum Magazine, Spring 1999, pp22-30.
Brian Hoggard, 'The archaeology of counter-witchcraft and popular magic', in Owen Davies & Willem de Blecourt, Beyond the Witch-Trials, 2004, Manchester University Press, pp167-186.
Dean, J & Hill, N. 2014, 'Burn Marks on Buildings: Accidental or Deliberate', in Vernacular Architecture, vol 45, 1-15.