By Lauren McCarthy, Collections and Engagement Assistant

As you approach Provan Hall’s front entrance, you may notice some unusual markings on the inside of the stone archway, as pictured in Figure 1. Some have speculated that these are Masons’ marks. Masons have been involved in the construction of buildings and sculptures for thousands of years, using stone as the primary material. These skilled craftsmen would carve their initials or personalized symbols to enable them to identify their own work and distinguish it from the work of others, essentially acting as a signature. When literacy rates were low, these symbols would have conveyed important messages to construction workers, ensuring stones were assembled into the structure correctly. Pictured in Figure 2 are a series of typical masons’ marks found in Scottish buildings. 

There is a clear uniform structure to masons’ marks which have been precision cut with sharp tools. When compared to the crude diagonal lines etched into the stonework at Provan Hall, they seem uncharacteristic of the work of a skilled artisan. 

Upon further investigation, the marks at Provan Hall seem to more closely resemble apotropaic marks, otherwise known as witches’ marks, found on buildings across the UK. The stone archway dates to the 17th century when the Scottish Witch Trials were most intense. The marks themselves, however, are much more difficult to date. Apotropaic magic, deriving from the Greek word apotrépō meaning ‘to ward off’, refers to a type of protective magic intended to repel evil spirits. It involves a variety of rituals which have been globally observed throughout history. Witches’ marks were a common form of ritual protection in which symbols or patterns were carved into the stonework or woodwork of historic buildings. They are usually found at the thresholds of buildings to prevent witches and evil spirits from entering, thus protecting inhabitants and visitors from harm. It remained common practice to carve protection symbols into buildings in the UK until the early 1800s when superstition was still prevalent among many communities. These marks can take many forms but in Britain they most commonly take the shape of hexafoils, otherwise known as daisy wheels (a six-petal flower symbol enclosed within a circle). The hexafoil, as shown in Figure 3, is an ancient solar symbol and, as such, is representative of sunlight, keeping darkness and evil at bay.

During the Reformation of the mid-16th century, Catholics had to practise their faith in private to avoid persecution. Marian symbols, a variation of protection marks, were carved into buildings at this time containing the overlapping letters V and M for the Virgin Mary (or AM for Ave Maria). These symbols were thought to invoke the protection of the Virgin Mary and ward off evil. Craftsmen’s marks were used for centuries across different trades and in a similar way to stonemasons, carpenters etched Roman numerals into the timber frames of buildings to ensure they were installed correctly. Apotropaic markings on the wooden frameworks of buildings were similar to those found on stonework, with the addition of taper burn marks. These were specific to highly flammable timber buildings which commonly burned down in the early modern period when open flames were used for lighting, heating, and cooking. Teardrop shaped marks were deliberately charred into the timber to protect the building from fire.

Horizontal lines (like the ones at Provan Hall) along with boxes, and mazes are other forms of protection marks, thought to trap evil forces such as witchcraft. The largest discovery of witches’ marks in Britain can be found at Cresswell Crags in the East Midlands, shown in Figure 4. These caves date back over 600,000 years and its walls and ceilings are decorated with a plethora of protection symbols. Witches’ marks are notoriously difficult to date but doing so might enable a greater degree of certainty as to whether they are simply maker’s marks, or something else. The markings at Provan Hall are not as easily identifiable as hexafoils, casting greater uncertainty on their true meaning. However, given that Provan Hall has withstood over 500 years of history and even has a personal connection to the witch trials through Francis Hamilton, it is very possible that these lines have indeed been etched into the stonework to ward off evil spirits, demons, or witches. 

After comparing the markings at Provan Hall with a wide variety of mason’s marks and other apotropaic marks, they certainly seem more typical of the latter. Mason’s marks, like carpenter’s marks, have a much higher degree of uniformity and are more strategically placed. Conversely, witch’s marks consist of more crudely engraved lines and their placement at entry points of buildings is consistent. The location of the marks at Provan Hall, combined with their lack of structure, make it highly plausible that they are indeed witches’ marks. That said, without concrete corroborating evidence, this remains a subject for debate. 

Fig. 1. Photograph of markings at Provan Hall’s front entrance.

Fig. 2. Typical masons’ marks found across Scotland (Scottish Castles Association).

Fig. 3. Conjoined hexafoil marks to confuse or trap witches (Historic England).

Fig. 4. Various witches’ marks at Cresswell Crags (Creswell Heritage Trust).

Sources

Archiwest (2021) “Witches, Carpenters & Masons - what’s in a mark?” Available at: https://www.archiwest.co.uk/post/halloween-witches-marks.

Bishop’s House (n.d.) “The Secret Markings of Bishops’ House”. Available at: https://bishopshouse.org.uk/the-secret-markings-of-bishops-house/#:~:text=Daisy%20wheels%20are%20circles%20with,to%20be%20good%20luck%20symbols.

Clarke, David (2020). Marks of the Witch: Britain's ritual protection symbols. Fortean Times (392), 36-43. [Article]

Cresswell Crags (2019) “Hidden Witch Marks Revealed”. Available at: https://www.creswell-crags.org.uk/news-archive/hidden-witch-marks-revealed.

Cresswell Crags (2019) “Largest Discovery of Witch Marks in Britain at Cresswell Crags”. Available at: https://www.creswell-crags.org.uk/news-archive/largest-discovery-of-witch-marks-in-britain-at-creswell-crags.

Historic England (n.d.) “What Are Witches’ Marks?” Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/discovering-witches-marks/what-are-witches-marks/.

Historic England (n.d.) “Witches’ Marks: Apotropaic and Carpenters’ Marks”. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/discovering-witches-marks/types-of-marks.

Hoggard, Brian (n.d.) “Protection Marks”. Available at: https://www.apotropaios.co.uk/protection-marks.html.

National Trust (n.d.) “Warding Off Evil with Witch Marks”. Available at: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/warding-off-evil-with-witch-marks.

Scottish Castles Association (n.d.) “Masons’ Marks Project”. Available at: https://scottishcastlesassociation.com/news/news-features/masons-marks.htm.

Sinclair, Gwen (2021) “Masons’ Marks Talk by Iain Ross Wallace MA”. Dundonald Castle and Visitor Centre. Available at: https://dundonaldcastle.org.uk/masons-marks-talk-by-iain-ross-wallace-ma/

University of Warwick (n.d.) “Medieval Masons’ Marks”. Available at: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/scapvc/arthistory/people/ja/research/masonsmarks/.