Thu 16 Oct
|Treadwell's Books
Welsh Folk Magic – Launch & Soirée
Benjamin Stimpson explores the enduring magical arts of the Welsh cunning folk. Drinks and signing follow.
Time & Location
16 Oct 2025, 19:00 – 21:30
Treadwell's Books, 33 Store St, London WC1E 7BS, UK
About The Event
For centuries, Wales teemed with cunning folk – men and women who offered spells, charms and remedies to their communities.
In this in-person event, folklorist Benjamin Stimpson joins Christina at Treadwell's to discuss the dyn hysbys – the Welsh cunning folk. Through an interview-style conversation, he uncovers their arts: lifting curses, attracting love, drawing good fortune and foretelling the future. He also delves into the rich folkloric record of Wales, sharing traditional charms that can still be tried today. After the talk, we'll head upstairs for complimentary drinks and book signing with Ben.
His latest work, Of Doves and Ravens: The Witches and Wisefolk of Wales and the Borders (£19.99, hardback), maps this enchanted landscape from Anglesey to the Vale of Glamorgan. Presented in encyclopedia format, it brings together market fortune-tellers’ tales, stories of the fearsome gwrach (hags), accounts of legendary magicians who summoned spirits in churchyards, and much more.
Ben…