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Patricia Crowther (Wiccan)

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Patricia Crowther (née Dawson; 14 October 1927 – 24 September 2025), who also went by the craft name Thelema, was a British occultist considered influential in the early promotion of the Wiccan religion.[1]

Background

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Crowther was born in Sheffield, England, on 14 October 1927, then as Patricia Dawson. She was initiated into witchcraft by fellow well-known Wiccan Gerald Gardner.[2] Her handfasting to husband Arnold Crowther (1909–1974)[3] took place in 1960.[4]

Crowther died from complications of dementia on 24 September 2025, at the age of 97.[5][6][7]

Career

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Along with Doreen Valiente, Lois Bourne, and Eleanor Bone, Crowther is considered[8] to be one of the "early mothers" of modern Wicca. Patricia and her then-husband, Arnold Crowther, founded the Sheffield Coven in 1961, of which they were High Priestess and High Priest.[3] Crowther promoted Witchcraft through a number of book publications, contributions to occult magazines and journals, and through a number of interviews with local and national newspapers. She also appeared several times on television.

In 1971, both Patricia and her then-husband Arnold wrote and presented A Spell of Witchcraft, a radio programme produced and broadcast by BBC Radio Sheffield in six 20-minute parts. The radio programme, the first of its kind in relation to modern Wicca as a religion, explored the history and folklore of witchcraft and presented elements of a local coven's activities and practices within the community.[9]

Books

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  • 1965 – The Witches Speak (with Arnold Crowther)(Athol Publications)
  • 1973 – Witchcraft in Yorkshire (Dalesman) ISBN 0-85206-178-1
  • 1974 – Witch Blood (The Diary of a Witch High Priestess) (House of Collectibles) ISBN 0-87637-161-6
  • 1981 – Lid off the Cauldron: A handbook for witches (Muller) ISBN 0-584-10421-9
  • 1992 – The Zodiac Experience (Samuel Weiser Inc) ISBN 0-87728-739-2
  • 1992 – The Secrets of Ancient Witchcraft With the Witches' Tarot (Carol Publishing) ISBN 0-8065-1056-0
  • 1992 – Witches Were for Hanging (Excalibur Press of London) ISBN 1-85634-049-X
  • 1998 – One Witch's World (Robert Hale) ISBN 0-7090-6222-2 (published in America under the title High Priestess. Apart from the title, they are the same book) (Phoenix Publishing) ISBN 0-919345-87-5
  • 2001 – High Priestess: The Life & Times of Patricia Crowther (Phoenix Publishing Inc.) ISBN 978-0919345874
  • 2002 – From Stagecraft to Witchcraft: The Early years of a High Priestess (Capall Bann) ISBN 1-86163-163-4
  • 2009 – Covensense (Robert Hale) ISBN 9780709087205

References

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  1. ^ Elders of the Wica Archived 28 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
  2. ^ "A glimpse into history: "A Spell of Witchcraft" radio programmes re-released". The Wild Hunt. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Arnold Crowther". www.controverscial.com. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  4. ^ Philip Heselton, Witchfather. A life of Gerald Gardner. Volume II, Thoth Publications, Loughborough, Leichestershire, 2012
  5. ^ "Patricia Crowther, High Priestess in Gardnerian Wicca, Crosses the Veil". The Wild Hunt. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  6. ^ Grierson, Jamie (26 September 2025). "Patricia Crowther, known as UK's oldest witch, dies aged 97". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Patricia Crowther obituary: leading figure in modern witchcraft". The Times. 30 September 2025. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Patricia Crowther". www.controverscial.com. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  9. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrUmzSKIyNA%7Cdate=December 2012
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