14

Stanley Canning, the son of Andrew had meningitis, and death was to be expected. In the last stages of the sickness, Andrew, Stanley's father and local "doctor" of sorts had taken on the initiative to heal the boy. So, he tied his son to the chair and started heating plates up on the stove. He applied the burning hot plates to his son's body starting at the top of his head moving down to the base of his feet. The sickness which was suppose to claim his sons life after that faded away and Stanley lived to be an elderly man.

15

Those many remedies were used and appeared to be as good as any medicine which you would receive today. Today, older people when experiencing times of ailment and feel that what the doctor prescribed is not enough, they utilize some of the natural remedies. So the knowledge has not completely passed away for when someone is experiencing bladder trouble they often get some ground juniper to make tea to drink. It seems although some of these medicines were completely outrageous their ability to work or appear to work is what captures us.

16

The supernatural world from witches, curses, fairies, weather light and hags seemed to it exist prominently in Birchy Bay and Baytona. Today these stories are told in myth except for a few who record the occurrences as fact. Today most people past them as nonsense. But how ever these stories hold a crucial link to the society of years gone by. These rituals or curses and curse breaking were a common thing .

17

Many of the families that relocated from England and Ireland to Barr'd Island brought with them, traditions and superstitions. The belief in being cursed, in witches, wizards and people who had supernatural powers were all a part of Barr'd Islands and passed down through the families and brought into Birchy Bay. Many of these tall tales of old are still told around the kitchen table's of those who still cherish these tales. What truth they hold, no one can say, but they are a part of our history.

18

The supernatural played a role on sleep. It happened while sleeping at night when trying to awake one cannot do so. They cannot move their body or speak. Some may have their eyes open and some may have their eyes closed. A great weight or force may be felt on a person as a hag may be lying on the person chest. The hag may be visualized in a distance and to which the phenomena is accredited to. This occurrence disrupts the sleep pattern making one feel as if they cannot awake or move. Whether this is self conscience or supernatural phenomena we cannot tell.

19

Being "cursed" was a common thing, in them days. If something wasn't going to plan, if some unseen force was tormenting you it was often blamed on a "witch". Robert Pope one of the Early settlers here in Birchy Bay use to fish at Barr'd Islands. For a period of time he and his partner fishing would haul great amounts of fish from their nets. But then something happened, every time that Mr. Pope went out to the net it would be empty. Yet when his partner went out he needed help to haul the fish because he could not manage it himself. "By God, you must be witched" his partner use to say, "Uncle" Bob Pope didn't take much heed until it continued for a period of time. That was it, the curse had to be removed. So Mr. Pope drew "her", the "old witch" on a piece of board that he had found down in the old stage. He then took a piece of rope and hung her in the stage. The board began to move, shake and shudder until it split into a thousand pieces and the curse was removed, as the old folks say.

20

There was also another man who came to live in Birchy Bay. He too, began to experience some problems. What was causing this, well the conclusion he came up with was that he must be cursed. So, he did what most men would do in that day to remove the curse. He walked into the forest to a clear piece of land. He had taken a piece of board which he carefully drew out a figure of a "witch" on. With that he placed her up against a tree. He was taking great care in being silent for it was said one word, the witch would hear you and curse you. So he got his gun, he loaded her up with powder and some shot. He rose up his gun and mumbles to himself "by bugger, I have you now" he pressed the trigger the gun never fired. He looked and the shot and powder horn was gone and the picture of the old witch was no where to be seen. The witch had heard him and had prevented him from having her shot.

21

Clayton Mews Talks of Removing a Witches Curse
Fall 2007
Birchy Bay, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada

Credits:
Clayton and Gladys Mews

22

Another one of the great mysterious of the people in Birchy Bay is the weather lights. These lights would appear before a storm in an area where some poor soul lost their life. The residents here can remember seeing them before the introduction of electricity. These lights are surrounded in a great deal of mystery for they do not know what they are. Although people claim they can remember hearing them roar when they moved and watching them, a ball of light move in under or over the water. Whatever these lights occurred from it is quite peculiar and has been documented here on numerous occasions. For some reason after electricity became prominent this phenomena disappeared and the only record we have of them are in the stories which the elders tell.

23

The existence of fairies and fairy woods was also spoken of . Freddy Mew of Baytona claimed that he had become lost while crossing the Baytona neck. On trying to find his way out after various attempts he realized there must have been fairies. He began to speak backwards until he spoke his way out of the fairy woods and found the right path again.

24

Freddy Mews
1955-1965
Baytona, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada

25

" Uncle" John Canning experienced some difficulty getting things done. It must be the "witch" he figured, so that was it. He got a piece of paper and he drew out the figure of the old "witch. Also taking great care as not to speak as the witch may hear him. So then he placed the picture up and got his gun, loaded her up and fired. He hit the witch in the knee, removing the curse. The stories goes even further to say, that a local woman suspected to have supernatural powers on that same day experienced a strike of pain in her knee and fell down over her steps. Another one of them curious tales of old, which when most old people tell now, they laugh saying what foolishness, while others declare on their life they are true.

26

In the early days of our community, the existence of witches, warlocks and fairies were something that was dealt with as reality. People believed while experiencing misfortune they were cursed. That was a just cause to condemn someone as a witch. If you were cursed, you had a few things which you could do to remove the curse. Such as draw out a figure of the witch and shoot or hang it. Or you could urinate in a bottle and close it up and put it in the heat. It was believed that if you put the bottle in the heat, you would be cursing the witch. She would feel the torment of the heat. Also they would get needles to stick into the cork on the top of the bottle to give her pain as well. When the bottle burst it was believed that the curse had been broken and that the individual was no longer "witched". These were some of the old traditions, rooted in the ancient Celtic roots in England and Ireland. These storied have been passed on for multiple generations, how true or untrue they are important in the story of our community. Some still talk of how their fathers cut up the silver dime to put into his musket to fire at the super natural being.