Friday, December 16, 2022

No, those aren't Welsh witches at a tea party

Trinity Hospital, Castle Rising, Norfolk, England









These photos have been in circulation labelled as 'Witches Tea Party' or 'Welsh Witches'. They are really pensioners at Trinity Hospital, Castle Rising, Norfolk, England. This was a charity set up for the support of older women in the 17th century, and they were given a red cloak, in a similar colour to the scarlet coats of  of the Chelsea Pensioners and lived at the almshouse.

The most obvious difference between them and the traditional image of witches is that their hats have rounded tips, not pointed ones, although there are photoshopped images of these photos and of Welsh women in traditional dress that have hats that have been photoshopped to look pointed that are floating around on the internet. Their cloaks look black but this is because the photographers of the time used orthochromatic film, which is insensitive to red like the paper used in darkrooms, so red looks dark.

The traditional Welsh woman's dress has a flat topped hat, and instead of a cloak, an apron over a dress and usually a shawl worn over the shoulders:
Porcelain figure of Welsh tea party, three women in traditional dress




Trinity Hospital in Castle Rising still exists, although the pensioners no longer wear the red cloaks all the time, but do put them on on Founder's Day.

Pensioners in red cloaks, The Almshouse Association



In the 17th century the hospital required that the pensioners "...must be of honest life and conversation, religious, grave and discreet, able to read, if such a one be had, a single woman, her place to be void on marriage, to be of 56 years at least, no common beggar, harlot, scold, drunkard, haunter of taverns, inns and alehouses.”  It was founded by Henry Howard, the Earl of Northampton.

Photographer Howard Sykes took a series of photos in 2007 of the pensioners at Castle Rising wearing their red cloaks on Founders Day. https://homersykes.photoshelter.com/gallery/OLD-LADIES-OF-CASTLE-RISING-NORFOLK-UK/G0000BJgKk7_Oino/C0000c3rJh59D15g




 

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