W's written as crossed V's are very common in the graffiti found in mines
and are usually part of a set of personal initials. Initials being more
common than full names although these are also found. It is worth
remembering that names such as William have been historocally very popular
and that just as S in old documents can look like F so W can be written as
crossed V's. Most of the examples that i have seen and recorded in the
Yorkshire Dales date from the second half of the 19th century, presumably a
reflection of improving levels of literacy.
I have also done some reading about the ritual marks found in buildings on
both timber and stonework. There is a theory that they are to ward off evil
or promote good health/wealth/luck. The counter argument is that many are
simply mason or carpenters marks. A good example being with timber framed
buildings that would be prefabricated before moving onto site. The marks
helped to re-assemble the components in the correct order. So far i have
found nothing underground that supports the witchcraft theory, but that may
be because i am not in workings that are old enough. Some of the recorded
graffitti in Derbyshire is of the right age so that may be the place to
look.
Martin Roe
Meerstone Archaeological Consultancy
http://www.martinroe.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/meerstone.htm
Lead Mining in the Yorkshire Dales,
http://www.martinroe.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
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