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Robert Cochrane (26 January 1931 – 3 July 1966), who was born as Roy Bowers, was an English
occultist The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mystic ...
who founded the tradition of Witchcraft known as The Clan of Tubal Cain. Born in a working-class family in West London, he became interested in occultism after attending a
Society for Psychical Research The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to condu ...
lecture, taking a particular interest in witchcraft. He founded one
coven A coven () is a group or gathering of Witchcraft, witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English lan ...
, but it soon collapsed. He began to claim to have been born to a hereditary family of witches whose practices stretched back to at least the 17th century; these statements have later been dismissed. He subsequently went on to found a tradition known as The Clan of Tubal Cain, through which he propagated his Craft. In 1966, he committed suicide. Cochrane continues to be seen as a key inspirational figure in the traditional witchcraft movement. Ever since his death, a number of Neopagan and magical groups have continued to adhere to his teachings.


Early life

As noted by Michael Howard, "factual details about Cochrane's early life are scant". Page 5. He was born in an area between
Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...
and
Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, its ...
in
West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, N ...
into a family of eight children. Howard 2011. p. 41. He later described it as a "slum", though this has been refuted by family members, who considered it a "respectable working class area". There, he lived through the
Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, several ships of the Prussian, Imperia ...
. Some of his family emigrated to Australia, while he went to art school, living a bohemian lifestyle. His aunt would later claim that he first took an interest in
occultism The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mystic ...
after attending a talk of the
Society for Psychical Research The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to condu ...
in
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
. Howard 2011. p. 43. During the early 1950s, he joined the army as a part of his
national service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
, but went absent without leave; as punishment, he was sentenced to 90 days imprisonment in a military prison in
Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...
. He admitted to having a violent temper in his youth, but calmed after meeting Jane, whom he would later marry. For a time he worked for London Transport as a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
in a foundry; one potential reason why he adopted the blacksmith Tubal Cain as a part of the mythos for his tradition. Howard 2011. p. 42. He and Jane later worked as bargees transporting coal around the English Midlands, taking an interest in the folklore of the Bargee community, later believing that it contained traces of the "Old Faith". By the start of the 1960s, he was living with Jane and their son on a
London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...
-run
council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in social housing. D ...
near to
Slough, Berkshire Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, at the intersection of the M4 motorway, M4, M40 motorway, M40 and M25 motorway, M25 motorways. It is part ...
; he did not like the neighbours, considering them "the biggest load of monkeys there have been trained since the Ark." He worked as a typographical draughtsman in an office, but disliked his job. He founded a witches' coven, but it soon broke up as one member died and he fell out with another. Later, in the 1960s, he claimed that members of his family had been practitioners of an ancient pagan witch-cult since at least the 17th century, and that two of them had been executed for it. Claiming that his great-grandfather had been "the last Grand Master of the Staffordshire witches", he said that his grandparents had abandoned the Craft and converted to Methodism, for which his great-grandfather had cursed them. He said that his father had practised witchcraft, but that he kept it a secret, and made his wife promise to not tell his son, Robert. Despite her oath, according to Cochrane, after his father's death, her mother did in fact tell him, at which he embraced his heritage. He asserted that his Aunt Lucy actually taught him all about the faith. However, these claims would later be denounced by members of his own family. His nephew, Martin Lloyd, has refuted that the family were ever Witches, insisting that they were Methodists, while his wife Jane also later asserted that Cochrane's claims to have come from a hereditary Witch-Cult were bogus.


Founding the Clan of Tubal Cain

Cochrane formed his second coven, which provided the basis for the Clan of Tubal Cain, in the early 1960s. Searching for members, he placed an advert in the ''
Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' requesting that anyone interested in
Graves A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...
' ''
The White Goddess ''The White Goddess: a Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth'' is a book-length essay on the nature of poetic myth-making by the English writer Robert Graves. First published in 1948, it is based on earlier articles published in ''Wales'' magazine ...
'' contact him; he received a response from the schoolteacher Ronald Milland White, known to his friends as "Chalky". White then introduced him to George Arthur Stannard (also known as George Winter), who ran a betting shop near Kings Cross in Central London. White and Stannard joined this nascent coven, the latter taking up the position of Summoner. Describing his creation of his Witchcraft tradition, later Maid of the Clan Shani Oates remarked that "Like any true craftsman, he was able to mold raw material into a magical synthesis, creating a marvelous working system, at once instinctively true and intrinsically beautiful." The group performed their rituals either at Cochrane's house, or, more often, at
Burnham Beeches Burnham Beeches is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest situated west of Farnham Common in the village of Burnham, Buckinghamshire, Burnham, Buckinghamshire. The southern half is owned by the Corporation of London and is open to th ...
, though they also performed rituals at the
South Downs The South Downs are a range of chalk hills in the south-eastern coastal counties of England that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the ...
, after which they would stay the night at Doreen Valiente's flat in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
.


Cochrane's Craft

The Clan of Tubal Cain revere a
Horned God The Horned God is one of the two primary deities found in Wicca and some related forms of Neopaganism. The term ''Horned God'' itself predates Wicca, and is an early 20th-century syncretism, syncretic term for a horned or antlered anthropomorp ...
and Fate, expressed as the Pale Faced Goddess, named Hekate. The Goddess was viewed as "
the White Goddess ''The White Goddess: a Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth'' is a book-length essay on the nature of poetic myth-making by the English writer Robert Graves. First published in 1948, it is based on earlier articles published in ''Wales'' magazine ...
", a term taken from
Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were b ...
' book of the same name. The God was associated with fire, the underworld and time, and was described as "the goat-god of fire, craft, lower magics, fertility and death". The God was known by several names, most notable Tubal Cain,
Bran Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the component of a Cereal, cereal grain consisting of the hard layersthe combined aleurone and Fruit anatomy#Pericarp layers, pericarpsurrounding the endosperm. Maize, Corn (maize) bran also includes the p ...
, Wayland and Herne. Cochrane's tradition held that these two deities had a son, the Horn Child, who was a young sun god. While there were some similarities to this and early Wicca, differences between the two also existed, for instance, Gardnerians always worked skyclad, or naked, whereas Cochrane's followers wore black hooded robes. Similarly, Cochrane's coven did not practice
scourging A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type, used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification. It is usually made of leather. Etymology The word is most commonly considered to be derived from Old French ''escorgie ...
, as Gardner's did. Cochrane himself disliked Gardner and the Gardnerians and often ridiculed them, even coining the term "Gardnerian" himself. Whilst they used ritual tools, they differed somewhat from those used by Gardner's coven. The main five tools in Cochrane's Craft were a ritual knife, a staff known as a stang (according to
Ronald Hutton Ronald Edmund Hutton (born 19 December 1953) is an Indian-born English historian specialising in early modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion, and modern paganism. A professor at the University of Bristol, Hutton has writte ...
's ''Triumph of the Moon'', Bowers is responsible for the introduction of this into Wicca), a cup, a stone (used as a whetstone to sharpen the knife), and a ritual cord worn by the coven members. Cochrane never made use of a Book of Shadows or similar such books, but worked from a "traditional way of doing things", which was both "spontaneous and
shamanistic Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
". Preface, pages 7 to 13 Valiente notes that this spontaneity was partly because the Cochrane coven did not use a ''Book of Shadows'' in which structured rituals were pre-recorded, leading to more creativity.


Cochrane's later years

Cochrane arose to public prominence in November 1963, when he published an article titled "Genuine Witchcraft is Defended" in ''
Psychic News ''Psychic News'' was a weekly British Spiritualist newspaper published from 1932 to July 2010, and revived with a change in ownership in December 2011. History, 1932-2010 The first issue of the paper was published on 28 May 1932. The name of ...
'', a weekly
Spiritualist Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...
publication. In it, he outlined his beliefs regarding Witchcraft, and first publicly made the claim that he came from a hereditary line of Witches. Howard 2011. pp. 44–45. In 1964, further individuals joined the Clan. Among these was Evan John Jones, who would later become the Magister of The Clan of Tubal Caine, and an accomplished author upon the subject of witchcraft. Jones had met Cochrane through his wife Jane, as they both worked at the same company. Chapter One.


Witchcraft Research Association and Gardnerianism

His friend and correspondent, the Qabbalist and ceremonial magician William G. Gray introduced him to John Math, a practising Witch and the son of the
Earl of Gainsborough Earl of Gainsborough is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation ended in extinction when the sixth Earl died without heirs. However, the title was revi ...
. Howard 2011. p. 48. Math joined the Clan, and invited Cochrane to publish some of his articles in ''Pentagram'', the newsletter of the
Witchcraft Research Association The Witchcraft Research Association was a British organisation formed in 1964 in an attempt to unite and study the various claims that had emerged of surviving remnants of the so-called Witch-Cult, such as those of Gerald Gardner, Robert Cochra ...
(WRA), which Math had recently co-founded along with
Sybil Leek Sybil Leek (''née'' Fawcett; 22 February 1917 – 26 October 1982) was an English witch, astrologer, occult author and self-proclaimed psychic. She wrote many books on occult and esoteric subjects, and was dubbed "Britain's most famous wit ...
. Howard 2011. p. 58. Cochrane took a particularly hostile attitude toward the Gardnerian tradition of Wicca, deeming its founder,
Gerald Gardner Gerald Brosseau Gardner (13 June 1884 – 12 February 1964), also known by the craft name Scire, was an English Wiccan, author, and amateur anthropology, anthropologist and archaeology, archaeologist. He was instrumental in bringing the Moder ...
, to be a con man and sexual deviant. He referred to the tradition as "Gardnerism" and its adherents as "Gardnerians", the latter of which would become the standard term for such practitioners. Upon examining Cochrane's writings, Pagan studies scholar Ethan Doyle White has identified four possible reasons for this animosity. First, Cochrane disliked the publicity seeking that a variety of prominent Gardnerians (among them Gardner, Patricia Crowther,
Eleanor Bone Eleanor "Ray" Bone (15 December 1911 – 21 September 2001) who also went under the craft name Artemis, was an influential figure in the neopagan religion of Wicca. She claimed to have been initiated in 1941 by a couple of hereditary witches in C ...
, and Monique Wilson), had embarked on; they appeared on television and in tabloid newspapers to present their tradition as the face of Wicca in Britain, which angered Cochrane, whose own tradition differed from Gardnerism in focus. Second, Cochrane disliked Gardnerism's focus on ritual liturgy and magic, instead of emphasising a mystical search for gnosis, while third, Cochrane appeared jealous of the success that Gardnerism had achieved, which was far in advance of that achieved by his own tradition. The fourth point purported by Doyle White was that Cochrane might have been hostile to Gardnerism as a result of a poor experience with it in the past.


Doreen Valiente and the Clan's break-up

In 1964 Cochrane met
Doreen Valiente Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente (4 January 1922 – 1 September 1999) was an English Wiccan who was responsible for writing much of the early religious liturgy within the tradition of Gardnerian Wicca. An author and poet, she also published five ...
, who had formerly been a High Priestess of the Gardnerian Bricket Wood coven, through mutual friends which he had met at a gathering at
Glastonbury Tor Glastonbury Tor is a hill near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless tower of St Michael's Church, a Grade I Listed building (United Kingdom), listed building. The site is managed by the National Trust and has be ...
held by the Brotherhood of the Essenes. The two became friends, and Valiente joined the Clan of Tubal Cain. She later remarked that there were certain things in this coven that were better than those in Gardner's, for instance she thought that " ochranebelieved in getting close to nature as few Gardnerian witches at that time seemed to do". She also commented on how Cochrane did not seem to want much publicity, as Gardner had, something she admired. However, she eventually became dissatisfied with Cochrane over some of his practices. Cochrane often insulted and mocked Gardnerian witches, which annoyed Valiente. This reached such an extreme that at one point in 1966 he called for "a
Night of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives (, ), also called the Röhm purge or Operation Hummingbird (), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, ord ...
of the Gardnerians", at which point Valiente in her own words, "rose up and challenged him in the presence of the rest of the coven. I told him that I was fed up with listening to all this senseless malice, and that, if a 'Night of the Long Knives' was what his sick little soul craved, he could get on with it, but he could get on with it alone, because I had better things to do." She left the coven and never came back. After Doreen's departure, Cochrane committed
adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...
with a new woman who had joined the coven, and, according to other coven members, did not care that his wife Jane knew. Valiente 1989. p. 129. In May 1966, Jane left Cochrane, initiating divorce proceedings and considering performing a death rite against her husband involving the sacrifice of a black cockerel. Howard 2011. p. 70. Without her, the coven collapsed. Howard 2011. p. 71. Cochrane was also aware of Charles Cardell, who ran his own coven in Suffolk, but disliked him. Doyle White 2010. p. 192.


Joseph Wilson and the 1734 Tradition, 1973

In December 1965 to April 1966, Cochrane corresponded with an American witch named Joseph Wilson. Wilson formed a new tradition, known as the
1734 Tradition The 1734 Tradition is a form of traditional witchcraft founded by the American Joseph Bearwalker Wilson in 1973, after developing it since 1964. It is largely based upon the teachings he received from an English traditional witch named Rober ...
based upon teachings of Ruth Wynn Owen, a tradition taught by a man he refers to as Sean, and Robert Cochrane's teaching.1734 Method of Witchcraft The numerological number '1724' (a possible misprint in the book), was explained by Doreen Valiente in her 1989 book ''The Rebirth of Witchcraft''. Valiente claimed that Cochrane had given the journalist
Justine Glass Alice Enid Corrall (14 September 1916 – 2 December 1968), who wrote under the name Justine C. Glass, was an English journalist and writer. Life Glass was born on 14 September 1916 in London to David Roberts a Clergy, clergyman and Alice Eliza ...
a photograph of a copper platter with '1724' printed on it for her 1965 book ''Witchcraft, the Sixth Sense – and Us''. He had told Glass that it depicted a witch's ritual bowl that had been in his family for many centuries. Valiente revealed that this was a lie by Cochrane – she had herself, in fact, bought that very item for him only the year before in a
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
antiques shop to be used in a ritual.


Death, 1966

Cochrane ingested belladonna and
Librium Chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride, sold under the brand name Librium is a sedative and hypnotic medication of the benzodiazepine class. It is used to treat anxiety, insomnia and symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol, benzodiazepines, and other drug ...
on
Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest Daytime, day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of Eu ...
eve 1966, and died nine days later in hospital without recovering consciousness. He left a suicide note expressing his intent to kill himself "while of sound mind".


Personal life

Valiente described Cochrane as "a remarkable man", asserting that he "had something" which could be termed "magical power, charisma or what you will. He may have been devious; but he was no charlatan."


Legacy

According to Jonathan Tapsell, Cochrane was "an unsung giant of modern Wicca" due to the fact that he "gave inspiration to those who came later to escape the narrow confines of Gardner's philosophy".
Michael Howard Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who was Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposi ...
considered him to be "one of the most fascinating, enigmatic and controversial figures of the modern Craft revival". John of Monmouth claimed that Cochrane was "the man behind, what is now called, 'Traditional Witchcraft. Historian Ethan Doyle White asserted that Cochrane left behind "an ever-expanding legacy", noting that by the 21st century, he had become an "almost tutelary figure" within the Traditional Witchcraft movement, and warrants the title of "Father of Traditional Witchcraft" more than any other occultist. Elsewhere, Doyle White asserted that Cochrane had been "without doubt the most influential" of Gardner's rivals in the mid-20th century Wiccan movement. Following Cochrane's death, the Mantle of Magister of the Clan of Tubal Cain was given to Evan John Jones. Another of Cochrane's initiates, Evan John Jones wrote a book, ''Witchcraft: A Tradition Renewed'' (a collaboration with
Doreen Valiente Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente (4 January 1922 – 1 September 1999) was an English Wiccan who was responsible for writing much of the early religious liturgy within the tradition of Gardnerian Wicca. An author and poet, she also published five ...
) outlining his version of the Cochrane tradition. Whilst there was no objective way to validate Cochrane's claim to be a hereditary witch, the experience of being in his coven was that of being one of "Diana's darling crew" (Jones, cited in Clifton, 2006). A group called The Regency was formed by Ronald "Chalky" White and his friend, George Winter, to preserve and continue Cochrane's tradition; it eventually disbanded in 1978 but recently a website has been set up to preserve The Regency memory. Following correspondence with Cochrane in the mid 1960s, an American named Joseph Wilson founded a tradition called the
1734 Tradition The 1734 Tradition is a form of traditional witchcraft founded by the American Joseph Bearwalker Wilson in 1973, after developing it since 1964. It is largely based upon the teachings he received from an English traditional witch named Rober ...
, based on his teachings circa 1974. A similarly Cochrane-inspired tradition was the Roebuck, an inner mystery of the godhead whose lore is also used by the "Ancient Keltic Church". There are currently two groups operating under the title of ''Clan of Tubal Cain''. Each has its own interpretation and expression of the legacy of Robert Cochrane, although they may not necessarily completely agree with each other.


Published writings

Cochrane did not write any books in his lifetime, though some of his collected writings and letters have been assembled since his death: *''The Roebuck in the Thicket: An Anthology of the Robert Cochrane Witchcraft Tradition'', Capall Bann Publishing, 2001 *''The Robert Cochrane Letters: An Insight into Modern Traditional Witchcraft'', Capall Bann Publishing, 2002 Other works have been published about Cochrane based upon his teachings, and on his Craft, or based upon his ideas * ''Sacred Mask, Sacred Dance'' by Evan John Jones with Chas S. Clifton, Llewellyn, 1997 * ''Witchcraft, A Tradition Renewed'', by Evan John Jones with
Doreen Valiente Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente (4 January 1922 – 1 September 1999) was an English Wiccan who was responsible for writing much of the early religious liturgy within the tradition of Gardnerian Wicca. An author and poet, she also published five ...
, Hale, 1989 * " The Star Crossed Serpent Vol One by Evan John Jones, Edited by Shani Oates, Mandrake of Oxford 2011 * " The Star crossed Serpent Vol Two by Shani Oates, Mandrake of Oxford, 2012 * " The People of Goda by Shani Oates, Create Space, 2012 * " Tubelo's Green Fire by Shani Oates, Mandrake of Oxford, 2010 * " The Arcane Veil by Shani Oates, Mandrake of Oxford, 2011


References


Footnotes


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * *


Further reading


''Robert Cochrane''
, from controverscial.com (Retrieved 2007-02-08). *Phillips, Julia ''History of Wicca in England: 1939 to the Present Day'' 2004 revised edition (Retrieved 2007-02-08). *Semple, Gavin W., ''A Poisoned Chalice'' (Reineke Verlag, 2004) gives a scrupulously researched account of Bowers' suicide from contemporary documents. * Clifton, Chas C., ''Evan John Jones 1936–2003'', Letter from Hardscrabble Creek

(Retrieved 2008-05-05) * Clifton, Chas C., ''Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America'' (Altamira Press, 2006) * Oates, Shani., "The People of Goda" (Create Space, 2012) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cochrane, Robert 1931 births 1966 deaths English Wiccans Gardnerian Wiccans People from Hammersmith Suicides by poison Suicides in England 1966 suicides Founders of modern pagan movements