The links between Welsh folklore and Spiritualism, and other alternative spirituality movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, have yet to be explored in depth. The work of folklorists such as Andrew Lang, Lewis Spence and E. Evans Wentz sought to establish the Celts as gifted with psychic powers, and this has remained a popular view. The extent to which such developments are reflected in Welsh folklore and the degree to which movements such as Spiritualism may have affected and shaped beliefs in Wales has never been fully examined. The curious account of a mysterious stone owned by Marguerite Barclay Evans provides an opportunity to consider some of these issues.
© Juliette Wood