Timeline

June 13, 1884

Gerald Gardner is Born

Gerald Gardner, who is considered to be the founder of Wicca, was born, north of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.

1921

Sparking a Movement

The anthropologist, Margret Alice Murray, wrote The Witch-Cult in Western Europe centered on witch cults in medieval Europe. Her writings inspired British seekers to create their own covens.

1939

First Steps

At the age of 55, Gardner was initiated into the New Forest Coven in Highcliffe, UK. He later alleged that this coven’s practices provided the basis for Wicca.

1946

The Bricket Wood Coven

Gardner formed the Bricket Wood Coven in Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire after the purchase of a plot at the Fiveacres Country Club, serving as the coven’s headquarters.

1947

A Chance Meeting

Gardner met famed occultist and Satanist. Aleister Crowley who would inspire many of his writings. Notably, in 1914, Crowley had expressed similar ideas to Gardner, proposing a new religion based on ancient pagan rituals.

1949

An Authoritative Text Released

Gardner’s fantasy novel High Magic’s Aid was published and is considered one of the first standards of Wicca.

The Late 1940s

Wicca’s Spread from Britain to America

Sybil Leek became involved with the New Forest Coven and later popularized Wicca in America, writing numerous books and a regular column in the Ladies Home Journal.

1951

Witchcraft Made Legal

The last remaining laws against witchcraft were repealed in England, such as the Witchcraft Act of 1735.

1952

The Formation of a Prominent Wicca Advocate

Future Wiccan leader Doreen Valiente contacted Gardner after reading an article in Illustrated magazine that presented covens and their practices in a context accessible to ordinary readers.

Valiente went on to revise the popular Wiccan text, the Book of Shadows under Gardner’s direction.

1954

Secrets Revealed

Gardner’s book, Witchcraft Today, was published. Within the volume, Gardner allegedly made public some “secret” beliefs of witches who were practicing in 1930s England.

1957

Valiente and Gardner Split

Doreen Valiente split from Gardner’s coven with other members and multiple covens sprang up from the separation afterwards.

1958

Media Paves the Path Forward

The movie Bell, Book and Candle was shown, which shines a positive light on witches, and introduced most of America to the word “warlock” for the first time.

1963

Gardnerian Wicca Appears in the United States

Gardner initiated British expatriate Raymond Buckland, who founded the Gardnerian Brentwood Coven, considered the first Wiccan coven in the US.

Febuary 12, 1964

Gerald Gardner’s Passing

Gardner died of a heart attack while onboard a ship off the North African coast. He was buried in Tunis, Tunisia.

The 1960s

A New Branch of Wiccan Practice

Alex Sanders founded a strain known as Alexandrian Wicca with differentiation in tool use and deity names from the Gardnerian tradition.

The Late 1960s

The Witch of Salem

Laurie Cabot, “the Witch of Salem,” began to gain the attention in the United States in the late 1960s teaching classes at Salem State College and helping police solve cases.

1970

Works of the “King of the Witches”

Alex Sanders catapulted to fame following an autobiography: King of the Witches, and the film called Legend of the Witches.

A New Era for Wicca

During the 1970s, American Wicca transformed from the magic-based pagan discipline claiming British heritage to a nature-based spiritual movements, with heavy tones of environmentalism and feminism

1971

The Susan B. Anthony Coven

Wiccan activist, Z. Budapest, started the Susan B. Anthony coven, which practiced Dianic Wicca, a form of matriarchal lunar worship and she wrote the Feminist Book of Shadows.

1971

Advocacy Grows in the United Kingdom

The Pagan Front (later renamed the Pagan Federation) was founded by Wiccans in 1971 in the UK as a religious advocacy group, campaigning for the religious rights of Neo-pagans.

1971

An American Order Established

Lady Sheba published her own Book of Shadows and founded the American Order of the Brotherhood of Wicca, of which she was high priestess.

The brotherhood combined Celtic tradition with American Indian Magic and its rituals adhered closely to Gardnerian tradition.

January 1st, 1977

Wiccan Traditions Continue to Expand

The Minoan Brotherhood was established by Eddie Bucynski as a Wiccan tradition for gay and bisexual men.

The Brotherhood was based on cults Bucynski researched from the Minoan Civilizations of Bronze-age Crete.

1986

Protecting Representation

Laurie Cabot, the “Witch of Salem,” formed the Witches League of Public Awareness which works to end prejudice and bigotry against witches and witchcraft with an emphasis on media representation.

1986

Official Recognition

Wicca was recognized as an official religion in the US through the court case Dettmer v. Landon.

The incarcerated Dettmer was a Wicca practicioner, and had been denied ritual objects for worship. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Wicca was entitled to First Amendment protections like any other religion.

June, 1998

The ECER’s First Meeting

The first European Congress of Ethnic Religions was held in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The organization’s goal is to strengthen the pre-Christian religion traditions of Europe and to foster ties with modern pagan movements.

1990s-2000s

The “Teen Witch” Movement

During the this time period, TV shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed frequently used Wiccan terminology.

These shows caused a large teenage
Wiccan subculture.

2005

Increased Representation

US Army Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart became the first Wiccan serving in the US military to die in combat.

His family was refused a Wiccan pentacle on his gravestone. As a result of a court case, Wiccan symbols are now accepted by the Veterans Administration.

The 2010s

The Second Surge of the “Teen Witch” Movement

During this time a second surge in teenage interest arose mainly by social media, most famously through the “WitchTok” hashtag on TikTok.

Bibliography

Ferre, Lux. “Lady Sheba.” Occult World. August 3, 2017. Accessed February 19, 2025.
https://occult-world.com/lady-sheba/

—. “Witches League of Public Awareness.” Occult World. August 3, 2017. Accessed July 14, 2025. https://occult-world.com/witches-league-public-awareness/

History.com Editors. “Wicca.” HISTORY. August 21, 2018. Accessed February 19, 2025.
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/wicca

Sacred Well. “History of Modern Wicca.” Sacred Well. 2025. Accessed February 19, 2025.
https://www.sacredwell.org/about-us/wicca/history-of-modern-wicca/

Schnoebelen, William. Wicca. Chino, CA: Chick Publications, 1990.

White, Ethan Doyle. “Wicca.” Britannica. February 7, 2025. Accessed February 19, 2025.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wicca

Wikipedia Contributors. “Alexandrian Wicca.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 June 2025, Accessed July 14, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandrian_Wicca

—. “Bricket Wood Coven.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Oct. 2024, Accessed July 14, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricket_Wood_coven

—. “Eddie Buczynski.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 July 2025, Accessed July 14, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Buczynski

—. “European Congress of Ethnic Religions.” Wikipedia. January 1, 2025. Accessed
February 19, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Congress_of_Ethnic_Religions

—. “History of Wicca.” Wikipedia. February 6, 2025. Accessed February 19, 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Wicca

—. “Pagan Federation.” Wikipedia. December 14, 2024. Accessed February 19, 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagan_Federation

—. “Witchcraft Today.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 July 2023, Accessed July 14, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft_Today

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