With regard to the 'R' word, mentioned by The Shambles. I do recall my father telling me of the day when he was off in a boat, fishing. They were in the process of 'shooting a net' around a shoal of fish, and Old Joe Stone was walking along the top of the cliff, guiding the proceedings. Joe looked left, looked right and sent them back - minus the fish. When they got back to shore, he informed them, that he'd seen 'One of they furry things'. Superstition? Why did Churches have bay trees, if not to keep away the evil spirits? Not forgetting 'Conjurer's Lodge' the church built in Chiswell, Portland, in 1816, by 50 members of the local Methodist Church who refused to renounce their belief in witchcraft. They were accepted back'into the fold' by a different Minister, but the building, now a carpenter's store, still has its old name.