Nan Wade
19th-century Manx wise woman and herbalist of Kirk Michael.
Nan Wade was a 19th-century Manx folk healer and herbalist, one of the island's most famous. The name likely refers to two women: Ann Wade, born Cannell in 1768, and her daughter Ann Boyde, born Wade in 1796. William Harrison noted that the title passed to the daughter. Nan lived in a house by the Rhenass River ford in Poortown, German, originally from Kirk Michael.
Quick Facts
- Also known as
- Ann Wade (née Cannell) and Ann Boyde (née Wade)
- Born
- 1768 (Ann Wade); 1796 (Ann Boyde)
- Died
- 1844 (Ann Wade); 1866 (Ann Boyde)
- Place of origin
- Kirk Michael, Isle of Man
- Residence
- Poortown
- German
- by the Rhenass River ford
- Doll in manx museum
- 42 cm (1 ft 5 in) tall
Facts from the source article.
Background
Nan Wade, a Manx wise woman and herbalist, was one of the island's best-known folk medicine practitioners in the 1800s. The name likely refers to two women: Ann Wade and her daughter Ann Boyde, with the "mantle" passing to the daughter. Originally from Kirk Michael, she lived by the Rhenass River ford in Poortown. People called on her for charms to ward off bad luck or cure illness, as well as for clairvoyance. She incanted these charms while "lifting" herbs. Many couldn't afford a doctor, and one witness noted her fee was "only sixpence." She also gave fishermen "luck" for a good catch. After her death, picking leaves from her grave for protection became a tradition, known as "a bit of Nan Wade." A 42 cm doll of her is kept in the Manx Museum.
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