Because she rose to media fame in the 1950s after the repeal of the 1735 Witchcraft Act in 1951, she had an effect upon the formation of neopagan witchcraft, namely the religion of Wicca.

Sybil Leek was born on 22nd February 1917 in the village of Normacot in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England to a well-to-do family. Sybil claimed to have a long family history of witchcraft which she traced back to the 16th century and to her ancestor Molly Leigh, who had been accused during the witch hunt.

Sybil’s immediate family all played a part encouraging her to follow the craft. She learned much from her father about nature, animals and the power of herbs, and even discussed eastern philosophies. Her grandmother taught her astrology, by decorating biscuits and cakes with astrological symbols and asking Sybil to put them in order and describe what each symbol meant.

She only had 3 years of orthodox schooling. Her family continued to school her at home, but her grandmother focused on her esoteric training, such as the knowledge of herbs, astrology, the psychic arts, and divination much more than she did mathematics and English.

Sybil’s family played host to some very scholarly characters. H. G. Wells, Sybil and her father used to take long walks discussing all things metaphysical. Another famous friend of the family was Aleister Crowley. Aleister was a regular visitor to the family home, and used to read his poetry to Sybil. She first met him when she was 9. It was Aleister who encouraged Sybil to begin writing herself. Sybil became a keen poet, and she published her first book, a slim volume of poetry, while she was still a teenager.

Sybil soon met a prominent concert pianist who became her music teacher, and she married him when she was 16. He died two years later, and stricken with grief Sybil returned home to her grandmother’s house.

Shortly after, she was sent by her grandmother to a French coven based at Gorge du Loup (Wolf Canyon) in the hills above Nice, to replace a distant relative of hers as High Priestess.

Eventually she returned to England. For a short while she stayed with an acquaintance in Lyndhurst, in the New Forest, but soon found the lifestyle there tiresome and decided to run away.

She became friends with the Romany Gypsies in the forest. Sybil learnt much from the Gypsies about the forest, ancient folklore, and even more about the practical use of herbs than she had learnt from her grandmother. She lived with the Gypsies for a year, and attended rituals with the Horsa coven in the New Forest, of which for a short time she was High Priestess, and therefore a member of the Nine Covens council.

When she was 20, Sybil returned to her family, who had now moved to the edge of the New Forest. She then opened three antique shops; one in Ringwood, one in Somerset, and one in the heart of the New Forest in Burley. She then moved to Burley herself, into a house behind the shop Lawfords of Burley. She refused to sell anything to do with witchcraft in the antique shops, much to the disappointment of visitors.