In 1832 an article titled ‘Anecdotes of Witchcraft in Wiltshire’ appeared in the Gentleman’s Magazine. The piece was copied from a manuscript of 1686 penned by an unnamed individual, but now identified as Sir James Long of Draycot Cerne, the Royalist commander who had led troops against parliamentary forces at Chippenham during the Civil War in 1645.

The Pixar movie Cars is principally set in the fictional town of Radiator Springs, a once thriving community that has fallen on hard times. Located in rural Arizona, Radiator Springs prospered because of its position on Route 66, a major road that connected Chicago and Los Angeles. However, the town's fortunes changed dramatically with the construction of Interstate 40- a new road that bypassed Radiator Springs entirely. Travellers stopped passing through, businesses struggled to survive, and a once-vibrant community became nearly abandoned.

So, what does this have to do with Kellaways, a tiny hamlet a few miles from Chippenham, north Wiltshire? Surprisingly, quite a bit.

In the archives of the Royal Society is a 17th-century scientific paper by the natural philosopher John Aubrey, in which he describes extreme weather events. One of the most extreme was the 'tempest at Loughton in Cheshire' in 1649 which occurred during divine service one Sunday. According to Aubrey, while the parish was at prayer, ‘a purplish nubecula’ (a small cloud) entered the church.

Among the works John Aubrey left unpublished was 'A Collection of Approved Receipts'. A list of medical cures. Today, among the 'Aubrey' manuscripts at the Bodleian Library is MS Aubrey 19, a list of 'Medical recipes'. However, it is not Aubrey's work; instead, it appears to have been created by the Carrow family towards the end of the 17th century.

The Salisbury 'Impostures' of Dr Heydock & Walter Raleigh. John Aubrey loved stories. His most famous work, Brief Lives, is replete with gossipy biographical portraits. This fascination for personal flaws, scandal and a good story spilt over into his Natural History of Wiltshire, not least in his notes on Dr Richard Heydock of Salisbury.

John Aubrey believed in magic. The 17th-century Wiltshire antiquary noted down folk remedies and practical magical techniques used by cunning folk (the practitioners of white magic which communities turned to for help).