In the palm of your hand….protection from the Virgin?

Left: Marian mark on the font at St George’s church, Crowhurst. Right: the ceases in some people’s hands bear a similar ‘M’ shape where the creases intersect. Photo: © W Perkins.

This may be one of my favourite ‘classic’ Marian marks that I have found in a while – cut into the 13th century font at St George’s church, Crowhurst. It is set within an incomplete compass-drawn consecration cross – but is part of a wider palimpsest of marks as all four faces of the font possess graffiti. I say classic as the MM is often depicted in this elongated, spidery fashion although neatly-cut (and crowned) versions do appear.

Much maligned as an apotropaic, many attempts have been made to dismiss the symbol as having little or no meaning or that it simply represented someone’s initial. Yet time and again, it is found in profusion, in ‘key’ locations within churches and often associated with other apotropaic devices (or ‘holy signs’) as it is here. St George’s has several other substantial Marian marks. Its true meaning and purpose is still under discussion.

Back in the 1990’s Timothy Easton was one of the first to suggest that it may have been intended to invoke the protection of the Virgin. Others have pointed to the fact that the natural creases in many people’s palms seem to form an ‘M.’