Media caption Watch: Witches' marks in England 
 
 Members of the public are being asked to help create a record of ritual markings on buildings that were once believed to ward off evil spirits. 
 
 The "witches' marks" were often carved near entrances to buildings, including the house where Shakespeare was born and the Tower of London. 
 
 The symbols were thought to offer protection when belief in witchcraft and the supernatural was widespread. 
 
 But heritage agency Historic England says too little is known about them. 
 
 The symbols, also known as apotropaic marks, can be found on medieval houses, churches and other buildings, most commonly from around 1550 to 1750. 
 
 They took many forms, but the most common type was the "Daisy Wheel", which looked like a flower drawn with a compass in a single endless line that was supposed to confuse and entrap evil spirits. 
 
 They also sometimes included letters, such as AM for Ave Maria, M for Mary or VV, for Virgin of Virgins, scratched into walls, engraved on wooden beams and etched into plasterwork to evoke the protective power of the Virgin Mary. 
 
 Your pictures: Witches' marks 
 
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 Known examples of witch markings include several found at Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, carved near the cellar door where beer was kept, and at the Tithe Barn, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, to protect crops. 
 
 Others have been found in caves, such as the Witches' Chimney at Wookey Hole, Somerset, which has numerous markings. 
 
 Image copyright PA Image caption The "witches' marks" were often carved near entrances to buildings 
 
 Image copyright LASSCO Image caption Others were found inside buildings, such as on an oak beam at the LASSCO Three Pigeons in Oxfordshire 
 
 Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: "Witches' marks are a physical reminder of how our ancestors saw the world. 
 
 "They really fire the imagination and can teach us about previously-held beliefs and common rituals. 
 
 "Ritual marks were cut, scratched or carved into our ancestors' homes and churches in the hope of making the world a safer, less hostile place. 
 
 "They were such a common part of everyday life that they were unremarkable and because they are easy to overlook, the recorded evidence we hold about where they appear and what form they take is thin." 
 
 Witchcraft in England 
 
 Image copyright Anne via Flickr Image caption Wookey Hole Caves near Weston-super-Mare where a large number of apotropaic marks have been found. ||||| Images and locations wanted of under-recorded ritual protection marks known as Apotropaic or Witches’ marks 
 
 For centuries symbols were carved into historic houses, churches, barns and even caves to protect them from witches and evil spirits 
 
 to protect them from witches and evil spirits This Halloween join the hunt for England's witches' marks and tell us if you've seen any Please be aware that submissions have now closed, thank you for your interest. 
 
 Witches’ marks - ritual protection symbols or apotropaic marks - can be found carved into the fabric of many historic places, from medieval churches and houses, to barns, caves and even the Tower of London but they have never been fully recorded. This Halloween, Historic England is calling on the public to share photographs, information and knowledge of where they are, to help create a record of England’s apotropaic marks. The marks date back to times when belief in witchcraft and the supernatural was widespread. Magical symbols and ritual objects were a common part of life from around the 16th to the early 19th century. 
 
 Daisy-Wheels inscribed with a pair of compasses or dividers found in Saxon Tithe barn, Bradford-on-Avon © Historic England 
 
 What are apotropaic marks? Apotropaic comes from the Greek word for averting evil and the marks were usually carved on stone or woodwork near a building’s entrance points, particularly doorways, windows and fireplaces, to protect inhabitants and visitors from witches and evil spirits. 
 
 Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “Witches’ marks are a physical reminder of how our ancestors saw the world. They really fire the imagination and can teach us about previously-held beliefs and common rituals. Ritual marks were cut, scratched or carved into our ancestors’ homes and churches in the hope of making the world a safer, less hostile place. They were such a common part of everyday life that they were unremarkable and because they are easy to overlook, the recorded evidence we hold about where they appear and what form they take is thin. We now need the public’s help to create a fuller record of them and better understand them.” 
 
 Bradford-upon-Avon tithe barn where apotropaic marks have been found © Rodw via Wikimedia 
 
 What do they look like? The most common type of apotropaic mark is the daisy wheel, or hexafoil, which at its simplest is a six petal “flower” drawn with a pair of compasses. Daisy wheels comprise a single, endless line which supposedly confused and entrapped evil spirits. Pentangles, which are five-pointed stars, were often used as ritual symbols and the letters AM for Ave Maria, simply M for Mary or VV for Virgin of Virgins are also a common type of apotropaic mark. These letters, scratched into the fabric of medieval walls, engraved onto wooden beams and etched onto plasterwork were thought to beseech the supreme protective power of the Virgin Mary. 
 
 
 
 A cluster of integrated circles engraved onto a barn door © Conceal Reveal 
 
 Where are they? Apotropaic marks can be found in medieval houses, dating from around 1550 to 1750. A few have been recorded recently at Shakespeare’s Birthplace for example, where they are carved near the door to the cellar, once the store for precious beer. They have been spotted in medieval barns like the Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn, where they were etched into the ancient timber to protect crops. Some have even been found in caves, such as Witches’ Chimney in Wookey Hole which has the largest concentration of ritual protection marks so far found in any cave. They can also be found in old churches and many other public and private buildings across the country. County graffiti surveys in several areas across England have carried out some fascinating research but the public can still help to identify more witches' marks. We want the public to tell us about where they have seen apotropaic marks and what they look like so we can better understand how they were used. Next Steps Tell us where you have found an apotropaic mark 
 
 Two small daisy wheels tucked away at Shakespeare's birthplace at Stratford-upon-Avon. They were carved by the door down into the cellar which was once where precious beer was stored.
– This Halloween, you can don your sexy witch costume or you can go off in search of actual witches—or at least so-called witches' signs, and a historic group in England, which is apparently littered with them, is hoping its citizenry will choose the latter. As the BBC reports, Historic England is this year imploring members of the public to assist it in mapping apotropaic marks—markings that were routinely carved into buildings to ward off evil spirits during Medieval times—such as those already known to be carved into the Tower of London, as well as the house where William Shakespeare was born. The signs vary widely, and can take the form of a "Daisy Wheel," or feature letters like AM for Ave Maria, M for Mary or VV, for Virgin of Virgins. "Witches' marks are a physical reminder of how our ancestors saw the world," says the chief executive of Historic England. "Ritual marks were cut, scratched or carved into our ancestors' homes and churches in the hope of making the world a safer, less hostile place. They were such a common part of everyday life that they were unremarkable and because they are easy to overlook, the recorded evidence we hold about where they appear and what form they take is thin." Spot one? Let Historic England know.