Alex Sanders The King of Witches

 Alex Sanders: The Enigmatic “King of the Witches”

According to him that is!

Alex Sanders (1926–1988), born Orrell Alexander Carter in Manchester, England, was a pivotal yet polarising figure in the modern Pagan revival. 

Known as the founder of Alexandrian Wicca, one of the primary traditions of contemporary Witchcraft alongside Gardnerian Wicca, Sanders rose from obscurity to become a flamboyant public face of the occult in the 1960s and 1970s. Self-proclaimed “King of the Witches,” he courted media attention, blended ceremonial magic with Wiccan practices, and attracted thousands of followers—while drawing sharp criticism for his sensationalism and embellished claims.

Sanders’ early life was marked by modest beginnings and an interest in the esoteric. He claimed hereditary initiation into Witchcraft at age seven by his Welsh grandmother, Mary Bibby, who allegedly performed rituals naked and passed on a family Book of Shadows.

 This dramatic story, detailed in his 1969 biography King of the Witches by June Johns, became central to his mythic persona. However, genealogical research has since disproven it: Bibby died in 1907, nearly two decades before Sanders’ birth. His actual entry into organized Witchcraft came in the early 1960s through Gardnerian Wicca, founded by Gerald Gardner. Sanders was initiated around 1963, possibly by a priestess linked to Patricia Crowther’s coven, though accounts vary and he was initially rebuffed by some Gardnerians who viewed him as troublesome.

Undeterred, Sanders formed his own coven in Manchester, incorporating elements of ceremonial magic—such as Qabalah, Enochian invocations, and influences from figures like Éliphas Lévi and Franz Bardon—into Gardnerian rituals. This synthesis distinguished Alexandrian Wicca, emphasising structured training, skyclad (ritual nudity), and a pragmatic approach: “If it works, use it.” By 1965, his followers proclaimed him “King of the Witches” at a gathering, acknowledging his charisma and claimed superior knowledge. 

This title, while embraced by his initiates, provoked outrage among Gardnerians like Crowther and Eleanor Bone, who accused him of plagiarism and publicity-seeking.

Sanders’ rise coincided with his partnership with Maxine Morris (later Sanders), a younger woman he handfasted in 1965 and civilly married in 1968. Together, they moved to London, running a prominent coven from a Notting Hill flat and teaching classes. Their daughter Maya was born in 1967, and a son Victor in 1972. Maxine became his High Priestess, contributing significantly to the tradition’s development. The couple’s media savvy propelled them into the spotlight: a 1969 newspaper exposé led to Johns’ romanticised biography, the documentary film Legend of the Witches (1970), and appearances on talk shows. Sanders claimed to have initiated over 1,600 people by the mid-1960s, spreading Alexandrian covens across Britain and beyond.

Yet Sanders was no stranger to controversy. Critics accused him of fabricating his hereditary lineage, copying Gardner’s Book of Shadows without full attribution, and sensationalizing Witchcraft for personal fame—often blurring lines with Devil-worship stereotypes that hindered Wicca’s acceptance. His bisexuality and extramarital affairs strained his marriage to Maxine, leading to separation in 1971 (though their bond persisted intermittently). Some viewed his “King” title as egotistical, and revelations of ritual borrowings diminished his standing in later years. In the 1970s and 1980s, he worked with groups like the Ordine Della Luna and expressed remorse for past “stupidities,” calling for Wiccan unity.

Sanders died on April 30, 1988 (Walpurgisnacht), from lung cancer at age 61. 

Posthumously, controversies lingered—a taped message naming his son Victor as successor (despite Victor’s disinterest) and claims of spirit communications in the 1990s–2000s.

His legacy endures through Alexandrian Wicca, practiced worldwide in autonomous covens emphasizing hierarchy, ceremonial elements, and gender polarity. While many modern practitioners distanced from his personal cult, Sanders undeniably popularized Witchcraft, attracting seekers through sheer charisma and media exposure. As one source notes, “no one attracted more witches to the craft than Sanders.” Flawed and theatrical, he embodied the occult revival’s excesses and innovations, leaving an indelible mark on contemporary Paganism.