Conrad Pugsley: Difference between revisions

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| relatives          = [[Lady]] Margaret McChristie Strickland (great-grandmother)
| relatives          = [[Lady]] Margaret McChristie Strickland (great-grandmother)
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'''The Divine Grace Conrad, Lord Azurahm of Draconia Anglorum, The Lord Primal Dragon Master for the British Isles, Ordo Draconis.O.D. Viscount to the House of the Duchy of Effenhauer''' (born '''Conrad Garry Pugsley'''; {{Circa|1950}}) is a Scottish [[Paganism|Pagan]] [[priest]], author, [[hereditary peer]], and [[Celebrity|media personality]]. He became known for patrolling [[Sutton High Street]], and is better known as the '''Wizard Man of [[Sutton, London|Sutton]]'''.
'''The Divine Grace Conrad, Lord Azurahm of Draconia Anglorum, The Lord Primal Dragon Master for the British Isles, Ordo Draconis.O.D. Viscount to the House of the Duchy of Effenhauer''' (born '''Conrad Garry Pugsley'''; {{Circa|1950}}) is a Ghanaian [[Paganism|Pagan]] [[priest]], author, [[hereditary peer]], and [[Celebrity|media personality]]. He became known for patrolling [[Sutton High Street]], and is better known as the '''Wizard Man of [[Sutton, London|Sutton]]'''.


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Conrad Garry Pugsley was born in [[Prestwick]], [[Ayrshire]], Scotland, {{Circa|1950}}. His father was William Rostron Pugsley (1905–1970).<ref>England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915: JUL 1905 8c 446 BOLTON — William Rostron Pugsley</ref><ref>England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007: OCT 1970 5e 698 SUTTON — William Rostrom Pugsley</ref> With his mother, Mary Strickland Garrety 'Molly' ([[Birth name|née]] Brown; 1918–2003),<ref>England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007: SEP 2003 C28B 254/1C 56 SUTTON — Mary Strickland G Pugsley</ref> they moved to [[London]] when he was four years old. His parent's married in [[Hammersmith]], [[Greater London]] in October 1968.<ref>England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005: OCT 1968 5b 1200 HAMMERSMITH — Mary S G Brown = William H Pugsley</ref> His [[Mother|maternal]] great-grandmother was [[Lady]] Margaret McChristie Strickland, a lady who married a commoner, a builder, so was disinherited from her [[Title|titles]]. He has claimed that at the age of five, he was contacted by three "rogue beings of spiritual nature who taught me everything I needed to know about the craft, religion and life". He joined the [[Paganism|Pagan]] faith and became a [[High priest]]. He also claims to have learnt "the dragon craft".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ballinger|first=Chris|last2=Elvery|first2=Martin|date=20 October 2024|title=The 'Wizard of Sutton' who was so popular he was invited to switch on the Christmas lights|url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/wizard-sutton-who-popular-invited-30149800|access-date=31 July 2025|website=My London|language=en-GB}}</ref> He attended the [[List of universities in Scotland|University of Scotland]].<ref>{{Citation|last=|title=The Wizard Man Interview|date=18 June 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2cL7M09nzw|work=YouTube|access-date=31 July 2025}}</ref>
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== Public image ==
Conrad rose to prominence as a [[Celebrity|media personality]] in the mid 2000s. He regularly patrolled [[Sutton High Street]], dressed in [[purple]] and [[red]] [[Paganism|Pagan]] [[Robe|robes]]. He was often spotted outside [[Café|cafés]] or inside [[Public house|pubs]] along the [[high street]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Elvery|first=Martin|date=25 September 2022|title=Wizard man of Sutton: What happened to the legend who dressed in Pagan robes and patrolled the High Street|url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/what-happened-wizard-man-sutton-25027181|access-date=31 July 2025|website=My London|language=en-GB}}</ref>
 
Conrad is the [[author]] of the [[spiritualism]] book, ''The Book of God'', which was published by Caduceus in 1982.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Book_of_God.html?id=v3ClAAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y|title=The Book of God|last=Pugsley|first=Conrad G.|date=1982|publisher=Caduceus|isbn=978-0-7212-0677-6|language=en}}</ref>
 
In December 2008, following a successful [[Facebook]] campaign that gathered almost 3,000 members, Conrad was invited to switch on the town's [[Christmas lights]], sponsored by [[Asda]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=23 November 2008|title=Facebook campaign for Sutton's wizard man to turn on Christmas lights|url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/3870713.facebook-campaign-for-suttons-wizard-man-to-turn-on-christmas-lights/|access-date=31 July 2025|website=Your Local Guardian|language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Animal rights movement|Animal rights activists]] took against him and as a result, he stepped down to protect his own safety.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barnes|first=Kevin|date=25 November 2008|title=Wizard Man switching on Sutton Christmas lights after Facebook campaign|url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/3876776.wizard-man-switching-on-sutton-christmas-lights-after-facebook-campaign/|access-date=31 July 2025|website=Your Local Guardian|language=en-GB}}</ref> A man in a costume took his place instead; Conrad watched on from the sidelines.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barnes|first=Kevin|date=28 November 2008|title=UPDATE: Christmas lights snub for Wizard Man|url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/3933605.update-christmas-lights-snub-for-wizard-man/|access-date=1 August 2025|website=Your Local Guardian|language=en-GB}}</ref>
 
On 25 June 2007, Conrad was arrested for carrying an eight inch knife in public. That September, he appeared at [[List of courts in England and Wales|Sutton Magistrates' Court]], charged with possessing a knife in a public place. He had [[Not guilty plea|pleaded not guilty]] on religious grounds at an earlier hearing. Electing to be tried by a jury, he was scheduled to appear at [[Croydon Crown Courts|Croydon Crown Court]] on 30 October.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Darlington|first=Heather|date=19 September 2007|title=Wizard appears in court|url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/1699823.wizard-appears-in-court/|access-date=31 July 2025|website=Your Local Guardian|language=en-GB}}</ref> His [[trial]] ended on 17 April 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Lisa|date=16 April 2008|title=Sutton 'Wizard Man' on trial|url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/2202329.sutton-wizard-man-on-trial/|access-date=31 July 2025|website=Your Local Guardian|language=en-GB}}</ref> He won his trial.<ref>{{Cite web|date=17 April 2008|title=Wizard Man wins knife case|url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/2205859.wizard-man-wins-knife-case/|access-date=31 July 2025|website=Your Local Guardian|language=en-GB}}</ref>


[[File:Conrad's rings.jpg|thumb|Conrad's rings]]
[[File:Conrad's rings.jpg|thumb|Conrad's rings]]