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Folklorist Edward Lovett collected charms and amulets from working people in late Victorian and Edwardian London. His collections demonstrate that lucky and protective objects were not confined to an imagined isolated rural past. Urbanisation…
Open archive record →A string threaded with feathers, found in a Somerset attic in the nineteenth century, became famous after being interpreted as a so-called “witch’s ladder”. Even early scholarly discussion acknowledged uncertainty about what the object…
Open archive record →Horseshoes have long appeared in British collections and buildings as objects associated with luck or protection, especially around entrances. Their interpretation varies by place and period, and later decorative use can look similar to…
Open archive record →Objects commonly described as witch bottles have been recovered from historic buildings, often from hearths, thresholds or other structurally significant locations. Examples may contain pins, nails and other materials and are generally interpreted within…
Open archive record →Shoes deliberately concealed within walls, roofs, chimneys and other parts of historic buildings form part of the material record of British protective custom. Their exact meanings are not always recoverable, but placement in structural…
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