Halloween Object of the Week: A 300-year-old witching bottle used for fingernails and hair

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

In a Halloween special, this week we bring you a witching bottle found near Newark's National Civil War Centre

This spooky 300-year-old glass vessel was discovered intact by an archaeologist in front of the National Civil War Centre’s Old Magnus Building home two years ago. It may once have contained fingernails and hair to protect a householder from evil spells, and has never been displayed to the public before.

During the civil war period England was awash with deeply-held superstitious beliefs. Witches were thought to lurk around every corner. One of the century’s most infamous characters was the self-appointed Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, who travelled across eastern England staging brutal inquisitions which resulted in the deaths of more than 200 women.

• Witching bottle-based workshops for children take place at the centre on Saturday and Sunday (October 31 and November 1 2015). Halloween activities take place all week. Visit nationalcivilwarcentre.com/events for more.

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More Culture24 Objects of the Week

A gas mask worn by a German soldier in the First World War trenches

Gruesome death's head funeral spoons made for grieving 17th century families

The incredibly rare Union flag flown on the HMS Minotaur at the Battle of Trafalgar

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/art540231-object-of-the-week-national-civil-war-centre-newark