Home, Safe Home

Safety alarms, guard dogs and security cameras: we have always found ways to protect our homes from danger. Today, we might fear intruders, but how did the people of the past protect their homes from magic and evil? For centuries, belief in magic and witchcraft was widespread.

During renovations of older buildings, particularly those dating from the 16th century, objects – and sometimes even animals – are often found deliberately hidden within walls, floors and chimneys.

Shoes, mummified animals and ‘witch bottles’ are among the objects believed to have been hidden to ward off evil, bring good luck or protect the home. We have little conclusive proof of exactly why people hid these objects, or how these practices became so widespread.

This is the beauty and mystery of folklore: we often have the evidence, but cannot trace the explanation.

Object labels 

  1. Elizabethan shoe buried beneath the stairs of Swavesey Manor as a protective charm. Folklore Society Collection, CAMFK:44.2006

    Concealed shoes have been found across England and beyond, but they are particularly prevalent in East Anglia. They are believed to have protected homes against evil influences. Some scholars suggest that shoes protected homeowners from witches by attracting them with their human scent and trapping them inside.

  2. Good luck hoard made from blackened eggshells, grass and leaves. Found during the renovation of a house in Linton. CAMFK:125.89

    At first glance, a collection of eggshells among dried grass and leaves might appear to be the former nest of a bird that has long since flown away. However, closer inspection suggests that this hoard was deliberately placed. As eggshells symbolise new life, this may have been a charm intended to bring luck, prosperity or fertility rather than to ward off evil.

  3. Mummified rat, NN

    Mummified animals are another form of protective charm, placed in the walls or foundations of buildings. Mummified cats are the most common, possibly chosen because of their ability to catch rats and keep homes free of vermin.

    The Museum of Cambridge has a mummified rat preserved in a similar way. Perhaps it was part of a similar ritual, or perhaps it was simply an unfortunate creature that entered a hole in the wall and never left!

  4. Objects from a hoard found in a chimney at Corpus Christi College. CAMFK:412.9

    Alongside the bottle, pottery, stones and coin shown here, this hoard also contained scraps of fabric, plaster, hair and hundreds of other pieces of pottery and glass. Its placement suggests that it was deliberately deposited as a protective charm, perhaps by a resident, builder or caretaker.