South East London blogzine - things that are happening, things that happened, things that should never have happened. New Cross, Brockley, Deptford and other beauty spots. EMAIL US: transpontineblog at gmail.com Transpontine: 'on the other (i.e. the south) side of the bridges over the Thames; pertaining to or like the lurid melodrama played in theatres there in the 19th century'.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Greenwich Witch Bottle
Yesterday's New Scientist reports the finding of a 17th century 'witch bottle' in Greenwich (location not mentioned), containing urine, 'bent nails and pins, a nail-pierced leather "heart", fingernail clippings, navel fluff and hair. The presence of iron sulphide in the mixture also suggests that sulphur or brimstone had been added'. The bottle had apparently been deliberately buried with this mixture to ward off spells. Full story here; more pictures here.
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