Bottles in which
items were
placed that were
believed to ward off or
reverse the
effects of a
witches’
influence. Typical
contents were
strands of the
victim’s
hair (sometimes
pubic);
metal objects (usually made of
brass or
steel) such as
studs and
nails; and
human urine. Another very frequent
inclusion was
bent metal pins, which it was believed would
inflict terrible pain upon the witch. To be considered
effective, the bottle had to be
sealed with a
cork and sometimes also with
clay, and then
burned without either the bottle or the seal
breaking. The bottle was then buried or hidden, typically in the
foundations of a
building.
More than 200 witch bottles have been unearthed in England. Most are broken or empty. However, intact bottles are still occasionally found.
One 17th century example found in Ipswitch contained:
- a piece of felt which was originally heart-shaped and into which several brass pins had been stuck
- a piece of light brown human hair
- more than 40 iron nails
- over 40 fragments of glass
- a two-pronged table-fork
- 24 brass studs
- several wooden spills
- human urine
An example found in
Sussex was buried in around 1720 and contained:
- pubic hairs
- an eyelash
- human urine
- eight bent brass pins
When this particular bottle was opened for the contents to be
examined and
analyzed, there was a
hiss of
escaping gas...
Witch bottles were believed to be effective only as long as the bottle remained sealed...