Seventeenth Century Witch Bottle; Rhenish Bartmann Type; Found at Whissonsett, Norfolk.

Seventeenth Century Witch Bottle; Rhenish Bartmann Type; Found at Whissonsett, Norfolk.

This Rhenish Bartmann dating to the second half of the seventeenth century was recovered during renovations at a house in the Norfolk village of Whissonsett.

We can confirm that it was used as a witch bottle, and contained the characteristic amuletic ingredient of iron nails; with remaining nails fused to the inside of the neck of the bottle.

During the early modern period, house protection against malevolent spirits was a very real thing - acts such as installing a witch bottle into the fabric of the architecture was essential for deflecting demons.

The bottle is typical of the type chosen for this East Anglian ritual - however, what is intriguing is the highly unusual medallion, which depicts a stylised ship.