1481 – BONE AND CHAIN HORSE PROTECTION CHARM

Physical description:

Piece of animal bone strung on a long loop of chain.

Museum classification:

Protection

Size:

385 x 110 x 50

Information:

Horse Guard.
A Devon witch has charmed this thighbone of a cow on a chain. It was hung on a stable door to protect the horses from thieves.
The Lovett Collection in the Cuming Museum has a section of bone which was hung up using rope rather than a chain in a stable in Holloway in London c. 1919 to protect the horses from illness.
Scarborough Museum has an interesting charm that consists of three hagstones and part of the pelvic bone of a sheep with a natural hole in it, threaded together on string, and sold by a wise woman as a charm to keep away witches; it was collected in Exmouth c.1910 see Tabitha Cadbury's report 'The Clarke Collection of Charms and Amulets' in the museum library.

Resource:

Object

Materials:

Bone, metal

Copyright ownership:

Treetrunk Ltd.

Horse Guard.
A Devon witch has charmed this thighbone of a cow on a chain. It was hung on a stable door to protect the horses from thieves.
The Lovett Collection in the Cuming Museum has a section of bone which was hung up using rope rather than a chain in a stable in Holloway in London c. 1919 to protect the horses from illness.
Scarborough Museum has an interesting charm that consists of three hagstones and part of the pelvic bone of a sheep with a natural hole in it, threaded together on string, and sold by a wise woman as a charm to keep away witches; it was collected in Exmouth c.1910 see Tabitha Cadbury's report 'The Clarke Collection of Charms and Amulets' in the museum library.