1584 – Horseshoe: Good Luck Charm

Physical description:

Large rusty horseshoe

Museum classification:

Protection

Size:

190 x 180 x 25

Information:

The custom of hanging horse-shoes over a doorway to prevent witches from entering the house is mentioned in John Aubrey's 'Miscellanies' (1696).
Scarborough Museum, as well as having three horse-shoes hung up as good luck charms, and a miniature horse-shoe made by a blacksmith specially as a good luck charm (Caterham Valley, 1923), has a donkey's shoe wrapped in strips of red cloth and with red cord for hanging, which was hung over a bed as protection against the nightmare (collected in North London in 1914). Scarborough Museum also has an interesting charm consisting of a horse-shoe nail made into a finger ring and worn to bring good luck (from Surrey, 1924). (Information supplied by Tabitha Cadbury - see her report 'The Clarke Collection of Charms and Amulets' in the museum library.)

Resource:

Object

Materials:

Iron

Copyright ownership:

Treetrunk Ltd

The custom of hanging horse-shoes over a doorway to prevent witches from entering the house is mentioned in John Aubrey's 'Miscellanies' (1696).
Scarborough Museum, as well as having three horse-shoes hung up as good luck charms, and a miniature horse-shoe made by a blacksmith specially as a good luck charm (Caterham Valley, 1923), has a donkey's shoe wrapped in strips of red cloth and with red cord for hanging, which was hung over a bed as protection against the nightmare (collected in North London in 1914). Scarborough Museum also has an interesting charm consisting of a horse-shoe nail made into a finger ring and worn to bring good luck (from Surrey, 1924). (Information supplied by Tabitha Cadbury - see her report 'The Clarke Collection of Charms and Amulets' in the museum library.)