1875 – Teddy bear

Physical description:

Petrified teddy bear - a smallish teddy, with glass eyes and a red ribbon round his neck, coated in cream-coloured stone. A label says, 'My name is Harold and I am a genuine Petrified Teddy Bear from Mother Shipton's Cave.'

Museum classification:

Spells and Charms

Size:

180 x 100 x 80

Information:

Mother Shipton's Cave is reputedly her place of birth. The nearby petrifying well has been regarded as magical and valued for its healing powers for centuries; the first written reference to it is by John Leyland in the mid 16th century.
Seeing this artefact, a visitor to the museum said that there is a mine in Wales where the miners used to leave objects belonging to loved ones on shelves in the rock to be petrified, believing that this would protect the objects' owners from harm.

Resource:

Object

Materials:

Fabric, stone

Mother Shipton's Cave is reputedly her place of birth. The nearby petrifying well has been regarded as magical and valued for its healing powers for centuries; the first written reference to it is by John Leyland in the mid 16th century.
Seeing this artefact, a visitor to the museum said that there is a mine in Wales where the miners used to leave objects belonging to loved ones on shelves in the rock to be petrified, believing that this would protect the objects' owners from harm.