Witch-bottles and healing charms 16 June 2011 Bitten by a mad dog or cursed by a witch? Ever wondered what you should do if you were bitten by a mad dog or cursed by a witch? In Wales it was a common practice, as late as the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in some parts, for people to use various kinds of charms for healing or protection against witchcraft. These could be in the form of prayer-like words, which were recited or written on a piece of paper to be safely hidden, while objects such as shoes or stones were also believed to cure illnesses and bring good luck. Snakestones Adder stones from Pen-tyrch, Glamorgan The most renowned stone charms in Wales are the Maen Magl or Glain Nadredd — snakestones. In 1695 Edward Lhuyd described these as Cerrig y Drudion — Druid stones. The belief was that they were created when snakes joined their heads together, forming a kind of bubble about the head of one snake. This 'bubble' is similar to a glass ring like the one found at Twyn-y-tila, Caerleon, and was thought to bring good luck to whoever found it. It was also believed to be a remedy for eye diseases and was often in great demand. The term Maen signifies a stone and Magl is an ancient word for an eye ailment such as a stye. The water in which the stone had been soaked could be dabbed on the affected area, but the most common form of treatment involved rolling or rubbing the stone over the eyelid. People used to use the expression 'fel y glaim', literally 'like the stone', to mean very healthy. A cure for rabies Hydrophobia stone from Henllan, Ceredigion The Llaethfaen or hydrophobia stone, thought to cure rabies, is a variant of the Maen Magl. In his Folk-Lore of West and Mid Wales, Jonathan Ceredig Davies wrote about a llaethfaen that was 'very much in request' because it was widely believed to cure those bitten by a mad dog, a common problem in the nineteenth century. Whether it had curative or preventative powers, those who used the stone were said to be safe from hydrophobia. Iolo Morgannwg described seeing a stone like this in Pembrokeshire in 1802, when he met a man who carried one around the country. He would scrape it into a powder which could be dissolved into a drink, and sell it for five shillings an ounce as a remedy for rabies. Witch-bottles and pots Now a witch bottle is a totally different kind of charm. Take this eighteenth- century Buckley pot, or witch-bottle, found buried at the foot of an old yew tree at Allt-y-Rhiw farmhouse near Llansilin, Powys. What is interesting about the jug is that a quarter if it was filled with lead. This suggests that it was used as some form of protection or, indeed, as a means of sealing or capturing a troublesome spirit, similar to the concealed shoes in our collection. Often with witchcraft beliefs the act of sealing an object within a bottle or pot symbolised the entrapment of the evil spirit, and so was used as a protective charm. There are many tales of troublesome ghosts being 'put down' in this way, like the ghost of 'Lady Jeffreys' who was persuaded to enter a bottle which was corked and sealed and thrown into the pool underneath the Short Bridge in Llanidloes. Conjurers or dynion hysbys When any bad luck occurred a conjurer was consulted to discover who had done the "witching", one such conjurer was Evan Griffiths from Pantybenni. People who had been bewitched could also carry out their own counter-magic rituals by placing sharp objects like thorns and pins inside a bottle, which was usually filled with the victim's urine. It was then sealed and boiled over the fire or buried under the hearthstone. This was believed to torment the witch into revealing her identity, thereby breaking the spell. The bottle symbolised the witch's bladder, and so the sharp objects were believed to cause her much pain. Alternatively, you could buy a charm from a dyn hysbys — wise man. These figures were very common in Wales at one time, and their services ranged from countering witchcraft, healing, and astrology, to fortune telling and uncovering lost property. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Llangurig was especially famous for its dynion hysbys. Charms against witchcraft were written on a piece of paper which was carefully rolled up and sealed inside a bottle. This was then placed under the hearth or hidden in one of the main beams in the house, thus ensuring protection from witchcraft and any other evildoer. Should you find one of these charms, as with the concealed garments, remember to take photographs and record the details of exactly where you found it, and contact your local museum. Whatever you do, mind, always remember to keep the bottle sealed!
Revolting women Andrew Deathe, 23 May 2011 The battle for the right to vote This anti-suffragette 'voodoo' doll is an unflattering and grotesque caricature of a suffrage campaigner. The anti-suffrage movement used images such as this in cartoons and posters to ridicule and insult women who wanted the right to vote. Like many people around the world, women in Britain had to fight for the right to vote. Today we take this privilege for granted but it was not always the case. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries the women's suffrage movement fought for the right for women to vote in General Elections. These mainly female campaigners were known as Suffragettes or Suffragists. There have been many books written about them. What has received less attention however is the existence of an anti-suffrage movement, which sought to prevent women from getting the vote. Objectors to votes for women tried to convince people that the female mind was unable to understand politics. When they failed in this they resorted to tactics such as sending this 'voodoo doll'. Some of them went as far as attacking or spitting on women activists in the streets. The doll is an unflattering and grotesque caricature of a suffrage campaigner. The anti-suffrage movement used images such as this in cartoons and posters. They ridiculed and insulted women who wanted the right to vote. These views were an extension of the idea that 'a woman's place is in the home'. Women were frequently shown as needing protection from the 'man's world' of work and politics. Their role was to look after their husbands, homes and children. During the First World War the role of women in society changed. While men were away fighting, women took on many of their jobs. They were able to disprove the stereotype of being the weaker sex and prove their equality to men. This gave them another strong argument for having the vote. Despite the strength of opposition shown in this doll, hundreds of thousands of women in Wales were eventually empowered to express their political views at the ballot box. It is due to the commitment of the suffrage movement that every British adult has the right to use their vote in elections. View this item in 3D on the People's Collection Wales
The Guardian of the Valleys 20 May 2011 Six Bells Disaster In the summer of 1960, the community of Six Bells near Abertillery, south Wales witnessed a disaster that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. On June 28th an underground explosion at 'Arrael Griffin' colliery led to the deaths of 45 miners, all local men - fathers, sons, husbands, brothers. Fifty years later, to the day, after tireless work by the community and local organisations, a steel sculpture by Sebastien Boyesen, over 60ft high, was dedicated to those who died. The name of each man who perished is engraved on its plinth. It was not possible to attach the outstretched arms for the opening ceremony due to safety concerns, but the statue was complete by the 28th July. Guardian of the Valleys This short film, by Alun Jones and Ian Smith, records the commemorative event and the dedication of the 'Guardian of the Valleys' who now stands proud, in memory of not just the Six Bells miners, but miners everywhere.
Children in Mines 11 April 2011 All alone in the dark Mary Davis was a 'pretty little girl' of six years old. The Government Inspector found her fast asleep against a large stone underground in the Plymouth Mines, Merthyr. After being wakened she said: "I went to sleep because my lamp had gone out for want of oil. I was frightened for someone had stolen my bread and cheese. I think it was the rats." Susan Reece, also six years of age and a door keeper in the same colliery said: "I have been below six or eight months and I don't like it much. I come here at six in the morning and leave at six at night. When my lamp goes out, or I am hungry, I run home. I haven't been hurt yet." In Harm's Way A coal mine was a dangerous place for adults, so it is no surprise that many children were badly injured underground. "Nearly a year ago there was an accident and most of us were burned. I was carried home by a man. It hurt very much because the skin was burnt off my face. I couldn't work for six months." Phillip Phillips, aged 9, Plymouth Mines, Merthyr "I got my head crushed a short time since by a piece of roof falling..." William Skidmore, aged 8, Buttery Hatch Colliery, Mynydd Islwyn "...got my legs crushed some time since, which threw me off work some weeks." John Reece, aged 14, Hengoed Colliery Child Colliers and Horse Drivers Some children spent up to twelve hours on their own. However, Susan Reece's brother, John, worked alongside his father on the coalface:- "I help my father and I have been working here for twelve months. I carry his tools for him and fill the drams with the coal he has cut or blasted down. I went to school for a few days and learned my a.b.c." John Reece, aged 8, Plymouth Mines, Merthyr Philip Davies had a horse for company. He was pale and undernourished in appearance. His clothing was worn and ragged. He could not read:- "I have been driving horses since I was seven but for one year before that I looked after an air door. I would like to go to school but I am too tired as I work for twelve hours." Philip Davies, aged 10, Dinas Colliery, Rhondda Drammers pulled their carts by a chain attached at their waist. They worked in the low tunnels between the coalfaces and the higher main roadways where horses might be used. The carts weighed about 1½cwt. of coal and had to be dragged a distance of about 50 yards in a height of about 3 feet. "My employment is to cart coals from the head to the main road; the distance is 60 yards; there are no wheels to the carts; I push them before me; sometimes I drag them, as the cart sometimes is pulled on us, and we get crushed often." Edward Edwards, aged 9, Yskyn Colliery, Briton Ferry For this a drammer would earn about 5p a day. Three Sisters The Dowlais iron works also owned iron and coal mines; they were the largest in the world at this time and supplied products to many parts of the world. However, they still relied on children for their profits. Three sisters worked in one of their coal mines:- "We are doorkeepers in the four-foot level. We leave the house before six each morning and are in the level until seven o’clock and sometimes later. We get 2p a day and our light costs us 2½p a week. Rachel was in a day school and she can read a little. She was run over by a dram a while ago and was home ill a long time, but she has got over it." Elizabeth Williams, aged 10 and Mary and Rachel Enoch, 11 and 12 respectively, Dowlais Pits, Merthyr After the Act The publication of the Report and the ensuing public outcry made legislation inevitable. The Coal Mines Regulation Act was finally passed on 4 August 1842. From 1 March 1843 it became illegal for women or any child under the age of ten to work underground in Britain. There was no compensation for those made unemployed which caused much hardship. However, evasion of the Act was easy - there was only one inspector to cover the whole of Britain and he had to give prior notice before visiting collieries. Therefore many women probably carried on working illegally for several years, their presence only being revealed when they were killed or injured. The concept of women as wage earners became less acceptable in the mining industry as the years went by. However, a small number of female surface workers could be found in Wales well into the twentieth century. In 1990 the protective legacy was repealed and after 150 years women are once again able to work underground.
Drinking punch in the eighteenth century Rachel Conroy, 28 January 2011 Figure 1: Silver punch ladle with mahogany handle, by Dorothy Mills and Thomas Sarbitt, London, 1752-3. Figure 2: Silver gilt punch bowl designed by Robert Adam and made by Thomas Heming, London, 1771-2. Punch was first drunk in Britain in the 1650s. This was around the same time that tea, coffee and hot chocolate became available. By the turn of the eighteenth century, it was an incredibly popular drink. Making punch Punch was made using a mixture of expensive imported ingredients. The alcohol content was provided by rum or brandy, to which sugar, citrus fruit, spices – usually grated nutmeg – and water were added. The Punch Bowl Using an elegant ladle, punch was served from large communal bowls into individual glasses (Figure 1). One of the most important punch bowls in Amgueddfa Cymru’s collection is that designed by Robert Adam for Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn (Figure 2). It was commissioned to celebrate the success of Sir Watkin's horse, Fop, at the Chester Races and would have been displayed prominently on the sideboard at his fashionable London home. Punch was often drunk at gatherings of clubs and societies, usually held in taverns, coffee houses, or special punch-houses (Figure 3). These were almost exclusively attended by men. Drinking punch seems to have been a highly sociable act that strengthened social ties. A letter published in 1736 describes this eloquently: "…we hope nothing will ever hinder a Man drinking a Bowl of Punch with his Friend, that’s one of the greatest pleasures we enjoy in the Country, after our labour. Figure 3: Earthenware punch bowl by the Cambrian Pottery, Swansea, about 1800-1810. It is inscribed 'B, HAWKINS, SHIP SWAN, LONDON', suggesting it was used at a tavern or punch-house. Figure 4: Delftware punch bowl inscribed 'Edward Jones Scoole Master 1751', probably Liverpool, 1751. Figure 5: Large salt-glazed stoneware goblet, possibly by Mortlake, c. 1794-5. Punch bowls were made to commemorate special events; they were decorated with the names of guilds or societies, or masculine symbols such as ships. An interesting example in Amgueddfa Cymru’s collection is inscribed ‘Edward Jones Scoole Master 1751’ (Figure 4). It has a painting of a school teacher and his pupils reading together. It is easy to imagine such a personal object being commissioned by Edward Jones, or perhaps given to him as a gift. Raucous and uncivilised parties: During the first half of the eighteenth century, there was widespread alarm about the dangers of alcoholism, particularly resulting from the widespread availability of cheap, home-distilled gin. Excessive punch drinking was often associated with bad behaviour. Excessive drinking in general was often linked with moral decline, and punch parties were usually satirised by contemporary artists as raucous and uncivilised. William Hogarth’s A Midnight Modern Conversation, published in 1732/33, is perhaps the best known illustration of a punch party. It was immensely popular and was soon reproduced on punch bowls and other vessels for consuming and serving alcohol (Figure 5). Eighteenth century binge drinking Old Bailey records often support the linking of excessive punch drinking with unsociable, even criminal behaviour. This includes stealing expensive punch bowls from public houses and people’s homes and sharing a bowl of punch with a victim before swindling them. From around the 1750s, punch also began to be served from porcelain and earthenware punch-pots. These are very similar in form and sometimes in decoration to teapots, but are much larger (Figure 6). Unlike open punch bowls, punch pots enabled the drink to be served in a controlled manner by one person – just like tea. This mediated form of serving might have been considered more civilised and refined than communal punch bowls, where people could help themselves and easily drink to excess. Punch drinking was at its most popular during the mid-eighteenth century, but it continued to be enjoyed into the nineteenth century. A fine earthenware punch bowl was made for John Richardson by the Cambrian Pottery in 1845, the same year that he served as Mayor of Swansea (Figure 7). Interestingly, he commissioned the bowl as a birthday gift for his infant grandson and it is decorated with several Richardson coats of arms. Part of the inscription reads ‘GAILY STILL OUR MOMENTS ROLL, WHILST WE QUAFF THE FLOWING BOWL’. Figure 6: Soft-paste porcelain punch pot, Derby, 1760-2 Figure 7: Earthenware punch bowl by the Cambrian Pottery, Swansea, 1845. References: Harvey, Karen. 'Barbarity in a tea-cup? Punch, domesticity and gender in the eighteenth century', Journal of Design History, 21 (3) (2008), pp. 205-21. (unknown) 1736 A collection of all the pamphlets that were written pro and con on the British distillery, whilst the act for laying a duty upon the retailers of spirituous liquors, and for licensing the retailers thereof, was depending in Parliament. London. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Web. 12 Jan 2010. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/ECCO http://www.oldbaileyonline.org
