Rare 18th-Century ‘Witch Bottle’ Investigated by Lincoln Student

The origins of an intriguing glass bottle, found in a wall cavity during renovation works in Cleethorpes, has recently been brought to light by University of Lincoln student Zara Yeates.

The bottle, still intact with its original cork and filled with liquid, was uncovered as part of  works to prepare new foundations at a building on Cleethorpes Seaview Street as part of a Townscape Heritage project.

Carol Heidschuster, the site’s project manager, retrieved the bottle and, in agreement with the building’s owners, contacted the University of Lincoln’s Conservation of Cultural Heritage department for further analysis.

Josephine McKenzie, Senior Technician for the department, received an enquiry regarding the bottle in early 2024. The Conservation of Cultural Heritage department accepts objects from museums, institutions, and private owners for repair by students, however, this was the first time the department had received such an artefact.

As part of their studies, students can select and work on a range of objects. Zara, a third-year BA(Hons) undergraduate student, was immediately fascinated by the bottle and eager to take on the project.

The building’s owners requested that Zara identify the liquid within the bottle without removing the cork and that the bottle be preserved to prevent further deterioration. To address these challenges, Zara employed a range of analytical techniques and undertook meticulous research.

Zara was able to identify the bottle as having been crafted between 1790 and 1840 – with her research showing this particular bottle shape was introduced in 1790 and its uneven shape indicating it was hand-blown, which would have not been the case after 1840 when bottle molds were introduced.

Zara then conducted a range of tests on the bottle, including X-ray of the bottle to determine if it contained any materials other than liquid. However, the scans revealed that the bottle contained only liquid.

Zara also carried out X-ray fluorescence analysis – to determine the elemental composition of the bottle – and multispectral imaging, a technique that captures image data across a range of wavelengths, beyond what is visible to the human eye. This revealed that the liquid inside the bottle was likely to be urine.

As such the bottle is believed to be a ‘witch bottle’, a type of protective item historically used to ward off evil from the dwelling. These bottles typically contain urine and other material, such as small animal bones or iron nails.

However, there is sediment at the bottom of the bottle and further research suggests that witch bottles found in East Anglia sometimes contained a mixture of urine and botanical material – given Lincolnshire’s proximity to East Anglia, it is plausible that the sediment in this bottle could be the remains of such plant matter.

Speaking about her findings, Zara said: “The fact that the bottle still had so much liquid in is really unique and from what we heard the builders who found it on site would quite like to have taken a taste from the bottle. Thankfully the project manager stepped in and stopped them, and It’s a good thing they did given our findings!”

Josephine McKenzie added: “We often get a lot of ceramics, a lot of textiles, but we very rarely get glass especially something like this. Zara’s done amazingly well with figuring out the contents of it and has really exceeded our expectations.”

The bottle will be on display at the University of Lincoln’s Conservation of Cultural Heritage final-year degree show in June 2025, before being returned to its owner.