Period property - any interesting finds?

[Maria D]

Hi All,
I found this chap in a hedge of garden of my new (old) house and it got me wondering what interesting finds others here may have found while doing up their period properties. Part of owning an old house, for me, is the history of the home and people who once lived there, so I love finding these little pieces of past lives, however small and seemingly inconsequential. Would love to know what others have discovered.

 

[Gothichome]

Looks like a bit of Staffordshire. There is a Facebook page for Staffordshire figures. I bet some one there can identify. As far as treasures in Gothichome, only thing I found was a pair of shoes guarding the front door. The money board was empty

 

[Maria D]

He’s missing a hand unfortunately. Maybe if I check the hedge again, Ill
find it!

 

[Kearn]

Thread 'Georgian Hot Tub Time Machine??! what is this...'

Aug 17, 2017

right, I am at this stage resigned for this to remain a mystery, but thought it would be an interesting one to throw out there for thoughts now that I've finally dug out my laptop and can upload photos...

Context:
- house is late 1500s/early 1600s - timber framed, built with some wealth originally plus the early 1700s early Georgian wing addition also showing money
- 2 bay, passage etc where we believe the door to have been originally plus main room, with the same above on the second storey - roof vaulted
- never a hall house, and the chimney appears to have been built with the house...

• Kearn
• Replies: 43
• Forum: Period Property Discussion Forum

This stumped me in our last place.
There were many of the standard things in that one - pottery sherds, oyster shells, various bones, some of witch bottle in a fireplace and broken glass, tons of early 17c pipes…

In our current project, it’s mostly the building that’s throwing mysteries at us - originally a 16/17c timber wool barn so full of curiosities and scars about past uses and features.

We’ve a smattering of early pottery sherds from the ground, and various other bits, reused masonry, carved bone fancy whistle, but nothing too much of note… yet.

 

[Maria D]

The buildings themselves are the artefact! I’m fascinated even to see the crushed shell in the original lime plaster. And overall, the workmanship that went into to designing and building these homes without modern machinery.

 

[Michael55]

Has anyone found any witches' marks carved in to woodwork or stone? People would pay witches to draw symbols around their house to ward off evil spirits - https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/discovering-witches-marks/what-are-witches-marks/

 

[Kearn]

Has anyone found any witches' marks carved in to woodwork or stone? People would pay witches to draw symbols around their house to ward off evil spirits - https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/discovering-witches-marks/what-are-witches-marks/

We have tons, but only from a certain period of habitation and as standard, around certain openings and spaces depending on their use at that time.

Never heard of them being scribed by witches, often indeed the carpenters themselves were responsible and did it while the frame was being cut on the ground pre-raising.

We have many that were done in situ, as the top half of the burn is on the daub above the rail.

 

[Itchinfilth]

I love this kind of thing! Scorch protection marks on timbers in the roof space, joiners marks, early hook & band pins. Under floorboards: Pipes, 17th c coin, George 1 coin, About 20 early unused nails (assume dropped them while fitting floor), oh yeah and a bullet in a door frame

 

[claraclattermole]

I found a tunnel buried in the garden. It's not big enough for an adult so I have covered it back over so I don't lose a child in it. It is about 1m high and 40cm wide with an arched brick roof and runs in a straight line from a bit of concrete with a suspicious circular damp patch towards the bottom corner of the garden.

My best guess is that it is some way to move water from the possible well (damp concrete circle) to a spout which comes out of the wall in the cellar but I haven't managed to investigate this further yet

 

[Zebra]

I found some potentially apotropaic objects - a single shoe, and a cloth bag containing some hair. The former was under the floor and the latter beneath the rafters.