Malkin Tower?
Engineers have said they were "stunned" to unearth a 17th Century cottage, complete with a cat skeleton, during a construction project in Lancashire.
The cottage was discovered near Lower Black Moss reservoir in the village of Barley, in the shadow of Pendle Hill. Archaeologists brought in by United Utilities to survey the area found the building under a grass mound.
Historians are now speculating that the well-preserved cottage could have belonged to one of the Pendle witches. The building contained a sealed room, with the bones of a cat bricked into the wall. It is believed the cat was buried alive to protect the cottage's inhabitants from evil spirits.
Simon Entwistle, an expert on the Pendle witches, said: "We are just a
few months away from the 400th anniversary of the Pendle witch trials, and here
we have an incredibly rare find, right in the heart of witching country. This
could well be the famous Malkin Tower - which has been a source of speculation
and rumour for centuries. Cats feature prominently in folklore about witches.
Whoever consigned this cat to such a horrible fate was clearly seeking
protection from evil spirits."
The engineering project has been put on hold while the archaeologists
complete their investigation of the site. The building also contains a 19th
Century kitchen range, still in its original position. Many artefacts from the
building's latter years, such as Victorian crockery, a tin bath and a bedstead,
were discovered around the site.
Taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-16066680
The cottage was discovered near Lower Black Moss reservoir in the village of Barley, in the shadow of Pendle Hill. Archaeologists brought in by United Utilities to survey the area found the building under a grass mound.
Historians are now speculating that the well-preserved cottage could have belonged to one of the Pendle witches. The building contained a sealed room, with the bones of a cat bricked into the wall. It is believed the cat was buried alive to protect the cottage's inhabitants from evil spirits.
Simon Entwistle, an expert on the Pendle witches, said: "We are just a
few months away from the 400th anniversary of the Pendle witch trials, and here
we have an incredibly rare find, right in the heart of witching country. This
could well be the famous Malkin Tower - which has been a source of speculation
and rumour for centuries. Cats feature prominently in folklore about witches.
Whoever consigned this cat to such a horrible fate was clearly seeking
protection from evil spirits."
The engineering project has been put on hold while the archaeologists
complete their investigation of the site. The building also contains a 19th
Century kitchen range, still in its original position. Many artefacts from the
building's latter years, such as Victorian crockery, a tin bath and a bedstead,
were discovered around the site.
Taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-16066680