Occult / Witch Interest - a 17th century ''Witch Post'' with...

Hammer

£750

Occult / Witch Interest - a 17th century ''Witch Post'' with incised St Andrews cross above two lines, of dark oak construction. Witch posts were placed around entrances in particular chimneys and doors as protective Christian talismans as it was believed that witches and malevolent spirits would be unable to pass beyond the threshold of the St Andrew's cross protecting the dwelling's inhabitants. This example was discovered upon renovations to a Yorkshire property. It is believed that fewer than twenty documented witch posts exist worldwide, and these tend to be a predominantly Yorkshire and Lancashire phenomenon. They stand as an important historical record of the hysteria and fears surrounding witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries within superstitious rural communities. Height 58cm.