Animal Hauntings Case 2 Annotations

Case 2 A series of objects made from animal bodies from the Clarke Charms collection, a collection of over 500 items gathered between 1890 and 1945 by local naturalist and folklorist William James Clarke, a founder member of the Scarborough Field Naturalists Society.

For those who followed particular belief systems, certain animals or animal parts were thought to bring good luck or had healing properties. They would be carried, worn or eaten. Certain animals still hold powerful associations today, such as the Pangolin, whose scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine and are one of the most trafficked animals in the world.

Seagull Heart 1910

Seagull’s heart with pins to break a spell of witchcraft.

A Male Frog 1910

A frog hung up inside a cottage door to keep away witches.

Goose Thrapple Date unknown

A Goose’s thrapple (windpipe) was hung around the neck of a child to prevent whooping cough. The pipe contains a number of leaden shot, which makes a rattling sound.

Foot of a Snowshoe Rabbit 1922

This Canadian charm was believed to bring good luck. The Snowshoe rabbit is so called due to its large hind feet, which prevent it from sinking in the snow. It also turns white in the winter and brown during the summer to allow for more effective camouflage.

Eel Skin 1911

Although european eels are now critically endangered, from the 18th century, there was a tradition of drying eel skins and wrapping them around parts of the body to prevent rheumatism and cramp.

Sheep Heart 1910

This sheep’s heart is punctured with nails and pins. It was used as a charm to break a spell of witchcraft, specifically to break a spell cast over a farmer’s cattle herd.

Seahorse 1911

Two seahorse charms. The first, from Italy, features a single seahorse that would have been bound to the breast of nursing mothers to help the flow of milk. The second shows four seahorses mounted together and was brought back by a sailor from the Adriatic Sea as a lucky charm.

Kingfisher on a Mast 1913

This charm, from Guernsey, is a portion of a ship’s mast with a kingfisher nailed to it. It was thought to help fishermen bring in a good catch.

Vocal Organ of a Wild Duck 20th century

Carried by a private of the royal field artillery during the First World War, this animal organ was thought to protect against deafness, arising from the deafening sounds of the battlefield.

Flea Circus, Scarborough Aquarium Photographs and various ephemera, 1890s

One of the exhibits in Scarborough’s Aquarium was a flea circus. These were displays of real or mechanical fleas which were glued to exhibits and performed various tricks. Using such tiny animals demonstrated the human skill required to control all the non-humans in the Aquarium, from the largest (live elephants were also kept in this underground zoo), to the smallest.

There has also been a long fascination with giving animals human characteristics or emotions (anthropomorphism). A flea ‘circus’ was an entertaining way of taming these unruly acrobatic insects.

Fan Ivory, metal and feathers, date unknown

The fan features two different animal ‘products’ - ivory and feathers.

During the 19th century, a growing concern about the use of animal material in clothing and for decorative purposes was beginning to emerge. The Croydon-based Fur, Fin and Feather Folk took a pledge ‘to refrain from wearing the feathers of any birds killed for the purpose of food.’ It was one of the forerunners of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Hat Feathers and felt, date unknown

The hat is similar to that which is worn in Nevinson’s portrait of Elizabeth Darley. As well as the feathers, it is also made of felt, produced from wool or sometimes fur.

Glasses Tortoiseshell and Gold, 19th century

Although these glasses are described as tortoiseshell, they would have been made from the shells of turtles. (Tortoises are land-dwellers, whereas turtles live mainly in the sea.) The most popular species killed for its shell was the Hawksbill sea turtle. These turtles remain key to marine ecosystems, but due to various factors including habitat loss, egg collecting, pollution and the illegal wildlife trade, they are in danger of extinction.

Postcard Reproduced image, 20th century

At 102-103 Westborough there was a clothing and fur warehouse that sold outfits made from various kinds of animal fur. Fur farming has been illegal in Britain since 2002, but the sale of fur goods is still allowed.

Five pound Note 21st Century The new £5 notes that were released in the UK in 2016, include tallow, a substance made of animal fat, used in candles and soap. Vegans and vegetarians voiced concern over this and certain shops have even boycotted them as a result. The notes highlight how animal material is often concealed within everyday objects, creating what Carol Adams calls in her book The Sexual Politics of Meat (1990) ‘the absent referent.’