Salt-glazed stoneware jugs like this were common in the 1600s for carrying beer and wine. But they also had another use – as ‘witch bottles’ to ward off evil curses.
People would fill a jug with human hair, fingernails and sometimes blood or urine! Then it was sealed and hidden, usually upside-down, in the home. They were often put above fireplaces or doorways.
This jug was made in the Netherlands or Germany. It is one of a pair, thought to have been discovered by a labourer digging a road near Bath.