Cauldron hidden in Leeds house wall to deter evil goes on show

An iron cauldron which is believed to have been sealed inside the walls of a Victorian house more than a century ago to ward off evil spirits has gone on display in Leeds.

The cauldron was discovered in a cellar in Chapeltown in 2012 after workers investigated a dripping sound whose source could not be found by the resident.

It has gone on display at the Leeds Discovery Centre as part of an exhibition exploring fears and phobias.

Kitty Ross, curator of social history at the centre, said concealing objects in the fabric of buildings was a practice going back thousands of years: “It was believed to protect the house and its inhabitants from evil forces, curses and disease.”

“Rituals to ward off negative influences are among the oldest in human history,” she said.

“Even the tradition of carving scary faces into pumpkins or turnips at Halloween was originally carried out in a bid to keep supernatural forces at bay.”

Residents of the house where the cauldron was found reported hearing strange noises, with doors also being said to fly open and shut on their own, according to Leeds Museums.

When workers removed a wall in the cellar they discovered what appeared to be a petrified object, which was later identified as a metal cauldron.

It had been sealed behind the wall in what is believed to have been part of an ancient practice designed to protect the house from malign or supernatural forces.

Objects such as the cauldron had been discovered in foundations, roof spaces and walls in buildings around the UK, but were especially prevalent in hearths and chimneys, experts at Leeds Museums said.

Cauldrons were seen as the heart of the household, providing nourishment and healing, but other objects commonly hidden also included shoes and even cats as well as “witch bottles”, which were filled with a mix of hair, nails and urine.

Other spooky objects on display as part of the exhibition include Victorian clown dolls, a dentist-themed board game and an ageing ventriloquist’s dummy.