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Good luck rituals

The luck of the house

Locally, the rebuilding of houses in stone took place early enough in the 17th century for local traditions to survive the intense cultural turmoil of that century. As a result, many of the old stone houses of the borough retain features of folk beliefs relating to the protection of enclosed spaces and their tenants.

In some cases, these are largely invisible until major renovation takes place; for example, tucked up into the chimney underdrawing people have found used clothing, such as petticoats or shoes. It seems to have been necessary that they were used garments, possessing an association with the wearer; they were not intended in any maleficent way.

Shoes were also placed in other locations at the thresholds of houses – one pair was found in the chimney of the caretaker’s house at Shade School, Todmorden, and a single shoe in the chimney of the ancient section of Broadbottom, Mytholmroyd, while a pair of child’s clogs were placed in an alcove behind paneling by the front door of a cottage in Hebden Bridge.

Symbols may also be found inscribed on to plaster, perhaps by the builders when they finished their work. Three five-pointed stars, or pentacles, were found scrawled above the main fireplace of an Old Town cottage built around 1910.

Customs such as these are usually thought of as luck rituals, but their precise intention or interpretation is no longer known, nor their period of use. The social milieu in which such customs thrived rarely left documentary evidence explaining them.

A ‘witch peg’ – a piece of notched wood – dating back over 150 years was found fixed into the corner of a post and beam in a farmhouse in Heptonstall, and rowan branches have been recovered from the attics of houses in Midgley.

So when you are renovating, keep an eye out for the unusual! Halifax Central Reference Library would be happy to hear of any examples of these house talismans.

Recommended reading: Peter Brears, North Country Folk Art

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