Emotions, Identity and the Supernatural: Concealed Revealed

Over the years, post-medieval houses have yielded some intriguing and mysterious finds. Old shoes up chimneybreasts; garments secreted away in roofs; mummified cats bricked up in walls; horse skulls buried under hearthstones. The nature of the locations confounds the theory that these were accidental deposits; it is much more likely that these objects were deliberately concealed. But why? And what were the concealers hoping to achieve?

Owen Davies and Ceri Houlbrook have been considering these questions in their project the Concealed Revealed. By mapping the finds, critiquing the literature, and interviewing modern-day finders, they hope to shed more light on this enigmatic custom.

This event is part of a series on mood, science fiction and the supernatural organised by Queen Mary Centre for the History of the Emotions.