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Building Sacrifices (Mummified Cats, Immurement & So On)

Frideswide said:
talk to the owner of Morbitorium

https://www.morbitorium.co.uk/
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I've just contacted Mr P.M. Mills Antiques and Curios in Norwich. His shop is amazing, he's a taxidermist, a good laugh and a seller of weird shit so he should be able to help somehow. His hidden shop is well worth visiting btw ..

https://www.instagram.com/thecuriou...xhuikAZqHI3838do02y3Gqt2zrctaz18CptKPa8qX1290

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057107694881

aspinelamp.jpg


I've had a reply from him ..

"
Hello, cheers for the message. That's quite a good one that.
I've seen a fair few of these come out of old walls over the years.
A varnish or a good smothering with PVA glue will harden it if it seems fragile. I've had similarly decayed things covered in gold leaf before and they look quite excellent. Not yet experimented with spray paint but it could be worth a try.
❤️"
 
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Swifty said:
A varnish or a good smothering with PVA glue will harden it if it seems fragile. I've had similarly decayed things covered in gold leaf before and they look quite excellent. Not yet experimented with spray paint but it could be worth a try.
❤️"
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No!

It’s lasted centuries without being ruined as above; l’d keep it in the cool, dry & dark until l spoke to someone who specialised in the preservation of such items.

Your antique dealer is well-intentioned, but he’s in the line of dolling things up in order to sell them for a profit, not preserving an irreplaceable item of British folk history.

Get thee hence unto an archaeologist/ conservation specialist, young man!

maximus otter
 
maximus otter said:
No!

It’s lasted centuries without being ruined as above; l’d keep it in the cool, dry & dark until l spoke to someone who specialised in the preservation of such items.

Your antique dealer is well-intentioned, but he’s in the line of dolling things up in order to sell them for a profit, not preserving an irreplaceable item of British folk history.

Get thee hence unto an archaeologist/ conservation specialist, young man!

maximus otter
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I won't be gold leafing it or painting it in any way, don't worry, but I am spray varnishing it, lightly and in layers. I don't want to be breathing in air bourne fungus, we're ordering an air tight case for it. It's about 100 years old so not from the witch hunting centuries, the building isn't old enough for that.
 
Very dilute PVA can be brushed lightly onto surfaces. If there's no surface to brush on to then it isn't a suitable treatment. Vanishingly thin layers with minimum 10 hours drying between each one.

But now you've used the varnish @Swifty , I'm sad to say that's its evidentary value is greatly diminished. The local museum/archaeology Dept could well still be interested in examining it and your documentation on how it was found though.

Freeze drying was my first thought to neutralise any nasties, again, the varnish rather stimies that idea. But it could still be doable depending on how heavy the layers are.
 
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Frideswide said:
Very dilute PVA can be brushed lightly onto surfaces. If there's no surface to brush on to then it isn't a suitable treatment. Vanishingly thin layers with minimum 10 hours drying between each one.

But now you've used the varnish @Swifty , I'm sad to say that's its evidentary value is greatly diminished. The local museum/archaeology Dept could well still be interested in examining it and your documentation on how it was found though.

Freeze drying was my first thought to neutralise any nasties, again, the varnish rather stimies that idea. But it could still be doable depending on how heavy the layers are.
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Thanks but to be honest, there isn't much evidentary value to it. The main building's only about 100 years old. The cat was found in what I think is the extension, the white ice cream far left in this image part of the building .. not behind the blue door but behind a door inside that room that had been blocked off. I'm guessing that internal door used to be the building's external door but Cromer museum haven't got any records of when the building was built. I'll keep researching though.

alifeboatcafe001.jpg
 
Some info on mummified cats and paranormal activity.

https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/2142506...never-take-mummified-cat-find-work-back-home/

One of the admin has just shared this link below with me so I can share pics and info on my mummified cat on her Norfolk Folklore Society facebook page (thanks Siofra Connor). According to this link, there's been well over 100 of these verified in the whole of East Anglia although there's been anecdotal evidence of more ..

https://www.apotropaios.co.uk/dried-cats.html
 
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I've sold the cat today. I recognised the owner of a local emporium and he asked me to bring it in. I explained that I'm passionate about local history and folklore in general and that I want it to remain in my home town. The gentleman and his wife bought it for the bargain price of £30, she's into taxidermy anyway but the main point is that it's going to stay in our home town so I'm very happy about that. I included provenance paper work (schematics of the building, the name of the man who found it and the date of when it was found and a museum provided slip to someone who might know more about the history of the building.)

Either way, this cat now has a new local home. :cool: .. they're looking forward to getting a glass case they've told me to display it.
 
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Update:
The business has been plagued with bad luck since it's opened after I was gifted the cat by the builder I've been told. More likely, everyone's skint until the tourist season starts plus some teething problems but it's fun to pretend. The staff have even half joked that I bring it back because of this but it's sold now. The builder who I know has had even worse luck.

The new owner of the building was disinterested at the time in me being given it but he's since learned about its folklore value so he's a bit gutted he let it go and now he wants it back. I've also been shown old photos of the building which have backed up my theory that the location it was uncovered in was once the back door to the place but a further renovation took place.

I've asked the woman I sold it to if she'd be willing to sell it back to me but she said "No!. I love her!" ... then she went on to explain that the cat's now in a box at the top of her wardrobe and " .. my cats sleep on top of her"


:oops:

... anyway, she's been struggling to find an affordable display case to put 'Kissee' the mummified cat in.

When I went to see Dr Paul Lee's excellent talk on the ghosts of West Norfolk and King's Lynn in Norwich a couple of weeks ago, that gave me the opportunity afterwards to wander down to the windy cobbled road that looks like something out of Harry Potter called Elm Street. I hung out with the owner of Mr. P.M. Milne's emporium (James) for a bit, bought a taxidermy mouse of his own creation from him them took his details to share with Kissee the mummified cat's new owner so that she may buy a good display case from him. I'd love to buy the cat back but that's not going to happen so the next best thing was buy one of his polyfoam and wire armature mice. It's a game of cat and mouse.

amousemummie001.jpg
 
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