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'There's history under your feet wherever you go'

Richard BakerNorth West
News imageAlex Farrow A picture of part of what Alex discovered. A round object is on the left of the picture whilst a note, hand-drawn with a skull, teeth and dagger in his head can be seen on the right. Alex Farrow
Metal detectorist Alex Farrow dug up a sinister note near a graveyard

A metal detectorist, who uncovered a hoard of sunken relics, one of which was a rare sinister note found at the boundary of a graveyard, has said "there is history under your feet".

Alex Farrow from Lancashire was doing some decorating work at a rectory in Ramsbottom, Bury, when he decided to search around the grounds.

"I got quite a good signal on a path up to the graveyard," Farrow said, before he stumbled on a small circular tin - thought to date from the late Georgian or early Victorian period.

Inside laid a folded note with a hand-drawn picture of a skull, and a dagger through its head - thought to be related to witchcraft as a form of "container spell" to wish bad spirits to the deceased.

The back of the note read: "THOU ART A MISDOER", believed to translate to "you are a sinner" in modern English.

Farrow admitted he did not think much of it before he got home and opened the tin up.

"I almost put it in the bin - thinking it was scrap," he said.

"It could be related to witchcraft as a container curse, or container spell, which is meant to do harm to whoever it was intended for.

"My wife wasn't too happy with it being in the house."

News imageAlex Farrow Back of the note which reads THOU ART A MISDOER - written in faint black ink on, what is now, a discoloured note. Alex Farrow
The back of the note which was found by Farrow

Farrow said the location of where he found it, just overlooking the rectory house itself, made the find even "more eerie".

Since the discovery earlier this year, his findings have been recorded by a Find Liason Officer, who deals with uncovered artefacts - with a view to hopefully being unveiled in a museum either in Bolton, Manchester or Bury.

News imageAlex Farrow Picture of a silver necklace brooch which Farrow found in Ramsbottom. The initials MW is engraved on the front.Alex Farrow
Farrow also found an antique necklace at the site

Farrow, who has been detecting for the last five years, enjoys the hunt for finds.

"It's slow excitement, you get a lot of rubbish but it's nice to get home and research the history of something you do find that's a bit special," he said.

"There's history under your feet wherever you go.

"You just don't know what you're walking over."

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