Mummified cat was found in walls of 200-year-old barn in Derbyshire

Studio 1825, in Spanker Lane, Nether Heage, has spent 15 months renovating the old barn so that husband and wife team, James and Kirsty Corbett, could relocate their businesses to be closer to their young family and their needs.

During the renovation, an unsuspecting workman on the site was removing old stone from a wall of the building, which is believed to date back to 1825, when he suddenly found that he’d thrown the mummified creature into the rubble heap meant for the stone.

The cat, which was recognisable in shape and still has its teeth and claws, also had glass and stone bottles buried beneath it.

Following a conversation with Derby Museums, James and Kirsty discovered it was customary to place the dried body of a cat inside the walls of a new building to ward off evil spirits or as a good luck charm.

James said: “Some friends and family suggested that the cat could’ve fallen and got stuck there.

“However, due to the location between the brick cavities and the bottles cemented in directly beneath we believe it was placed there deliberately.”

The bottles found with the cat would have been offerings of alcohol or even urine just to add extra help in telling spirits to go "elsewhere".

Kirsty said: “We were fortunate that my sister, who has a degree in Heritage Management, was able to have a look at the cat.

“She suggested that we donated it to a local museum and so we contacted Derby Museums who came out and collected the mummified creature and all of the bottles found beneath it.”

Due to Covid-19 the exhibition at Derby Museums is yet to be updated but it is hoped it will be on show for all to see and learn about soon.

The renovation of Studio 1825 was completed in July.

James said: “It’s fantastic to be back at work, doing what we love, and catching up with clients both old and new.

“We feel very lucky, whether that’s thanks to the mummified cat or not, to have such a fabulous building to do what we do.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Nancy Fielder, editor