The tooth is out there for experts at Blickling Hall in Norfolk
A human tooth has sparked frenzied speculation after being spotted in a cabinet at Blickling Hall, the National Trust’s magnificent Jacobean house in Norfolk.
Staff were carrying out routine winter cleaning of furniture in the attic when the tooth was found. Assistant House Steward Louise Green had organised the attic-cleaning day to give the volunteers an opportunity to get hands-on experience of caring for the collection.
The tooth was found inside a leather top which unfolded from a guestbook writing table.
“As you can probably imagine, we were somewhat surprised,“ explained Green.
“You find a lot of interesting things working in a house with centuries of history, but we’ve never found a tooth before, so we’re just really interested to know where it came from and why it’s ended up in our attic.”
In true National Trust style, the tooth was catalogued before being sent to Angus Wainwright, the National Trust’s Regional Archaeologist for Inspection.
“We’ve found a lot of interesting things in the Blickling attics before, but this has got to be the weirdest,” he reflected.
“It’s a tooth in very bad condition indeed, so its owner must have been in a huge amount of pain. Blickling was occupied as an RAF base during the Second World War, so there’s a chance it could be a tooth from that time.
“It really is a bit of a mystery, but that’s what I love about houses like this – you just never know what you’re going to find.”
The tooth will now be added to the Blickling collections - until the owner is found.
