Hand of Glory

The mummified severed human hand in Whitby Museum was discovered in the early twentieth century hidden on the wall of a thatched cottage in Castleton by a stonemason and local historian, Joseph Ford. A 'Hand of Glory' is the dried and pickled hand of a hanged man which when presented with a candle made from the deadman's fat can render motionless anyone it is presented to. It is the only 'Hand of Glory' known to survive.