Olga Hunt's broomstick

Few charmed objects are more closely associated with the Western image of the witch than the broomstick. Although the tradition has ancient roots in pagan fertility rites, the connection between broomsticks and witchcraft developed significantly in the witch hysteria of 16th- and 17th-century Europe. This colourful broomstick was once owned by the 20th-century witch Olga Hunt of Manaton, Devon. She reputedly used it to leap around Dartmoor on a Full Moon, alarming everyone she met!