A BOTTLE containing a potion designed to ward off cattle disease in the 18th century is going on show after it was unearthed in Purbeck.

Experts believe the rare find is a 'witch bottle' used to fend off evil spirits which were thought to cause horned cattle distemper - the foot and mouth of the period.

It contains a dark brown syrup and is one of only four bottles discovered in the UK with the liquid still inside.

The bottle was found two years ago buried upside down on National Trust land under a wall near Langton Matravers, Purbeck.

Since then, a series of tests has revealed the liquid contained 30 different components including a salt solution - known as holy water at the time - covered with a layer of decayed animal fat.

Now the bottle is being displayed at Castle View Visitor Centre at Corfe Castle for the next two weeks.

National Trust archaeologist Nancy Grace, who is based at Corfe Castle, said: "It is possible in this period that when livestock suffered ill health which was inexplicable to its owner, witchcraft was identified as the cause.

"It may be that this fear led someone to fill this bottle with a mixture of animal fat and holy water to kill the evil spirit."

Parish reports of the mid-1700s show horned cattle distemper existed for 12 years in the counties around Dorset.

She added: "What is fascinating about a find like this is that it offers us pointers to the way people felt about their lives. Purbeck is very rich in archaeology from a wide range of periods in history and each find adds a little more information and helps us build up a picture of what affected people living there.

"Locally we have also found mummified cats, buried shoes and worked flints - all commonly put into buildings."