Accession No
6881
Brief Description
"The Revealer" dowsing rods, by J.C. Oliver (Leeds) Limited, English, 1910 (c)
Origin
England
Maker
J.C. Oliver (Leeds) Limited
Class
Earliest Date
1910
Latest Date
1910
Inscription Date
Material
wood; metal (tin, zinc, copper, lead, iron, aluminium); carbon; clay; asbestos; fabric (velvet); string; paper
Dimensions
310mm (width), 160mm (depth), 120mm (height)
Special Collection
Provenance
Donated by an individual in April 2025.
Inscription
SUPPLIED BY
J.C. OLIVER (LEEDS) LIMITED
7 EAST PARADE
LEEDS ENGLAND [plaque on inside of lid]
Description Notes
"The Revealer" dowsing rods, by J.C. Oliver (Leeds) Limited, English, 20th Century.
A pair of metal dowsing rods, each made up of one larger cylindrical handle, and two thin indicator rods. These come with a mineral bracket, comprising ten strings with nine different materials, and one without a material. The 'minerals' on the bracket are tin, zinc, carbon, copper, salt glaze pipe, iron, asbestos, lead and aluminium. All parts of the instrument fit into a velvet-lined wooden box with a metal clasp and handle. The instrument also comes with its original instruction manual, with the original paper envelope for this manual.
References
Events
Description
24/06/2026
Created by: Hannah Price on 24/06/2026
Description
Since the 15th century, people have searched for minerals, water and other matter with various ‘dowsing’ instruments that channel their subconscious knowledge, often a simple pair of twigs. The practice has always been critiqued and has never been scientifically verified.
These dowsing rods were developed by the building contractor L.J. Veale. The dowser would hold one metal rod in each hand with the bracket placed on the rod in the dominant hand. The mineral they touched would lead them to that very source (for example, tin, zinc, void, iron, asbestos, copper). The bracket turns the rods into a sophisticated “scientific” instrument.
Label by Emmy Östberg
24/06/2026
Created by: Hannah Price on 24/06/2026
FM:47768
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