SEVERAL readers guessed that last week's mystery object was a rattle - but only one identified its true purpose.

Most readers thought it was a football rattle used to scare birds away from valuable crops.

But this particular rattle was used by the police and fire services as an alarm, with the correct guess coming from David Henderson, of Settle.

Experts at Craven Museum and Gallery tell us: "The rattle dates from 1906 to 1909 and was collected and excavated at Burton and Lonsdale Castle by the Yorkshire Archaeological Society.

"The rattle consists of a wooden handle with a ratchet and a single clapper. The clapper makes a noise, which alerted other police officers when assistance was needed. The material is dark mahogany wood and measures 106mm in length.

"The rattle or ratchet is a Jewish instrument from the percussionist family. Rattles are consisted of a wooden cogwheel, which is attached to a handle, and two wooden projections that hit the teeth of the cog when the wheel turns."

All items featured in this column can be viewed at the museum, which is run by Craven District Council and is in Skipton Town Hall.

Meanwhile, we are inviting guesses about this week’s mystery object. Suggestions can be emailed to news@cravenherald.co.uk, to arrive no later than noon on Monday.