A Staffordshire Witch

Molly Lees grave site at St John’s church. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

Although Molly died in 1746 the story does’nt end there, she was buried in the graveyard of St John’s church, why she would be buried there as the Parson claimed she was a witch and obviously hated her is not known, however her spirit refused to rest and was causing a disturbance in the town. The Parson along with some townsfolk went to her cottage where they found her sitting in her chair knitting, in consequence her blackbird which was still at the cottage was captured and Parson Spencer along with other Clerics from Stoke, Wolstanton and Newcastle exhumed her body from the graveyard, they then drove a stake through her heart and then placed the live blackbird into the tomb with her. They then set about re-aligning the tomb in a North South direction unlike the other graves which are aligned in an East West direction. The reason for this I believe is to stop the spirit wandering as I have come across a similar grave alignment at Rushton church in Staffordshire.

Another variation of the story is told by Charlotte Burn and Georgina Jackson’s in their 1883 book “Shropshire folklore” and is as follows: At other times she would get in their cottages, and sit knitting in the corner. She came both day and night and annoyed the people so much that they got the neighbouring clergy to meet together in Burslem church to lay her. So six parsons came, and brought a stone pig trough into the middle of the church, and then prayed and prayed that her spirit might rest. At last they saw her hovering in the air up in the roof of the church, they carried on praying, and they saw the form of her come face downwards, gradually drawing down to the trough. And so they got her into it at last, they then took the pig trough and put it on her grave in the churchyard, and so she was laid. But three of the parsons died from it, and the other three had a job to get over it.

Molly Lees grave and also the pig trough that was used to lay her ghost. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

It is said that the day after Molly Lee was laid to rest some parishioners saw her sitting on the side of her grave weeping saying that she could not rest until she was laid to rest “side erts on”. Her grave was opened and on examination all seemed correct. The same thing happened another two times before her gave was widened and her body was placed sideways on as she had requested and her grave was realigned to the position it now faces. An interesting fact is that the top of her tomb does resemble a pig trough so perhaps there is some truth to the story after all!

Another legend attached to Molly’s grave is that if children were to run around her grave three times calling out

Molly Leigh, Molly Leigh,

follow me into all the holes that I see.

She is then said to appear and chase them. This seems to be quite a common story as I have found a similar one connected with the grave site of Samuel Johnson in a wood by Gawsworth hall, here it is said that if you walk around his grave three times in an anti-clockwise direction he is said to appear.

Samuel (maggotty) Johnsons grave by Gawsworth Hall. Photo by Gary Tacagni.