The Yorkshire witch: A story of murder and witchcraft

The Yorkshire witch: A story of murder and witchcraft.

In 1809 Mary Bateman, aged 40 years, was hanged in front of thousands of people. Her body was put on public display with over 2500 people going to see it. Strips of her skin were made into leather and sold as magic charms to ward off evil spirits.

Some people believe that the spirit of Mary Bateman still haunts the halls of Thackray Medical Museum, where her skeleton was on display for many years.

But why was her skeleton on display there?

What did she do to gain the name ‘the Yorkshire witch’?

And why was she executed?

Mary Bateman started her criminal life early. She was born in 1768 on a farm in North Yorkshire and became a servant girl but was sacked because she was caught stealing. In the 1780s she became a minor thief and con artist.

She convinced lots of people that she had supernatural powers. She became a fortune teller in Leeds and sold potions that she said would ward off evil spirits.

In the late 1700s Mary was responsible for many frauds, petty thefts, poisonings and deaths but she managed to avoid being caught.

In 1806 William and Rebecca Perigo came to see Mary because they thought that Rebecca had been cursed.

She had been having chest pains and asked Mary to help lift the curse. Over several months Mary tricked the couple into giving her more and more money.

She prescribed a pudding secretly laced with poison. But it was only Rebecca that ate the pudding. Her condition got worse as the poison took effect and she died in May 1806.

William Perigo continued to pay Mary for more than 2 years until he discovered that one of the “charms” he had bought from her was worthless. He went to the police who arrested Bateman the next day.

Mary claimed that she was innocent but during a search of her home poison was found along with many of her victim’s personal items. In March 1809 she was tried and found guilty of fraud and murder.

She was sentenced to death and tried to avoid execution by falsely claiming she was pregnant. She was hanged at York Castle.

After she was hanged her body was put on display and then given to Leeds Infirmary for dissection.

Her skeleton was loaned to Thackray Medical Museum to be part of an exhibition there. Her skeleton is now at Leeds University.

Comments

A MAN THAT FAILED TO CONTROL HIS SEXUAL URGE

A MAN THAT FAILED TO CONTROL HIS SEXUAL URGE A man who can control his sexual urge is a man who can live many years on earth. Men don't know that some of their failures are caused by multiple girlfriends Not all girls have good spirit. Some are demons, others have venom between their legs. Some women are destiny destroyers, beware. Pay close attention: 1. A real man only has one woman in his life. 2. Don't obey your Erection at all times. Most erections mislead you Control your erection if you don't want to have few days on earth with much poverty in you. 3. Don't date a lady because she has curves, boobs and a sexy shape. These things are simply misleading avoid such, don't fall for what is called social media irony. 4. Not everything you see under skirt you must work to eat, some skirts contain snakes that bite you and make you uncomfortable. control your sexual urge Self control and abstinence pays a lot in most cases. 5. Marrying a woman doesn't mean she own...

moments before her execution.

Amanda, moments before her execution, whispers words that stun witnesses and unravel lies. Amanda, a loving mother, had been wrongly accused of kidnapping and murdering Judge Samuel Turner's daughter, Olivia. The trial had been swift and brutal, with public sentiment against her, and her protests of innocence had fallen on deaf ears. One rainy afternoon, Amanda is visited by Judge Turner himself, who delivers a bitter tirade. However, Amanda remains silent, and during his speech, a memory resurfaces, giving her a sudden clarity. She remembers a detail from the day of the crime that she had overlooked, a mention of Turner's grandparents' farm. This realization brings a spark of hope, and Amanda wonders if Emily, her own daughter, could still be alive, hidden away where no one had thought to look. Amanda, who is on death row for a crime she maintains she didn't commit, makes a surprising revelation during her execution. With a newfound deter...

Two boys in this photograph from the early 1900s, taken by Dr. Allan Warner of the Isolation Hospital in Leicester

Two boys in this photograph from the early 1900s, taken by Dr. Allan Warner of the Isolation Hospital in Leicester, UK, had been exposed to the same source of smallpox. One of them had received the smallpox vaccine, while the other had not. Dr. Warner captured these images as part of his study on the disease. The smallpox vaccine holds historical significance as the first vaccine developed to combat a contagious disease. In 1796, British doctor Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with the milder cowpox virus could provide immunity against the deadly smallpox virus. Cowpox acted as a natural vaccine until the modern smallpox vaccine became available in the 20th century. From 1958 to 1977, the World Health Organization led a global vaccination campaign that successfully eradicated smallpox, marking it as the only human disease to be completely eliminated. Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

WORLD OF ALL

Search This Blog