Molly Leigh
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Molly Leigh (born 1685) was a woman who was accused of witchcraft, died before being tried, and had her grave altered following claims she still haunted the town.
Molly was born in 1685 in a cottage on the edge of the moors at Burslem. She was a solitary character who made a living selling milk from her herd of cows to travelers and passers-by. She was an eccentric person who kept a pet blackbird. The bird often sat on her shoulder when she brought milk into Burslem to sell to the dairy. She was known for her quick temper, and the people of Burslem were suspicious of her. This was not uncommon, throughout the country women, particularly elderly women, who lived on their own in remote places, were labeled as witches.
In Molly’s case it was the local parson, Rev. Spencer, who made the accusation. It was claimed that Molly sent her blackbird to sit on the sign of the Turk’s Head pub that the parson frequently visited, turning the beer sour. She was also blamed for other ailments suffered by the townsfolk. Leigh died in 1746 and was buried in Burslem churchyard but there were claims her ghost haunted the town. Spencer, along with clerics from Stoke, Wolstanton and Newcastle had her body exhumed, opened the coffin and threw in the still live blackbird that had been her companion. They then re-buried Molly in a north to south direction, at a right angle to all the other graves in the churchyard.
