The Infamous ‘Witch of Yorkshire’ That Spooked A Community For 20 Years
Amid the industrial grime of late-18th century England, a woman named Mary Bateman developed a strange reputation. Seemingly able to cure the sick and manifest good fortune, she became known as the Yorkshire Witch. But while she probably didn’t have any supernatural powers, she certainly deserved her formidable reputation.
Mary Bateman
Starting out as a fortune teller, Bateman continued to build her mystical reputation until she became a sought-after member of the community. But in reality, she was a charlatan and a fraud, hoodwinking her neighbors out of their hard-earned cash. In the end, though, her ruthlessness would prove her undoing.
The witches of Yorkshire
Amazingly, Bateman wasn’t the first witch to terrorize the people of Yorkshire in north-east England. In fact, back in the 16th century, the region was home to perhaps the most famous of them all. Born some 18 miles north of the city of Leeds near the market town of Knaresborough, Ursula Southeil would go on to become a renowned fortune teller and seer.
Ursula Southeil
From a young age, it was clear that Southeil was different. According to reports, she suffered from physical deformities, spending her early childhood hiding away in a cave outside the town with her unwed mother. And while she was eventually taken in by a foster family, they soon noticed that strange and inexplicable things occurred in her presence.
Living in exile
As she grew older, Southeil’s skill as a herbalist allowed her to become at least partially accepted by her community. But when her husband Toby Shipton died, her neighbors turned against her, causing her to retreat to the cave where she had been born. From there, she slowly built a reputation as a healer, brewing potions and casting spells for those who came to see her.
