Anne Blakemore & Tobias Gill (Black Toby)
On 24 June 1750, Anne Blakemore of Walberswick died. Her body was found on the Walks a mile west of Blythburgh and negro drummer named Tobias (Toby) Gill from the 4th Dragoons (Lieutenant General Sir Robert Rich’s Regiment of Dragoons) was accused of her murder. The Dragoons had been based in that area to combat smuggling and Toby had been drunk near where Anne’s body was discovered.
He was committed to Ipswich Gaol and according to the Ipswich Journal (30 June 1750) ‘the coroners enquiry….found him guilty of the murder of Ann Blakemore’. It is thought that verdict was prompted by local accusations made against Toby by the locals of Blythburgh.
On 25 August 1750 at Bury Assizes he was tried and received the death sentence. The date of his execution was set and on 14 September 1750 Tobias Gill was dragged to gallows raised at Four Crossways close to the location to where the body of Anne Blackmore was found. All the time he pleaded his innocence and begged for his life. In desperation he even begged to be tied by a halter to the London Mail coach so that he could run beside it in a hope of saving his life. His request was refused and Tobias Gill was hanged in chains and his body left for years swinging from the gallows. His body is said to have fallen apart and his bones buried where they fell.
It is said that there was no real evidence that Anne Blackmore was murdered and no marks were on her body. There was little evidence tying her with Tobias and the Blythburgh locals who had accused Tobias started to have second thoughts and regrets following his execution.
Whether Toby was wrongfully executed or not, a number of ghost stories have arisen around this case and it has been suggested that they may have been invented by local smugglers trying to scare people from venturing out at night.
One such story is that a headless Toby drivers a coach with four headless black horses in the area.
The ghost of Anne Blakemore is said ti have been seen running in front of cars around the anniversary of her death at Five Finger Post crossroads on the B1125.
The gallows remained standing until around 1800. Some of the nails from the gallows were made into a thatching comb and others collected as talismans. Shavings from the wood were used as a cure for toothache.
Re: Anne Blakemore & Tobias Gill (Black Toby)
"BLACK TOBY."
AN OLD SUFFOLK TALE
(in dialect).
Fine momin sah, wot’s thaat yaou ax
Wot plaace be thaat ahid ?
Woy thaat be Blybrer straate, tha’s ware
I live, an’ allers did;
An’ yon’s the chuch, but haps yaou know’t
For these hare larst few yares
A mort o’ fooks come round these paarts,
An’ at the chuches stares;
For sure ’tis mighty ‘musin’ tew,
Ter hare the waay they torks;
Yus, hinder be the Wukhus, an’
These hare be Toby’s Walks;
Hew’s Toby? did I hare yaou saay?
Woy then, ’tis plain ter see
Yaou doan’t belong ter these hare paarts,
Ware mought yar buthplaace be ?
In Lunnon town! woy then in coorse
Yaou cou’nt be ‘sposed ter know,
Il’ tell yer wot I’ve allers heerd;
Yaou’ll ‘souse my bein’ slow,
‘Cos I haain’t larnt ter spaake up shaarp,
Nor niver bin ter skule.
An’ wen I sees fooks read an’ write
I faals a blarmed owd fule ;
But this hare’s wot my grammother
Hev orfen towd ter me,
An’ she wore right a tough un, foor
She lived ter ninety three ;
How more’n a hunderd yare agoo,
Wen good owd Goorge wore King,
An’ England fowt the Frenchmin, as
I’ve heerd owd sowdjers sing ;
A regiment o’sowdjers come*
Along o’this hare rood,
An’ laay in Blybrer Straate a waak,
A’ lodgin’ ware they could;
An’ they’d a band o’ music got,
With drummers tew oor three,
An’ one o’ these hare drummers chaps
Wore blaack as blaack could be;
Blaack Toby wore his Chrissen uaame,
His naature, ‘twore thaat baadd
As iy’ry one as knowed ‘m said
The devil wore his daad;
One ev’nin he wore stroamin’ round
Good tidy full o’booze.
Wen a gal come gald’rin’ down yon rood,
An arter har he goos;
Now wot he said oor done ter har
I caan’t ezackly tell,
Foor yaou be bound ‘twam’t nuthin good.
An’ baad tork doan’t sound well;
Howsever she won’t none o’him,
An’ towd ‘m so I spec
For arter har he went right quick
An’ catcht har by the neck.
Har hankercher he then pulled out,
Which round har throot he tied,
An’ then he hulled har on the ground.
An’ graained har till she died;
An’ then, ’tis wonndy straange to saay,
The drink began ter tell,
An’ in drunkin kind o’slaape
Right by the coorpse he fell.
The next d’ morn some laabrin’ fooks
A comin from the Straate,
They see owd Toby i’ the holl,
With the gal agin his faate;
An’ as ’twere clear he kilt the gal,
Altho’ he fowt ‘m haard,
They took ‘m up right out ‘n hand,
An’ kep ‘m under guard;
The Crowner’s Quest saat on the coorpse,
An’ orl o’ them agreed
As how ‘twore plaain the gal wore kilt,
An’ plaain hew done the deed;
They found as Toby done the job.
An’ as he con’nt ha’ bail ;
They sent ‘m orf ter Ipswich town,
An’ hulled ‘ni inter jaail.
An’ there he laay till ‘Sizes come.
An’ senteneed ‘m ter deth,
Sayin’ as how he must be hung
On this hare wery heth ;
They browt ‘m tew them cross roods there,
An’ hanged ‘m up in chaains,
An’ there he hung till he dropt down,
Wore out by winds and raains ;
An’ ef aat midnight time yaou stan’.
Jest ware them gallers stood,
Fooks saay yaoull hare a carriage come
A rattlin’ down the rood.
Foure bosses blaack without no bids,
A Fun’ril bus behind,
A blaack maan settin’ on the box
A drivin’ loike the wind;
They saay ‘cos Toby hain’t no graave,
Noor yet no parsin’ bell,
He’re got ter come hare iv’ry night,
An’ drive hisself ter hell.
The gals an’ childen i’ the plaace.
An’ growed up wimmin tew,
They on’t goo parst hare arter daark
Onless there be a crew;
But hinder come our Maaster’s dorg,
So he bain’t faar awaay,
He caan’t abear us mardlin’ so
I wish yaou Sab, Gooddaay.
Ernest R. Cooper.
[The East Anglian; or, Notes and queries on subjects connected with the counties of Suffolk, Cambridge, Essex and Norfolk (1800)]