The Ghost of Ann Walker

First, therefore, the following narrative of a murder committed by Mark Sharp, Collier, at the instigation of John Walker of Chester-le-Street, Yeoman, and afterwards discovered by supernatural means, is, in the opinion of Master John Webster, practitioner of physic, (who wrote a book expressly for “the displaying and detecting of supposed Witch-craft”) one of “those apparitions and strange accidents which cannot be solved by the supposed principles of matter and motion, but which do evidently require some other cause, above or different from the visible and ordinary course of nature, effects that do strangely exceed the power of natural causes, and may for ever convince all atheistical minds.”

Secondly. The narrative is inserted in Dr. Henry More’s letter, forming part of the Prolegomena to Mr. Joseph Glanvil’s work, intituled, “Sadducismus triumphatus,” and is copied verbatim from John Webster (from whom, however, on other matters and occasions, Dr. More differeth toto cœlo), with the additional grave testimony of Mr. William Lumley, of Great Lumley, an ancient gentleman who was present at the trial, and of Mr. Shepherdson, whom the Doctor terms his “discreet and faithful intelligencer.” “This story of Anne Walker,” adds the Doctor, “you will do well (Master Glanvil), to put amongst your additions, it being so excellently well attested, and so unexceptionably in every respect; and hasten as fast as you can that impression, to undeceive the half-witted world,” who do so exult in the supposed slaying of the æmon of Tedworth (as if the Devil were really dead), that they do now, “with more gaiety and security than ever, sing in a loud note that mad drunken catch, ‘Heyho ! the Devil is dead’.”

About the year of our Lord 1632, (as near as I can remember, having lost my notes, and the copy of the letters to Serjeant Hutton, but am sure that I do most perfectly remember the substance of the story,) near unto Chester in the Street, there lived one Walker, a yeoman of good estate, and a widower, who had a young woman to his kinswoman, that kept his house, who was, by the neighbours, suspected to be with child, and was, towards the dark of the evening one night, sent away with one Mark Sharp, who was a collier, or one that digged coals under ground, and one that had been born in Blakeburn hundred in Lancashire; and so she was not heard of a long time, and no noise, or little, was made about it. In the winter-time after, one James Graham or Grime, (for so in that country they call them) being a miller, and living about 2 miles from the place where Walker lived, was one night alone very late in the mill, grinding corn; and about 12 or 1 o’ the clock at night, he came down the stairs from having been putting corn in the hopper; the mill doors being shut, there stood a woman upon the midst of the floor, with her hair about her head, hanging down, and all bloody, with five large wounds on her head. He being much affrighted and amaz’d, began to bless himself; and at last, ask’d her who she was, and what she wanted? To which she said, I am the spirit of such a woman, who lived with Walker, and being got with child by him, he promised to send me to a private place, where I should be well look’d to, till I was brought to bed, and well again; and then I should come again and keep his house. And accordingly, said the Apparition, I was one night late sent away with one Mark Sharp, who, upon a moor, naming a place that the miller knew, slew me with a pick, such as men dig coals withal, and gave me these five wounds, and after threw my body into a coal-pit hard by, and hid the pick under a bank; and his shoes and stockings being bloody, he endeavoured to wash ’em; but seeing the blood would not forth, he hid them there. And the Apparition further told the miller, that he must be the man to reveal it, or else that she must still appear and haunt him. The miller returned home very sad and heavy, but spoke not one word of what he had seen, but eschewed as much as he could to stay in the mill within night without company, thinking thereby to escape the seeing again of that frightful apparition. But notwithstanding, one night when it began to be dark, the apparition met him again, and seemed very fierce and cruel, and threatened him, that if he did not reveal the murder, she would continually pursue and haunt him; yet for all this, he still concealed it until St. Thomas’s eve before Christmas; when being, soon after sunset, walking in his garden, she appeared again, and then so threatened him, and affrighted him, that he faithfully promised to reveal it next morning. In the morning, he went to a magistrate, and made the whole matter known with all the circumstances; and diligent search being made, the body was found in a coal-pit, with five wounds in the head, and the pick and shoes and stockings yet bloody, in every circumstance as the apparition had related unto the miller; whereupon Walker and Mark Sharp were both apprehended, but would confess nothing. At the assizes following, I think it was at Durham, they were arraigned, found guilty, condemn’d and executed; but I could never hear they confess’d the fact. There were some that reported the apparition did appear to the judge, or the foreman of the jury, who was alive in Chester in the Street about ten years ago, as I have been credibly inform’d, but of that I know no certainty. There are many persons yet alive, that can remember this strange murder and the discovery of it; for it was, and sometimes yet is, as much discoursed of in the north country, as any thing that almost hath ever been heard of, and the relation printed, tho’ now not be gotten. I relate this with the greater confidence (though I may fail in some of the circumstances) because I saw and read the letter that was sent to Serjeant Hutton, who then lived at Goldsbrugh in Yorkshire, from the judge before whom Walker and Mark Sharp were tried, and by whom they were condemn’d, and had a copy of it until about the year 1658, when I had it and many other books and papers taken from me; and this I confess to be one of the most convincing stories, being of undoubted verity, that ever I read, heard, or knew of, and carrieth with it the most evident force, to make the most incredulous spirit to be satisfied, that there are really, sometimes, such things as apparitions; thus far he.

This story is so considerable, that I make mention of it in my Scholia, on my Immortality of the Soul, in my Volumen Philosophicum, tom. 2. which I acquainting a friend of mine with, a prudent, intelligent person, Dr. J. D., he of his own accord offer’d me, it being a thing of such consequence, to send to a friend of his in the North, for greater assurance of the truth of the narrative; which motion I willingly embracing, he did accordingly. The answer to this letter, from his friend Mr. Shepherdson, is this:—I have done what I can to inform myself of the passage of Sharp and Walker; there are very few men that I could meet, that were then men, or at the trial, saving these two in the inclosed paper, both men at that time, and both at the trial; and for Mr. Lumley, he lived next door to Walker, and what he hath given under his hand can depose, if there were occasion. The other gentlemen writ his attestation with his own hand; but I, being not there, got not his name to it. I could have sent you twenty hands, that could have said thus much, and more by hearsay, but I thought these most proper, that could speak from their own eyes and ears. Thus far Mr. Shepherdson, the Doctor’s discreet and faithful intelligencer; now for Mr. Lumley of Lumley, being an ancient gentlemen, and at the trial of Walker and Sharp, upon the murder of Anne Walker, saith, that he doth very well remember that the said Anne was servant to Walker, and that she was supposed to be with child, but would not disclose by whom; but being removed to her aunt’s in the same town, called Dame Caire, told her aunt, that he, that got her with child, would take care both for her and it, and bid her not trouble herself. After some time she had been at her aunt’s, it was observed, that Sharp came to Lumley one night, being a sworn-brother of the said Walker’s; and they two, that night, called her forth from her aunt’s house, which night she was murder’d; about fourteen days after the murder, there appeared to one Graime a fuller, at his mill, six miles from Lumley, the likeness of a woman, with her hair about her head, and the appearance of five wounds in her head, as the said Graime gave it in evidence; that that appearance bid him go to a justice of peace, and relate to him, how that Walker and Sharp had murthered her in such a place as she was murthered; but he fearing to disclose a thing of that nature, against a person of credit as Walker was, would not have done it; upon which, the said Graime did go to a justice of peace, and related the whole matter. Whereupon the justice of peace granted warrants against Walker and Sharp, and committed them to a prison; but they found bail to appear at the next assizes, at which they came to their trial, and upon evidence of the circumstances, with that of Graime of the appearance, they were both found guilty and executed.

William Lumley.

The other testimony is of Mr. James Smart, of the City of Durham; who saith, that the trial of Sharp and Walker was in the month of August, 1631, before Judge Davenport. One Mr. Fairhair gave it in evidence upon oath, that he saw the likeness of a child stand upon Walker’s shoulders, during the time of the trial; at which time, the judge was very much troubled, and gave sentence that night the trial was, which was a thing never used in Durham, before nor after. Out of which two testimonies, several things may be corrected or supplied in Mr. Webster’s story, though it be evident enough that, in the main, they agree; for that is but a small disagreement as to the years, when Mr. Webster says about the year of our Lord 1632, and Mr. Smart, 1631. But unless at Durham they have assizes but once in the year, I understand not so well how Sharp and Walker should be apprehended some little while after St. Thomas’s day, as Mr. Webster has it, and be tried the next assizes at Durham, and yet that be in August, according to Mr. Smart’s testimony. Out of Mr. Lumley’s testimony, the christian name of the young woman is supplied, as also the name of the town near Chester in the Street, namely Lumley. The circumstances also, of Walker’s sending away his kinswoman with Mark Sharp, are supplied out of Mr. Lumley’s narrative, and the time rectified, by telling it was about fourteen days till the spectre appeared after the murther, when as Mr. Webster makes it a long time.

Two errors also more are corrected, in Mr. Webster’s narration, by Mr. Lumley’s testimony; the distance of the miller from Lumley, where Walker dwelt, which was six miles, not two miles, as Mr. Webster has it; and also that it was not a mill to grind corn in, but a fuller’s mill; the apparition, night by night, pulling the cloaths off Graime’s bed, omitted in Mr. Webster’s story, may be supplied out of Mr. Lumley’s; and Mr. Smart’s testimony puts it out of controversy, that the trial was at Durham, and before Judge Davenport, which is omitted by Mr. Webster. And whereas Mr. Webster says, there were some that reported, that the apparition did appear to the judge, or the foreman of the jury; but of that he knows no certainly. This confession of his, as it is a sign he would not write any thing in this story, of which he was not certain, for the main; so here is a very seasonable supply for this, out of Mr. Smart, who affirms that he heard one Mr. Fairhair give evidence upon oath, that he saw the likeness of a child stand upon Walker’s shoulders, during the time of the trial: it is likely this Mr. Fairhair might be the foreman of the jury,—and, in that the judge was so very much troubled, that himself also might see the same apparition, as Webster says report went; though the mistake in Mr. Webster is, that it was the apparition of a woman; but this of the child was very fit and apposite, placed on his shoulders, as one that was justly loaded or charged with that crime of getting his kinswoman with child, as well as of complotting with Sharp to murder her.