“A dark and enchanting novel which seamlessly blends history, myth and magic.”
– The Spooky Isles
The Fylde Witch, by Chris Newton, tells the story of Meg Shelton, the real-life Witch of Woodplumpton, whose remains lie beneath a boulder in a small Lancashire village. This novel from Safety Pin Horror charts Meg's life from maiden to mother to crone against a backdrop of witch trials, civil war, and plague.
Order your copy of The Fylde Witch now:
https://shorturl.at/gktIM
And learn more about Meg Shelton here https://bit.ly/3jxJ7vE
'Hurrying to the kitchen cupboard, Meg took two cobnuts from an open sack, and cast them into the dwindling fire. If the nuts burned together, her grandmother had told her, that signified a long and happy marriage; but if they burst apart, that meant your lover would prove false.
She watched for a few moments, mesmerised by the flames as the cobnuts blackened. Of a sudden there was a deafening crack, as one of the nuts burst and shot from the fireplace. Meg dowsed the flames and spoke of it to nobody.'
Be careful who you give your heart to this Valentine's Day!
To read more about Meg Shelton, the real life Witch of Woodplumpton, you can buy 'The Fylde Witch' by Chris Newton here: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/371032/The-Fylde-Witch?src=also_purchased
(Our grab a copy at our event at The Whale Tail Cafe on Saturday 26th Feb!)
'The Fylde Witch' is now available to buy in paperback: https://bit.ly/3p5BLU8
But just who exactly was the Fylde Witch?
Margery Hilton lived in a cottage on the outskirts of Singleton village in Lancashire. Her remains lie beneath a large boulder in the churchyard at St Anne's in Woodplumpton, where she was laid to rest at midnight on the 2nd of May, 1705.
Margery - whose nickname was 'Mags' ('Mags Hilton' became 'Mag Shilton' and eventually 'Meg Shelton') features prominently in 'The Haydock Papers' a document from 1888 about English Catholic life.
According to these papers, Meg entered into a curious bargain with the lord at Cottam, who visited Meg and complained that he could find no hares for sport. Meg said that she would provide him with a hare for his dogs in exchange for a new cottage on his estate in the parish of Woodplumpton. Her one proviso was that a certain black hound not be let slip.
Meg was true to her word and gave him his hare, but when the lord began to fear that his nimble quarry might outrun his dogs, he broke his promise and set free his largest black hound. The hare doubled its speed and ran on towards Wesham, leaping to safety through the window of Meg's cottage just as the hound snapped at its' heel.
It is interesting to note that, ever after, Meg Shelton walked with a limp.
There are many stories about Meg Shelton and her mischievous shape shifting activities, but probably the most enduring parts of her legend are the details surrounding her death and burial.
When Meg was found dead in her cottage, apparently crushed between a barrel and the wall, it was widely remarked that the Devil had come to claim his own. Though she was considered to be a witch, Meg was (somewhat unusually) granted a Christian burial in consecrated ground at St Anne's church in Woodplumpton.
As was the Fylde tradition at that time, she was buried at midnight by torchlight. However, Meg would not rest. The morning after her funeral, she was found on t
