Meg Shelton
Alleged English witch
Intro | Alleged English witch | |
Places | United Kingdom | |
is | Witch | |
Gender |
| |
Death | 1705 |
Meg Shelton (died 1705) known as the "Fylde Hag" was an English woman accused of witchcraft. Her grave can be seen at St. Anne's Church in Woodplumpton, now part of the City of Preston district of Lancashire.
Meg Shelton's real name is recorded by St Anne's Church as Margery Hilton. She was found dead in her cottage, crushed between a wall and a large barrel. According to local rumour, she was able to use her magic to make crops fail, turn milk sour and to cause illness in cattle. After her death, she was buried face down and her grave was covered in a large boulder to prevent her returning. An alternative telling suggests that she was buried head down in a narrow shaft, accounting for the relatively small size of the boulder.