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The Tale of Old Mother Shipton’s Cave and the Petrifying Well

Though there is marked controversy surrounding the figure of folk legend known as ‘Mother Shipton’, mostly in dispute of the validity of her legend, many would tell you that she was not only real but an extremely powerful prophetess. The tale has been told over and over, often in different forms and different publications. One of the more credible sources comes from the writing of Richard Head, said to be a true account of her life, birth and prophecy that was discovered in a Yorkshire monastery. Regardless, we have no way of knowing the truth and this is just one version of how the tale goes.

Who Was She?

Mother Shipton, whose real name was Ursula Southeil, was born in July 1488 to 15-year-old mother Agatha on the outskirts of the market town of Knaresborough, Yorkshire, England. In said cave sat a mystical pool that turned all that entered it to stone. On the day of her birth in that cave, it is said that a terrible and deafening rumble of thunder boomed across the sky as the babe came from her mother. The stench of sulphur filled the cavern as a huge, grotesque baby was born.

After 2 years of raising her in the cave, unable to stand the sight of the child and fearing the accusations being thrown that Agatha had laid in bed with the devil himself to bring such a creature into existence the young mother gave the child to a foster mother and went to spend the rest of her days in a convent. When asked, she would never once reveal the identity of the father.

Childhood

Ursula soon learned that she was different from other children. Adults called her ‘The Devil’s Child,’ likely from a combination of her appearance and the odd circumstance of her birth. Other children would taunt her, accuse her of casting spells of sickness on people of the village. Despite now having another mother, Ursula would still spend most of her days around the cave where she was born. She studied herbal remedies, taught herself how to heal and how to harm with flowers of the forest.

Despite the hatred and scorn she received from others, Ursula did find a partner; in Tobias Shipton, a carpenter. They married when she became 24 years old, but Tobias died a few years later. Still, Ursula kept the Shipton name.

Prophecy

In her adult life, she began to gain new gifts. They came slowly at first, small premonitions of insignificant things, but soon she began to grow quite the reputation for prophecy. It’s said to have started as so; A neighbour, who had been the subject of the theft of a very expensive item of clothing, came to ask for her to help. Ursula promised that the clothes would be returned the very next day. True to her word, the next day the thief arrived on the doorstep of the theft victim and handed the garments over.

This set off a craze in the village; soon enough people were coming to Ursula for her services for it to become a career. As she got older and more and more prophecies came true, people from far villages would even come to ask Ursula, or Mother Shipton as she became known in her old age, for her wisdom, prophecy and magical ability. She predicted the dissolution of the monasteries, the Great Fire of London, the Spanish Armada and even modern day inventions such as the car and ships of iron. Mother Shipton also predicted the end of the world in 1881, which seems to not have occurred, but we won’t hold that against her.

The Petrifying Well

Formally known as the Dropping Well, it is said that there is no other well like it in England. The side of the well is said to have a skull-like appearance. During the early life of Ursula, or Old Mother Shipton, other members of her village would refuse to go near the cave, fearing that touching the waters would turn them to stone.

In the hight of her popularity, however, visitors from all over the country would come to bathe and drink from the well. A quote from the Mother Shipton Website:

The earliest written reference to the well was by John Leyland, antiquary to Henry VIII. He visited the well in 1538 and noted that it was very well-known and visited by many to drink and shower under its falling waters, as they were believed to have miraculous healing powers. In the early 1600s samples of water were examined by a medical physician. His report concluded that the waters from the well were a miracle cure for “any flux of the body”!

Thanks to modern science, we are able to uncover the mystery of the well today. The petrification of objects that stayed in the well for an extended period of time is actually due to a very high mineral content within the water. Needless to say, you shouldn’t be drinking this. The gift shop at the site of the well these days actually sells items that have been turned to stone, which can be seen hanging from the well as you visit.

The Legend Continues

After a life of prediction, magic and herbal potion making, Mother Shipton passed away of natural causes in 1561. Despite this, her legend is still as popular in Yorkshire and all of the Midlands and the North as it has always been. The cave in which she was said to be born is now a well-known tourist destination, which you can visit to this day.