Mystery
The Keysoe Miracle
He fell from the spire, prayed on the way down, and lived 41 more years.
See it clearly
- What's there
- A plaque on the church tower
- Legend from
- 1718
- Tone
- Curious
Coming up is Keysoe church, where a builder fell from the top of the spire in 1718 and lived to put up a plaque about it.
On 17 April 1718 William Dickins, a 32-year-old builder, was repairing the spire of St Mary's at Keysoe when he slipped from near the top. He struck the battlements on the way down, broke his leg and hit the ground, and lived. A plaque he set on the west face of the tower thanks God and Jesus Christ for saving him and describes his cries as he fell. Local legend adds that he was spared because he prayed aloud in mid-air. He lived another 41 years and died in 1759, aged 73, so you can stand in the churchyard, look up at the spire, and judge for yourself how lucky he was.