Witch
The Witch's Last Rest
The woman condemned as a witch found peace in this quiet churchyard.
Stand where it happened
- What's there
- A village churchyard; her grave isn't marked
- Legend from
- 1730
- Tone
- Curious
In Hertingfordbury churchyard, coming up, lies Jane Wenham, the last woman in England condemned as a witch, who lived out her days here in peace.
Jane Wenham, the 'witch of Walkern', was condemned to death at Hertford in 1712 after witnesses claimed she had taken the form of a cat and could fly. The judge, who quipped that there was no law against flying, sought a royal pardon and she was freed. Lord Cowper then gave her a small home at Hertingfordbury, where she lived quietly until her death on 11 January 1730, aged about ninety. She is said to lie among the modest railed graves in St Mary's churchyard, so this quiet village church is remembered as the last home of a condemned witch.