Flowers. To start we have this 12th century carved stone featuring 3 demons tormenting a man. In this case she was called ‘Bella’. I cannot help feel that the close proximity of all these ghostly reports to ancient sacred sites is significant. Some saw significance in the body being in a Wych Elm tree too. A dog walker noticed the legendary saying, which refers to the finding of a woman's body in a wych elm tree in Hagley Wood in April 1943, had been … She was 5ft tall with mousy brown hair and irregular teeth in the lower jaw. Is this the face of ‘Bella in the Wych Elm’? Suddenly he sprinted out diagonally across the road in front of me towards Hagley Hall. A retired police officer, Detective Constable Roger Ryder came forward with a report of his own supernatural sighting 30 years ago: “As I drew closer to the pub, suddenly the figure of a man ran out of the car park. The Wych Elm is botanically called Ulmus glabra. After the war another informant told a curious story that may just lend support to this theory. Her code name was Clara. This theory became the central theme in a popular book on the murder in the 1960s by Donald McCormick (McCormick, 1969). His father refused point blank to talk about the incident and even denied having been involved! Reaching into the hollowed out tree he caught sight of something white in colour. The Witch Elm. So, could this be the explanation to one of Worcestershire’s most curious murder mysteries? Most of the skeleton was eventually found, but one thing seemed strange. HARTE, Jeremy, Personal Coomunication, April 2009 An added twist to this story, related to me by Peter, is that as a child he was taken on a country ramble through Hagley Wood to see the Wych Elm tree by his father. VAT No. brian-haughton.com/ancient-mysteries-articles/bella_in_the_wych-elm/2 This was approximately 12-15 years after the event. They are interesting to your readers, but you will never solve the mystery. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. comm), Owen Davies is a professor of Social History and author of books on witchcraft and supernatural belief. Intermittent colours in woollen yarns (by which a weaver could more easily create a pattern in the weave) could be introduced by way of an early form of tie-dyeing. on Pinterest. They stuffed some old rag which they had also discovered in the tree into the skulls mouth before returning it to its original hiding place by carefully balancing it on the end of a long stick. As time passed, speculation began to grow. The documents suggest that that Hitler was still hoping to invade Britain in 1941, a year after being defeated in the Battle of Britain. This large, relatively scarce deciduous tree supports abundant insect life in the forest, but is at risk due to the spread of Dutch elm disease. The Coventry based indie band, ‘The Pristines’, have also released an album called ‘Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?”. Who put Bella in the Wych elm? Due, in part, … Nobody knew why. The Tree is a deciduous tree, it will be up to 40 m (131 ft) high. 605079649. SKIP TO 41 MINUTES IF YOU DON'T LIKE INTROS AND JUST WANT TO GET TO THE STORY In the 1940s in England, a woman's skeleton was discovered inside of a tree. The existence of covens during the war is obviously a matter of debate rather than fact, and even if there was one in the area I cannot conceive that they would be engaged in ritual murder or the use of body parts”. In a hollow tree trunk of a wych elm, one of the boys found a skull but because they were trespassing on private property, the boys put the skull back and made a pact that they would keep quiet. One April morning in 1943 four lads found human remains inside a wych-elm in Hagley Woods. Today there are still more questions than answers about one of Worcestershire’s most notorious murders. Another theory that has become popular to explain the mystery involves wartime espionage. She worked in the restaurant of a pub near Hagley, Worcestershire, and I would happily play in the fields outside or read and draw comic book adventures in a quiet corner of the busy kitchen. These stories were probably one of the root causes of my life long interest in folklore and the supernatural. A company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland – company No. Like Scots pine, hollowed-out elm was used to make urban water pipes prior to the introduction of metal ones. In 1944 the case took a new twist. Notwithstanding elm’s legendary associations with death and the Underworld, people also looked to elm for medicinal cures. Surprisingly, there were no labels on any of the clothes found with the body. However, in 2007 the case took an interesting twist, one that may suggest that Hagley Wood and the surrounding area is part of a much larger and richer haunted landscape. Today the same question is asked in white paint daubed on the obelisk on top of nearby Wychbury Hill. The novel is a folk horror story set in Netherton and Dudley and is loosely based around the local Bella and the Wych Elm mystery. HUTTON, Ronald, Personal Communication. SC143304, with registered offices at The Park, Findhorn Bay, Forres, Moray, IV36 3TH. In Gaelic it is known as ‘leven’, as in Loch Leven in Kinross, and was valued for its roles in the dyeing of wool. Elm’s connection with death does not end there, as its wood is traditionally used to make coffins, though the wood’s durability underground may also play a part in this choice. Jack worked in an aircraft factory, not a particularly well paid job, and they were always short of money. There are certain things we can be fairly sure can be ruled out, such as the witchcraft theory. It was whilst climbing on an old, gnarled Wych Elm that Bob Farmer noticed something strange. Oddly, “wych” became “witch” in many cases, but eventually, the graffiti just stopped. One demon is even pulling out the man's soul through his mouth! But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. McCORMICK, Donald, 1969, Murder by Witchcraft, Arrow Books Van Ralt told Jack to get into his car and drive the couple to the Clent Hills. Sapphire Sandalo. He began to see Van Ralt more frequently and drink heavily. Commenting on the involvement of Dr. Murray with the case she told me: “Unfortunately her theories about folklore were something of an idee fixe and don’t really echo actual practice. In 1953 'Anna' of Claverley wrote those intriguing words in a letter to journalist… The Tree is a deciduous tree, it will be up to 40 m (131 ft) high. The ‘Hand of Glory’ is largely a fiction favoured by a certain kind of popular scholarship (Montague Summers is a good example of this). Twine made from the inner bark of the elm tied tightly at regular intervals, to form ‘hanks’ of the yarn, was used to stop a dye from reaching the wool. Having grown up in Weston-super- Mare, near the home of occultist Aleister Crowley, or ‘The Great Beast 666’, Caitlin’s imagination was captured by the creepy stories and myths surrounding their hometown. Among the papers was a document dated 1940, suggesting that the Third Reich had its eye on the Shropshire towns of Bridgnorth and Ludlow as possible Nazi HQ following a successful invasion of Britain. In late 1940 Jack had met a Dutchman by the name of Van Ralt. However, like alder wood, elm wood withstands wet conditions very well, making it a popular choice for the building of boat and barge hulls, bridge foundations, and cartwheels. The article was seen by the opera composer Simon Holt, who was immediately hooked by the story, and went on to write and compose an operatic libretto called ‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’ The opera premiered in 2003 to good reviews. Of the 6,000 pairs that had been sold only 6 could not be traced, all from a market in the Black Country. The police, investigating, found a woman’s skeleton there, clearly hidden in the tree after death, but no further clues were found. What the police discovered inside the trunk of the Wych Elm, buried beneath the skull, was the almost complete skeleton of a woman. History & Folklore; Wych Elm £20.00. Witch Hazel in Bloom . Decades later, they remain unsolved and have now become part of local folklore. Peter Osborne’s father was a British soldier during the war. The inner bark was especially efficacious when chewed or boiled into a liquor to treat colds and sore throats, while the boiled bark was also used to treat burns. Major species. Before his call up papers arrived he had lived near Hagley Wood and was a Special Constable. He began to buy expensive clothes and even bought an officers uniform even though he was not in the services. Elm’s legendary associations are of death and the Underworld, but funnily enough, people looked to Elm for medicinal cures. He had nightmares about a human skull looking up at him from out of a hollowed out tree! Having grown up in Weston-super- Mare, near the home of occultist Aleister Crowley, or ‘The Great Beast 666’, Caitlin’s imagination was captured by the creepy stories and myths surrounding their hometown. The Witch Elm is the seventh novel by Tana French and though it features Dublin and a dead body, it's her first break from the Dublin Murder Squad series. A SMALL boy stood beside a large, overhanging tree in a Hertfordshire garden in the 1880s. In the back seat was a woman apparently asleep underneath a coat. It was Tommy Willetts who finally gave in to his conscience. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Also around this time reports of screaming coming from the woods were received by the police, but nothing suspicious was found upon investigation. After a skeleton was found stuffed inside the hollow of an elm tree in Hagley, near Birmingham, the mystery of ‘who put Bella in the Wych elm’ was never solved. The hole in the tree where the remains had been found was too narrow to examine, so a local lumberjack by the name of Jack Pound was called to chop the tree. She was author of several books on witchcraft traditions in Europe. Following the last ice age, as woodland became dominant, Wych Elm stood out as one of the success stories. As happens with cases where the victim is unknown a name becomes attached to their remains. The discovery of the severed skeletal hand near to the body led the police to contact Dr. Margaret Murray, a leading folklorist of the time. Interestingly there is a report from the Hagley Wood area at the right time of a car parked by the side of the road with a man in military uniform in the drivers seat. Our Mysterious Britain & Ireland site uses cookies to improve your experience. As well as their widespread use in hedges, their stature made them imposing landmarks and boundary markers, and travelling preachers and judges would often pronounce from beneath them. It certainly isn’t part of witchcraft practice (or the folklore associated with it). He told me: “It is certainly an intriguing case, but from what I know of the details I see no evidence for ritual/witchcraft involvement. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The poetic sequence explores a true murder mystery from a rural Worcestershire town, known locally by the cryptic question ‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’ Bella reads like a dossier of evidence, blending local history, folklore, and superstition with the true tragedy of a young woman’s life and premature death. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a very common shrub in our region that is often overlooked. In French folklore, the elm was considered the “tree of justice”. In April 2005 another twist to an already strange case was added. The Bigger picture Many years later Peter decided to ask his father about his memories of Bella in the Wych Elm so he could record them for posterity. The right hand was discovered intact, approximately thirteen paces from the tree, whereas the other bones seemed randomly spread out. It is said that some of the older members of these covens willingly gave up their lives so that the ritual would work. He remembers a woman coming into the pub and asking his mother if she could sing and play the piano for money. Mediaeval Welsh archers made their long bows from elm wood, whereas English bowmen preferred yew. Over the years the publicity surrounding the case has brought forward various new testimonies from people who believe they can add something new to the case. Where to find wych elm. As a schoolboy in the 1970’s I used to accompany my mother to work during the school holidays. Pound of Hagley arrived on the scene to make sure that no potential evidence was disturbed until C.I.D had been called and Professor James Webster, the forensic scientist, had been called to the scene. Trees for Life is a registered Scottish charity – number SC021303. In April of 1943, in the town of Worcestershire, England, four boys stumbled across the skeletal remains of a deceased woman that had been shoved into a cavity of a large wych elm. The shoes that had been found with the body had been manufactured by Silesby’s, a company in Northampton. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Who put her there? It is a story of a grizzly murder, espionage and possibly witchcraft going back over 65 years. The police checked the psychic information out but drew a blank. GRAFFITI on a Hagley monument that has become part of local folklore has been mysteriously changed. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. A wood of femininity, Elm draws from the element of earth and is a strong, neutral wood that can be used for protection or hexes. Una could take no more and the couple split. Their interests inevitably turned to ‘bird nesting’ – looking for birds’ eggs in trees was a popular child’s pastime 60 years ago. (Hutton, pers. Populations in the United States have been decimated by Dutch elm disease. Bella in the Wych Elm succeeds at this right from the beginning. She had been married to a man named Jack Mossop and they had lived in Kenilworth in Warwickshire. Shocked and upset by their discovery, not to mention fearing getting into trouble for trespassing in Hagley Wood, the boys agreed to keep their discovery a secret. Sergeant Skerratt of Clent and P.C. Another letter to the press came from a woman calling herself ‘Anna of Claverley’. Describes the ecological and cultural history of Ulma glabra, the Wych or Scot's elm. Underneath its branches, judges reflected and received inspiration for how they would rule. Part of a rural planting verse. As a result of Dutch elm disease, wych elm is now rare. The spy who came in from the cold? and why? It was suggested that the Hagley Wood/Clent Hills of the 1940s was, like today, used by local practitioners of the occult arts. 01543 682261 Closed today Pub Opening Hours Monday. It is set in the West Midlands during WWII. In 1999 the journalist Richard Askwith wrote an article about the Bella mystery for The Independent newspaper. But as is so often the case, the road was deserted. In honour of #Halloween, today's theme is #SpookiestObject! Jack helped hide the body in the tree. I got out and looked for the body on the road. Jack eventually confided in Una that he had met Van Ralt at the Lyttleton Arms near Hagley. She suggested that the severed hand was evidence of ritual activity by a coven of local witches. Mysterious Britain & Ireland © 2020. They all went for a drive and en route van Ralt killed the woman. Like the oak, they often had very specific customs and folklore attached to individual, named trees such as the Tenor, Bass and Alto elms on Humberside, or the Dancing elms of Devon around which May Day dances were held (these trees have all sadly succumbed to Dutch elm disease). The four names given for this one tree, the wych elm, the Scot's elm, the Huntingdon elm and the Dutch elm, illustrate one of the almost insurmountable problems with identifying trees: there are just to many varieties even within one species. Episode 50: Filipino Folklore feat. Had she been parachuted into the Hagley area as previous reports suggest? English Wych Elm Lumber Angela Raimato 2019-03-08T08:27:21-05:00. Nothing. Stopping near Hagley Wood, Jack had helped carry her body into the wood where it was hidden in a hollow tree. The coroner declared a verdict of murder by asphyxiation due to the rags discovered in the mouth. A thorough search was made of the area, but nothing was found. It is hardier than the English elm, so is found much further north and west, and in parts of Scotland. The famous Who Put Bella in the Witch Elm graffiti, which has been on the Wychbury Hill obelisk for decades, now reads Hers Put Bella in the Witch Elm. On 18th April 1943 four Stourbridge teenagers, Fred Payne, Tommy Willetts, Robert Hart and Bob Farmer discovered the remains of a woman inside a hollow Wych Elm (also known as Scots (Scotch) Elm or Ulmus glabra) in Hagley Wood. ENGLISH WYCH ELM WOOD. Una and Jack went their separate ways when his drinking became too much, but Jack came back in 1941, ill and with something terrible haunting his mind. Who put Bella in the Wych elm? Wych Elm. [quote] But in 1953, a rival theory – this one involving spying – arose to challenge it. He can be contacted at: david.taylor@pasrasearch.org.uk, References: This wych elm, with its few embedde After the war he had been stationed in Germany to help clear up and sort out German files. Does the ghost of Bella still haunt the area today? It usually grows in hilly or rocky woodlands, or beside streams and ditches. It looked similar enough to the European Wych Elm that the name was applied to the New World plants. “Because of its rich foliage and sap, the Elm is sacred to Saturn, Roman god of agriculture. Its pliancy was also put to use in a variety of ways. To help track down any vital clues the local Home Guard, Scouts and other volunteers were drafted in to search the wood. Powered by - Designed with the Hueman theme. It is known as the Scotch elm too because of this and has given rise to the names of Loch Leven and Loch Lomond. Some have speculated that Bella was one such regional victim. This was the first time that a name had been given to the grisly remains. Wych, from wych elm, is an ancient word referring to pliability, a quality making it ideal wood for building bows. I think we can safely say that the witchcraft theory is no more than speculation, based primarily on hearsay and supposition. , Th’ Pob Hole, Springhead - where a local witch Nan o’ Pob committed suicide and her ghost terrorised the next three generations. Rob, a graduate of the University and Creative and Professional Writing Lecturer in the University’s School of Humanities, wrote his novel, Bella, as part of his PhD. For nearly 30 years I have been actively investigating the paranormal with a group I founded over 20 years ago called Parasearch. The stories I heard as a child at the public house opposite Hagley Wood suggest this may be so. The Witch Elm takes place in Ireland, and is narrated in the first person. Related birds would show their gender with their singing theme. The following edition was used to create this study guide: French, Tana. The Body in the tree Steve Zaragoza. Holt’s opera was actually based on allegedly paranormal and ghostly events which occurred at the Gypsy’s Tent pub (now the … It was here that bar and kitchen staff loved to tell me stories that the pub was haunted. It was believed that the body was that of a woman, probably aged about 35. As a result of Dutch elm disease, wych elm is now rare. Underneath its branches, judges reflected and received inspiration for how they would rule. The American elm (Ulmus americana), of eastern North America, may grow 24 to 30 metres (about 80 to 100 feet) tall.It has dark gray, ridged bark and elliptical leaves. Next Item » Elm. All the known facts were neatly summed up – even my ghost story got a mention! Who put Bella in the Wych Elm? I am routeliny approached by the media wanting a fresh angle on the Bella case, such is the allure the story still generates. By strangeremains on April 2, 2018 • ( 1 ) In February 2018, Dr. Caroline Wilkinson, forensic anthropologist and Director of the Faces Lab at Liverpool John Moores University, revealed her facial reconstruction of ‘Bella in the Wych Elm‘. Others, like the spy theory are intriguing, but certainly need more evidence. The elm was also considered the tree of justice in France; under the branches of this tree, the judges received inspiration for their sentences. He was dressed like one of the old cavalier soldiers – the big hat, boots, red uniform and sword. In the 1990’s my wife Carolyn witnessed the apparition of a strange looking dog as she drove home one night. The woman, who gave her name as Bella, was poor, and Warwick remembers his mother giving her a pair of her old crepe shoes. They cut down the wych elm and lift up the entire garden. The elm’s wood bends well, or distorts easily, depending on which way you look at the situation, and indeed the ‘wych’ in wych elm refers to its wood being pliant, and not to witches, who were said to shun elm trees. Along with the skull were found several human bones, a cheap wedding ring, a bottle, a pair of crepe-soled shoes and some rotten material. Una said Jack died in a Stafford mental hospital in 1942. Due, in part, … The novel is divided into 13 chapters. The culprit for all of this supernatural activity I was told, was the ghost of a woman they enigmatically called ‘Bella’. All Rights Reserved. But after the case became known, in an unsettling development, variations on the words WHO PUT BELLA IN THE WYCH ELM? Perhaps people who knew elms well were reminded of their own mortality when remembering the elm’s reputation for dropping large boughs without warning on otherwise still, warm days; “Elm hateth man, and waiteth” as the old saying goes. brought forward other witnesses who had seen a whole range of apparitions along this rural stretch of road. According to historian Professor Ronald Hutton, (Hutton, 1999) Operation Cone of Power was a magical attempt to keep the Nazi threat from the shores on Britain. Bella as living folklore And a quick search on the internet shows that the mystery surrounding the murder still generates a lot of interest. He had volunteered to guard the remains of the body in the tree overnight to protect the scene of crime. Climbing up an ancient old wych elm tree, 15-year-old Bob Farmer saw something truly terrible. More recently in 2008 Mr. Klein was driving along the A456. The local amateur dramatics society – Stourbridge Theatre Company – marked their 75th anniversary with a specially commissioned play about the murder. Interestingly the road runs through a very important regional Mesolithic site. In 1943, four young boys, out poaching in Hagley Wood came across a large Wych Elm, a broad, spiderlike tree. Jack met a Dutchman called van Ralt in 1940 and suddenly he seemed to have a lot more money, so much so that he bought expensive clothes and even an officers uniform (though he was not in the armed forces). The novel is a folk horror story set in Netherton and Dudley and is loosely based around the local Bella and the Wych Elm mystery. Wych elm once covered large parts of the UK. The Interesting Natural History, Folklore of Witch Hazel. We know that on 18th April 1943 four teenage boys – Bob Farmer, Bob Hart, Fred Payne and Tommy Willetts from the town of Stourbridge were exploring the Clent Hills and nearby Hagley Wood. He was very ill. 18,038 were here. The Independent, Wednesday, 18 August 1999, Phantom Bear of College Green, Worcester Cathedral. This was obviously going to take some time, so volunteers were asked to guard the scene overnight. It all happened so fast but I remember thinking that if he starts running again I’ll never be able to stop in time. I checked the field next to the car, the hedge and finally under the car itself. Any hope of uncovering the woman’s identity through her clothing were soon dashed. How To Contribute; Queries; Home; Blog; Links; Material Collected; Local Names; Events; The Compiler « Previous Item. Was Bella a Dutch native who was acting as a German spy? They are cult books now, but not much regarded by historians of witchcraft. During the Second World War, four lads looking for bird’s nests on the grounds of Hagley Hall in Worcestershire found a skull in a hollow elm tree. The book was published by Wild Pressed Books earlier this year. These cookies do not store any personal information. And then one day Bella stopped coming to the pub. The elm was also considered the tree of justice in France; under the branches of this tree, the judges received inspiration for their sentences. In 2008 I received several reports of a phantom child being seen along the Oldnall Road only a few miles from the A456/Hagley Wood. ), The comments by Dr. Wood concerning the burial of suspected witches in trees in folklore was also confirmed by historian and folklorist Jeremy Harte. October 28, 2015 By Alonso Abugattas. Wych elm facts. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The Wych Elm is a lovely family pub situated in Burntwood. Many English cabinetmakers consider Wych Elm to be the finest English hardwood. Of College Green, Worcester Cathedral Scots pine, hollowed-out elm was considered the “ tree of justice ” become. 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