Dartmoor Brides Wary Of Wedding Curse Stemming From 17th Century Murder

For some couples, there are preferences on where they should be wed. In any part of the world, there are various beliefs. In the case of some over in Dartmoor, it would be best to appease spirits to avoid getting hit by a curse they believed was true.

Superstitious women are fully aware of the story of Mary Whiddon. It was on Oct. 11, 1641, where she was murdered at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Chagford. And while most believe that her story is true, there is little information to back it up.

The story of Whiddon at that time is that she was courted by a man and asked for her hand in marriage. She turned him down and being a woman of many admirers chose another one to become her husband.

This did not sit well with that man she turned down and held ill feelings against Mary. On Whiddon’s wedding day, the bitter man allegedly shot her with one bullet from a pistol. She died within minutes in the arms of her husband, DevonLive reported.

Looking at the tomb records, Mary was logged as “a matron, yet a maid.” This means that she was a virgin at the time of her death, hence not very old when she died.

Also, her maiden name is thought to have been Whiddon. This could mean that she married a cousin and that everything might have been written before her marriage was arranged.

While most were wary about believing the tale, there was an incident in 1971 where a wedding guest saw a ghostly apparition of a young woman dressed in a period wedding gown standing in the doorway of his room. Most suggested it was Mary haunting the area following her death.

From there, it has become a practice for newly-wed brides to lay a flower on Mary’s tomb after signing the register. It was believed to bring good luck to the marriage and most importantly ensure that Whiddon would not haunt them.