ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Bride Killed Moments After Getting Married Said To ‘Haunt’ Devon

Bride Killed Moments After Getting Married Said To ‘Haunt’ Devon

The grisly murder happened hundreds of years ago but newly weds remain concerned about a 'curse' to this day

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

The grisly murder of a bride that happened hundreds of years ago is still a talking point with newly weds who get hitched at the same church leaving flowers in an attempt to dodge the 'curse'.

Mary Whiddon and her husband exchanged vows at the Church of St Michael the Archangel in Chagford, Devon on 11 October 1641 - but moments after they said 'I do', Whiddon was shot and died in her new husband's arms.

The perpetrator is thought to have been a spurned former suitor who had asked for her hand in marriage but was turned down, Devon Live reports.

After turning him down, Whiddon went on to marry the other man but it seems as though her former admirer took the news very badly.

Google Maps

Its not known what happened to the killer, and there's even doubt about the validity of the story, but what we do know is that a tomb for Whiddon at the church says she was a 'matron, yet a maid' which could translate as 'married but young' or 'married but a virgin'.

There's also a poem for the woman on the floor of the church, which reads:

Reader wouldst know who here is laid,
Behold a matron yet maid,
A modest look, a pious heart,
A Mary for the better part,
But dry thine eyes, why wilt thou weep -
Such damsels do not die but sleep.

Fast-forward a few hundred years to 1971 and a wedding guest staying at the nearby Whiddon Park woke up to find the apparition of a young bride stood in the doorway to his room - leading some to believe the area is haunted by Whiddon.

Locals claim there is a secret passage from Whiddon Park House to the Three Crowns Hotel and the tragic bride haunts The Bishop's Room and upstairs corridors of The Three Crowns.

And in an attempt to escape any ghostly visitations, new brides will often lay a flower on Whiddon's tomb after saying their vows.

It's thought this act will bring good luck to the couple and will stop the ghost bride from haunting them.

Featured Image Credit: Google Maps

Topics: Ghost, Interesting, UK