Thread by @friendschurches

The ancient church at Llandawke, Carmarthenshire nestles into a watery dell. Hidden from the roadside and encircled with trees, the churchyard is a picture of serenity and repose. But here, the dead don’t rest in peace.

#thread

To the south of the churchyard, is a gravestone. It looks like any other. But after reading the epitaph, the hairs will stand on the back of your neck. It marks the grave of Rebecca Uphill, a young woman who died suddenly.

It reads...

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O ponder well her sudden fall
Ye thoughtless blooming virgins all
Ye little think who read this stone
How soon the case might be your own

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Rebecca was a servant in Llandawke in the mid-19th century. She died suddenly at the age of 25. Before her death she had eaten a broth. The leftovers had been fed to a healthy sow. Shortly after Rebecca’s death, the sow died too. Suspicions were roused…

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The butcher was called in. He examined the sow’s innards… and decided that it had been poisoned. With that, Rebecca’s body was exhumed. An autopsy was carried out on the altar of the church. The level of decomposition excited suspicion further.
And here the plot thickens…

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Earlier that year, Rebecca’s mistress, Mary Ann Severne, never one of a robust constitution, had died suddenly too. Mary’s body was exhumed from the churchyard and her viscera were sent off for examination. It was found that she had been poisoned with arsenic.

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The finger was pointed at the cook, Betsy Gibbs. It seemed like a closed case. But when it came to the trial, no one could remember selling arsenic to Betsy. There was no evidence to convict her. She was found innocent and released.

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However, locally, people had decided she was guilty. She was terrorised. An effigy of her body was burned in the street. She had no choice but to flee…

Welsh Country recently ran this story, read it in full here: welshcountry.co.uk/stories-in-sto…

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