A short (ish) walk from Betty's Grave. But be warned.....Betty may be watching you! It is recommended to park in Poulton and walk up Bell Lane but this, obviously, makes it a longer walk. Or you can park near Betty's Grave itself. You can make it a dash-and-cache by driving further up the lane but it's a nice, peaceful walk so why would you do that 😄
What is Betty’s Grave?
Located in the Gloucestershire countryside just outside Poulton can be found a feared crossroads. A crossroads known simply as Betty’s Grave.
This is a crossroads with an uncertain history as to how it received its ominous name. Nevertheless, there are various stories how it came to be known as this. And a vengeful ghost to go along with it.
The name Betty’s Grave was first mentioned in an ordnance map in 1830. However, locals would argue the name goes much further back in history.
Most agree that Betty was more than likely a real person, but it’s what she did that has brought about several dark legends concerning its origin.
One such legend reveals Betty as a hard working & virtuous girl who wagered that she could cut an acre of corn with her sickle faster than any man. She succeeded but once finished dropped dead from the effort; she was buried where she fell – a crossroads.
Another tale paints her as a witch who lived near the crossroads and would make animals and people sick ‘while she danced in the streets at midnight & spat up hundreds of pins & young crows’. She was also said to waylay peddlers on their way to Fairford market by some magic which involved crossed pins on the sign post. Yet another says she arrived in the village naked & mute. Her strange behaviour (she wandered alone in the moonlight) & her muteness meant she was suspected of being a witch. A mob attacked & hung her, then burying her at the crossroads. Next day she had risen from her grave, so they buried her again. She rose from her grave again & was buried again. The third time she rose from her grave she told them She would only rest quietly if they swore to always lay flowers on Her grave. They agreed and generations of villagers laid flowers At the crossroads until the 7o’s when suddenly it stopped.
This caused her to appear again and she wandered as a ghost through Fairford until the flowers started again.