In August of 1751 Thomas Colley was hung at Gubblecote Cross for his part in the murder of Ruth Osborne.

John Butterfield had been a dairyman and Ruth had come to him asking for buttermilk. John had to refuse her request as he needed all the milk he had for his pigs but Ruth did not take the refusal very well. Shortly after this John fell ill with what appears to have been a form of epilepsy then his calves started to fall ill. John believed that Ruth had cursed him over the buttermilk and he even consulted a wise woman from Northamptonshire who gave him charms but they had little effect. From that day on John bore a grudge against Ruth.

John incited the locals against Ruth and it was announced that there would be a public ducking on a Monday in April which would take place at Tring. Mr. Burton the overseer of the poor at Tring heard the announcement being made and found that the accused were two innocent people he knew well. For their own safety he took Ruth and her husband John Osborne into the workhouse for protection. On April 22nd a huge riotous mob arrived who began smashing the workhouse windows and battering the walls. The Osbornes were smuggled out and locked in the church for safety.

The rioters, led by Thomas Colley, a chimney sweep, stormed into the workhouse and ransacked it in their search. When they could not find the Osbornes they threatened to burn the workhouse down. Eventually they forced the master of the workhouse to reveal where John and Ruth were.

The Osbornes were dragged off to the pond at Long Marston where they were stripped naked and had their thumbs and big toes tied together. They were then wrapped in sheets and thrown three times into the water to see if they would sink or swim. Swimming a witch was a recognised test as it was believed that a witch could not sink. The death penalty for witchcraft may have been abolished in 1735 but in country areas old beliefs die hard.

When Ruth was thrown in she appeared to float so Thomas Colley kept pushing her under the water with a stick every time she struggled up for air. Ruth was left on the bank of the pond in her wet sheet while the mob ducked her husband then they dragged her across the pond again with a rope. All this was too much for a couple in their seventies and Ruth died. A doctor who examined her said she had died partly by being suffocated by mud and water and partly through exposure. Her husband was taken to a nearby house but he too died soon afterwards.

Thomas Colley was very pleased with his days work and even took a collection from the crowd but justice soon caught up with him. As the self-styled ring leader he was arrested, tried at Hertford assizes and sentenced to be hanged.

On August 23rd 1751 Colley left Hertford escorted by one hundred and eight men of the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards. On the 24th he reached Gubblecote Cross where he was duly hung and his body left in chains for many years afterwards as a warning. Many people believed that Ruth was a witch and that the justice meted out to Thomas Colley was hard on a man who had rid the community of a witch.

Afterwards no one would linger near Thomas Colley’s gibbet after dark so the site developed a sinister reputation. Some people said that it was haunted by a large black dog with burning eyes. This was a huge dog, black as a sweep, which was Thomas’ profession.

One night a local schoolmaster was returning home in a gig with another person when he encountered the dog. ‘When we came near the spot where a portion of the gibbet had lately stood, we saw on the bank of the roadside a flame of fire as large as a man’s hat. “What’s that?” I exclaimed. “Hush!” said my companion and suddenly pulling in his horse, made a dead stop. I then saw an immense black dog just in front of our horse, the strangest looking creature I ever beheld. He was as big as a Newfoundland, but very gaunt, shaggy with long ears and tail, eyes like balls of fire and large, long teeth for he opened his mouth and seemed to grin at us. In a few minutes the dog disappeared seeming to vanish like a shadow or to sink into the earth and we drove over the spot where he had lain.’

To view a map of the area click on the button below



To view images see: Gubblecote Album

To view a report about Gubblecote Cross see: 27-10-2006

Gubblecote Cross