Youghal's Dark Past - Florence Newton

So now we head towards the Clock Gate - it used to be a prison, it used to be a place of execution, a place of torture , a place of pain so we’ll gather in Barry’s Lane to remember the story of Florence Newton. Anyway let us come to our next story - it goes back to 1661 – when an old beggar woman called Florence Newton went around Youghal begging for food. She also used to make up herbal medicines if people wanted them, but mostly she just begged for food. One day she called to a house owned by rich family – they were the Pynes – and they had a maid called Mary Langdon. Mary knew the old beggar woman, she had from time to time met her, given her food and also got some old herbal medicines from her. But this day Mary was annoyed. She was putting meat into a barrel of salt. When Florence Newton called begging for a bit of the meat Mary Langdon wouldn’t give her any and told her to get lost. Florence was furious. She had often helped Mary with headaches and other problems. All she was asking was a bit of meat and the Pynes were a rich family. But Mary was adamant – GET LOST she screamed at Florence. Get LOST! Get LOST! And at that moment Jonathan Pyne heard the shouting and he too told the old woman to get lost and poor old Florence went away grumbling. The next day Mary was walking in town when she met Florence – Florence blocked her path, stared at her, stared at her and began to move her hands around and around saying “Mary, Mary why did you not give me the meat ….the meat …. Listen to me ….meat …. You should have given me the meat…. meat … you hear me ….you should have given me the meat. Florence walked away and Mary felt very confused, a bit upset. She wasn’t sure what had happened but something had happened. She went home and Florence followed her and knocked on the door. When Mary came out to answer the door Florence stood there, looked at her and said “You should have given me the MEAT” and when Mary heard the word “meat” she fell down and began to get sick. She vomited and vomited and she felt needles sticking into her and she saw strange people walking around her. When Mary woke up Florence was gone. Mary walked into town and on the way she met Florence again – this time Florence just said “Meat!” and Mary fell down and gain began to vomit. People gathered around her and Florence slipped away quietly. This happened a few more times and Jonathan Pyne began to get worried. He remembered Florence Newton – and told Mary she must be a witch. Florence was arrested and brought to the Clock Gate to be tortured. For two days a group of men made her walk around and around a room – they would not allow her to sleep , if she tried to sleep they shouted and shouted at her for two whole days. They also did some nasty things with needles and knives but after two days without sleep Florence Newton confessed . She said she was a witch, she said she had put a spell on Mary Langdon and she said she had killed six children by witchcraft. Anyway she was put on trial but just before the trial things went from bad to worse for her. The jailor was a man called David Jones and he believed she was innocent. So he told her that she would be asked to say the Our Father in court – because everyone knew witches could not say that prayer. She caught him by the elbow and said “Thank You” to him – just then he felt a stabbing pain in his chest, his left arm and his left leg went dead and he fell down. A few days later he died. And they blamed … ? Yes you are right ! They blamed Florence Newton and added another charge –they also accused her of murder.