St John's Churchyard is the burial spot for one Molly Leigh, the Witch of Burslem. Molly Leigh was born in 1685, and by all accounts was "ugly and peculiar from birth". In those times, that was enough to condemn someone to a lifetime of suspicion of being a witch. When she died in March 1748, she was buried here. However, shortly after it is said that her ghost was seen and this induced a panic - a live witch was bad, a dead one returning far worse.

 

An exorcism was performed on her exhumed coffin, during which a raven believed to be her familiar was caught and interred with Molly's corpse. She was then reburied.

 

Since that time, it became a dare for children to run three times around her grave and chanting to see if they could encourage Molly's ghost to chase them.

 

Pictured above is St. John's Church courtesy of John M.