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| Mother Shipton |
There's a fascinating character that we were recently made aware of, and
she lived in Tudor-Era England. She foresaw several big events that
happened in England and she has a weird backstory. Her name is Mother
Shipton, and there's a tremendous and beautiful park and cave in what
was thought to be her residence (she lived in a cave). In the cave is a
place called the Petrifying Well. You'll learn about BOTH of those
things in today's Blog. There's also a wishing well, a play area, and
forested pathways.
Here are the facts, according to the website: https://www.mothershipton.co.uk
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| Mother Shipton Park |
WHO WAS SHE? Mother
Shipton is England's most famous Prophetess. She foretold the fates of
several rulers within and just after her lifetime, as well as the
invention of iron ships, the Great Fire of London in 1666, and the
defeat of the Spanish Armada.
As
well as making traditional remedies, Mother Shipton had another gift.
She could predict the future. It started off with small premonitions but
as she practised, she became more confident and her powers grew. Soon
she was known as Knaresborough’s Prophetess, a witch. She made her
living telling the future and warning those who asked of what was to
come. After a long life, she died in 1561, aged 73.
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| The Petrifying Well |
THE PETRIFYING WELL - The Petrifying Well is England’s oldest visitor attraction. It was first recorded by the king’s antiquary in 1538 and has been visited by millions of people since 1630. It is here that you can watch every day objects turn to stone. Compared with a stalactite or stalagmite, the items petrify very quickly – a small teddy bear takes around 3-5 months. You can take a stone teddy bear home with you, they are available to buy in the gift shop.
For many centuries people believed the water had miraculous healing powers. In the early 1600s samples of water were examined by a medical physician. His report concluded that the waters from the well were a miracle cure for “any flux of the body”! Visitors also noticed that the side of the well looked like a giant’s skull.
