RUTH OSBORNE of Tring

" Witchcraft was punishable by death until an Act of 1735 repealed this ultimate penalty. Attitudes towards witchcraft however, remained unchanged. The last hanging for the murder of a witch occured at Gubblecote, near Tring in 1751. A local woman, Ruth Osborne, asked a nearby farmer for milk, and when refused, she departed, muttering that she hoped his cattle would be overtaken by the Pretender.

Some time later, the cattle and the farmer became ill. After an unsuccessful attempt to alleviate the situation, following advice from a white witch in Northampton, the farmer grew desperate. A local mob took the matter into their own hands, and went in search of Ruth Osborne and her husband John.

The couple were hidden by the local authorities in the workhouse and parish church, but were found and dragged to Long Marston green. Both were tied in sheets and ducked in the village pond.

Thomas Colley, the ringleader, turned Ruth Osborne over in the water with a stick, and she died. Colley was hanged for murder at Gubblecote Cross, surrounded by a contingent of soldiers who were brought in to impress on the crowd the seriousness of the crime.

The villagers accused John Osborne, Ruth's husband, of being a wizard and would not employ him. He ended his life, destitute, an inmate of Tring workhouse."

I don't know of any family connection to this sorry tale but the Osborne name is in my ancestory. I would love to hear from anyone who connects to this John and Ruth Osborne.More on My Family History