"She
was ugly, talked to animals and had a pet blackbird with the power to turn beer
sour."
Rob is 46 years young and lives in Newcastle-under-Lyme with his
3 daughters. He works as an IT trainer for the NHS. He is studying for a BA in
Business Management at Manchester Metropolitan University. In his spare time Rob
enjoys painting and pottery.
I told my story as although most locals
know of Molly Leigh, I feel it's important that the younger generation learn about
their local history.
Inside Lives has given me the chance to share stories
with like minded individuals. It was great to be a student again and enjoy the
experience of learning. What was amazing was the quality, depth and variety of
amazing experiences local people have.
In 1998 I found
myself stumbling across a graveyard looking for a witch's tomb. I
was hoping it would be a magical portal that would transform printed words off
the pages into a touchable reality. My
argument was that you can't argue with the cold stone touch of a grave and I hoped
that touch would bring to life . . . imaginations and remove disbelieving nods. The
minds I was trying to free belonged to a special group of students. My challenge
was how was I going to get them enthused and passionate about Shakespeare enough
to write an essay. An essay being more than half a page! Magically . . . I had
suddenly thought about Macbeth's witches and the story of the local Burslem witch.
Molly Leigh. What
is amazing is . . . that years before I had worked in the pottery industry . .
. when the thought of me ever being a teacher and especially teaching Shakespeare
English would have been as fanciful and fantastic as the witches tale of Molly
Leigh. But there I was . . . leading my students to the grave of the Burslem Witch.
Why was I doing this? because I was determined to make learning an extraordinary
experience. My
students some might say were a hard group to teach or motivate. Half of them had
been excluded from schools for various reasons and the rest failed by the education
system. But for me the fact that they turned up showed that they were willing
to learn. Suddenly
they wanted to know everything about Molly Leigh and as they uncovered her story
they became incensed at her mistreatment. She was a young single woman, of independent
means who chose not to marry, attend church, or bow down to male authority and
although she lived a normal life was berated because according to legend . . .
. She
was ugly, talked to animals and had a pet blackbird with the power to turn beer
sour. The students started a campaign to clear her name and appeared in the local
papers on the radio and even regional TV. The students were animated motivated
and keen to learn. And the Shakespeare essays were several pages long. Now that
was the real magic. | 
