The Murder of Ruth Osborne - The Witch of Tring, England

Oct 10

The Witchcraft Act of 1735 was passed by Parliament in Great Britain in an attempt to put an end to the hysteria of witch trials and killings that had plagued the country for centuries.

Under the new act, formally accusing someone of witchcraft was now a crime, but this wouldn’t immediately change the minds of those that truly believed witches could use magic to harm others.

The “Witch” Ruth Osborne

In 1745, Ruth and John Osborne were an elderly couple with no money or place to live. The two were placed in a workhouse in the small town of Tring located in Hertfordshire, England, and with little work available, the two resorted to wandering around begging for food and money.

One morning, Ruth came upon the farm of John Butterfield and seeing several full pails of milk, she asked the farmer for some to take. Butterfield refused and according to various accounts, Ruth did not take his rejection well. Though there was no physical altercation, Butterfield later said Ruth implied his animals would pay for his selfishness.

Over the next six years, the animals on Butterfield’s farm periodically become sick and die in “unnatural quantities”. Butterfield himself fell sick and started experiencing random seizures. Naturally, he confided in his friends and neighbors asking for advice. They quickly suspected a curse had been placed on him.

Believing this to be the case, Butterfield remembered his altercation with Ruth Osborne from six years earlier and suspected her to be the cause. At the behest of the community, Butterfield met with a white witch and after learning of Ruth, she too believed Ruth was the culprit, but first, they had to clean him of her curse.

Following the cleansing instructions from the white witch of Northamptonshire, Butterfield rid himself of the curse by using charms that he, unsurprisingly, had to pay for. He also purchased six charms for six men to guard his farm while he cleansed it. Though he believed he had rid himself of Ruth’s curse, it was not enough for him, the witch of Tring had to pay.

A Mob Forms at Tring

On April 18th, 1751, Tring’s town crier stood at the public square and announced that in just a few short days Ruth and John Osborne would be put on trial for witchcraft. Meanwhile, in the nearby towns of Hemel Hempstead, Leighton Buzzard, and Winslow, the town criers made the same announcements.

The method chosen for their trial was known as ducking, a test where the accused’s hands and feet were tied and they were thrown into a body of water. If the accused was able to rise to the top despite being bound, they were thought to have been saved by the devil and were confirmed to be a witch. If the accused sank and drowned, they were innocent… and dead.

On April 22nd, 1751, a crowd consisting of over four thousand from multiple surrounding towns and villages entered Tring to watch the trial. A small mob marched onto the workhouse demanding Ruth and John Osborne come out. Instead, the Master of the Workhouse, Jonathan Tompkins, announced Ruth and John were missing and hadn’t been seen in days.

In reality, Tompkins knew Ruth and John were innocent, referring to them as “honest people” and having heard of the pending trial, he secretly brought them to the local church for sanctuary. The mob grew restless and demanded they be let in to search. Tompkins denied their request but it was for naught as the mob broke in seeking justice.

St Peter & St Paul Church where the Osbornes hid

Believing the two were in league with the devil allowing them to shapeshift into small animals, the mob smashed open the saltboxes looking for any signs of the Osbornes. When they emerged empty-handed, several of the mob grabbed hay and created torches threatening Tompkins of burning down his workhouse if he didn’t reveal the whereabouts of the witches.

The mob grew restless as Tompkins debated with them and soon several threatened to burn down not just the workhouse but the entire town of Tring. Others threatened to lock Tompkins in the workhouse as it burned. Jonathan Tompkins had no choice and revealed the Osbornes were in the church hoping the mob would respect the hallowed grounds.

The mob rushed down to the church and recklessly broke down the door. Like Tompkins had said, Ruth and John Osborne were indeed hiding in the church. Several of the mob grabbed the two and dragged them out to face trial.

The “Trial” of Ruth and John Osborne

The suspected witch and wizard were stripped of their clothes, their left thumbs tied to their right foot and right thumbs tied to their left foot as a rope was tied to their waist. They were then dragged for two miles until reaching Marlston-Mere pond, all the while, they were beaten and spat on by the mob.

But the pond itself wasn’t that deep, and it was full of mud making it difficult for the mob to conduct their “trial”. They decided it was best to drag each of the Osbornes into the water, push them down to the bottom, and hold them there with a long stick.

A local chimney sweep, Thomas Colley took charge and, after placing a sheet around Ruth, forced her underwater. Using a stick he continuously turned her over as she fought for air. After a few minutes, the mob pulled her out and tossed John Osborne in to face the same torture. Minutes later, he was pulled out and beaten as the tired Ruth was thrown back in.

Illustration from a magazine reporting Ruth’s murder

By the end of the second round, Ruth’s sheet had ripped off and the third time Colley threw her into the pond, she was naked. Ruth still fought for air but the deranged Colley pushed a stick down onto her head to keep her underwater. Ruth was able to push it aside in a struggle for air but, Colley simply jammed the stick into her chest and held her down.

After several minutes, she was pulled out. The beaten and bruised body of Ruth Osborne lay in front of the mob. At the age of 71, Ruth Osborne was dead.

There are varying accounts as to what happened to John Osborne, some say he was tied to Ruth’s dead body and ducked once more, surviving the ordeal. Other accounts say he died from his injuries moments later or even days later.

Either way, with the death of Ruth Osborne, the mob had gotten their “justice” and Thomas Colley went around the crowd collecting money for his “service”.

The Trial of Thomas Colley

Word spread quickly of what occurred at Marlston-Mere and the death of a witch eventually appeared in papers and magazines. Since this was an illegal act, an inquest was conducted into the events. Many of those questioned, refused to say they were at the ducking of Ruth Osborne but eventually, Thomas Colley’s name came up and the officers learned he collected money from those in attendance.

At the end of the investigation, Thomas Colley and several others, some accounts say up to 30, were arrested and charged with murder. On July 30th, 1751, Thomas Colley was put on trial where he testified that he was just passing by and when he saw what the mob was doing, he merely tried to help Ruth and John Osborne.

But the coroner testified the only marking on Ruth’s body, besides bruising, was a small tear into the skin of her chest caused by a small object like a stick and concluded she died of drowning.

This, along with the testimony of others confirming Thomas was the only person holding Ruth down with a stick, led to a guilty verdict. Thomas Colley was sentenced to death by hanging for the cruel and inhumane murder of Ruth Osborne.

The Death of Thomas Colley

The sentence of death was to be carried out in mid-August 1751 but it had to be moved to a week later as people protested his execution. Many believed Colley had done the right thing in killing a witch and believed his death sentence was the true crime.

Fearing the protests could grow into a mob, the authorities waited for soldiers to arrive. On August 24th, 1751, Colley, surrounded by 108 soldiers and 7 officers, made their way to Tring. From there they moved to the place of execution at Gubblecote Cross in Lukes Lane, near where Colley had murdered Ruth Osborne.

Before he was hanged, Colley read out his confession to a crowd of thousands. He took responsibility for the murder and proclaimed he didn’t believe in witchcraft. Thomas Colley was then hanged, dying moments later.

As part of his punishment, his body was hung with chains on the gallows for years until only his skeleton remained as a warning to other witch-hunters.

The Black Dog of Tring

Unsurprisingly leaving a hanging body along a winding road until it’s nothing but a skeleton is liable to create some ghost stories. It’s not clear when the sightings of Thomas Colley’s ghost started appearing, but written records go as far back as 1878.

In the book “More Glimpses of the World Unseen” by Frederick George Lee, Lee writes about several eyewitnesses having seen a “spectral animal” near where Thomas Colley was hanged. Many believe this to be the ghost of Colley returned as a black dog dragging the same chains he was hung with on the gallows.

In 1911, a schoolmaster and a driver were passing by the site of the gallows when they both witnessed a large flame appear near the road. Suddenly, in front of them, was a large black dog:

“I then saw an immense black dog just in front of our horse … He was as big as a Newfoundland, but very gaunt, shaggy, with long ears and tail, eyes like balls of fire, and large, long teeth, for he … seemed to grin at us. In a few minutes the dog disappeared, seeming to vanish … or to sink into the earth, and we drove over the spot where he had lain.”

I couldn’t find any other detailed accounts of the “black dog of Tring” also known as the “Lean Dog of Tring” and all other articles or sources directly or indirectly reference these two accounts.

Is Thomas Colley’s spirit forced to wander Tring as a black dog for the rest of time as punishment for the murder of Ruth Osborne? Probably not but, it makes for a good story.