The Cage of St Osyth
Standing quietly on the corner of Colchester Road in the charming English village of St Osyth is a haunting building steeped in history and ghostly tales. Conveniently located across from the local pub, The Cage offers a truly unique glimpse into the past. Once a lock-up for the town’s petty criminals, its darkest chapter unfolded in 1582, when it is believed to have confined women accused of witchcraft during an era of fear, superstition, and paranoia, where suspicion alone could seal a person’s fate. Among the thirteen women accused was the infamous Ursula ‘Ursley’ Kemp, whose story helped cement their grim and unwanted legacy as the “Witches of St Osyth”.
The St Osyth Accused Witches
Ursula Kemp, a local “cunning woman”, was known in the community for her healing abilities, often using herbal remedies and spiritual practices to care for the sick. Ursula unfortunately found herself accused of witchcraft by her neighbour, Grace Thurlow. When Grace’s son, Davey Thurlow, fell ill, Grace sought Ursula’s help, using words thought to be spells, Ursula treated the boy, and he made a full recovery. Later, Grace turned to Ursula again during her second pregnancy. However, after a disagreement, Grace became convinced that Ursula had cursed her family. When tragedy struck and Grace’s infant daughter fell from her crib, breaking her neck, the blame fell squarely on Ursula.
Such was Ursula’s reputation that even while imprisoned for her alleged crimes of witchcraft, community members sought her out for advice. During the witch trials that followed, Ursula Kemp, whether through coercion or the false promise of clemency, implicated other women, too. The hysteria also spread to neighbouring towns including Little Oakley, The Sokens and Little Clacton, with others accused inlcuding Ales Newman, Elizabeth Bennet, Ales Hunt (Barnes), Margerie Sammon (Barnes), Annis Glascock, Joan Pechey, Cisley Selles, Henry Selles, Ales Manfield, Margaret Grevell, Elizabeth Ewstace, Margaret Ewstace, Joan Robinson, Annis Herd (Heard) and Anne Swallowe (Eswell). Of the accused, two were sadly executed (Ursula Kemp and Elizbath Bennet), with a number of others perishing while imprisoned.
Accusation and Trials
The witch hunt and initial questioning were overseen by Justice of the Peace, Brian Darcy. Unfortunately Ursula’s seven-year-old son was pressured into testifying against her, declaring that she practiced witchcraft and kept four familiars: Jacke, a black male cat; Tyffin, a grey female cat; Pygine, a black female toad; and Tyttey, a white male lamb. The lamb, specifically, was accused of causing a child’s death. Despite her confession made in the hopes of receiving mercy, Ursula Kemp, along with Elizabeth Bennet, was convicted of witchcraft and executed by hanging in 1582 in Chelmsford. The suffering from such trials extends further than just those that were accused and executed – for instance, Ursula’s young son was left with no one to care for him, and his fate is unknown to this day. He was approximately 7 years old at the time of the trial.
Although the women’s initial holding place prior to being transferred for trial and execution is not known or documented, it has long been assumed that The Cage would have been their initial holding place considering its established use. Following this, Ursula would be transferred to and imprisoned in Colchester Castle awaiting trial, with her final trial and execution occuring in Chelmsford.
Recent history (18-20th Century)
The Cage itself was reconstructed sometime in the 20th century, adjoining it to the neighbouring property to become a living space, and extended to include an additional upstairs bedroom and adjacent kitchen. It’s for this same reason that the building unfortunately is not heritage listed – the formal grading system as it exists today is a rather recent system introduced in the 20th century also, so sadly many buildings that ought to be protected for their historic significance were either altered, destroyed, or in this case, reconstructed before they had a chance to be considered – For comparison, The Bardfield Cage wasn’t listed until 1985 – over a decade after The Cage had already been reconstructed. Having said that, the Tendring District Council to this day still identifies The Cage as a non-designated hertiage asset, as does the St Osyth Parish Council, and the home remains an iconic and culturally significant landmark among both the town and the paranormal community.
The location of the lockup has been disputed in the past mainly due to lack of records that date back to 1582 (almost 500 years ago). However, hand drawn surveyor maps dating back as far as 1772 are detailed enough to feature The Cage. When properly overlayed with modern satellite imagery to the correct scale and alignment, there is a building consistently marked across multiple surveyor maps spanning throuhgout the 18th and 19th century at the location today known as The Cage, dispelling any doubts about its location in recent history. In addition, The Cage’s use as a former lockup has also been upheld by both the local St Osyth Historic Society and the St Osyth Musem, confirmed in a statement from the museum (see below).
Paranormal Claims
The Cage is well regarded in the parnormal community, with many reporting paranormal experiences at The Cage. For a brief period of time, the home was opened to Paranormal Investigators, many of whom have reported your typical claims of any other haunted location. But one of the most compelling, mainly due to the fact that it was captured on CCTV, was that of Debbie – a paranormal investigator whose face seemingly morphed into an evil-looking grin. Debbie also reported a burning sensation on her back, revealing four distinct finger-like burn marks consistent of a deliberate attack. Despite the extreme nature of her experience, Debbie recovered, but the incident left a profound and haunting impression. Other guests, including us here at Amy’s Crypt, have reported poltergeist activity, unexplained sounds and voices, seeing unexplained mists, doors opening and closing, disembodied footsteps and phantom smells, among other things – a former owner of the property has even claimed to have been violently driven out of the house by something unseen.
The Cage Today
Due to nearly a decade of neglect and being unoccupied, the home has fallen into a state of disrepair, including damage caused by wood rot, damp and mould. We’re proud to share that The Cage was acquired by us here at Amy’s Crypt in early 2025, with a vision to restore this historic building to its former glory. Were committed to preserving and protecting this historicly and culturally significant landmark for generations to come, while also paying tribute and homage to the innocent women who lost their lives during the witch trials of St Osyth.
At this time, due to necessery restoration work, The Cage is not open to the public, though we encourage those interested to visit the official website of The Cage, and follow The Cage on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter/X to stay up to date on our progress. In the meantime, if you’re in the town of St Osyth, we recommend paying a visit to the nearby St Osyth Museum to learn more about St Osyth, the Witch Trials, and the legacy of The Cage. We’re committed to ensuring the legacy of the Cage is preserved and told as accurately as possible, so if you have any additional information regarding the history, ghost stories or your own paranormal experiences with respect to The Cage that could help us, please reach out.
Thanks for reading and supporting us!
XOXO
