Dartmoor is shrouded in mystery and folklore but not many legends are as tragic as Kitty Jay's grave. In the 18th century, it's said that a young woman hanged herself in the deserted outbuilding of a Dartmoor farm.
Kitty's life was consumed by sorrow. In early life, she was orphaned as a baby and taken to the Poor House in Newton Abbot. Back then, it was customary to give children a surname beginning with whatever letter the Poor House had progressed to, in this case ‘J’.
So the baby girl ended up with the last name ‘Jay’. However, as that was also a slang term for a prostitute, the name Mary was added, and she became Mary Jay.
READ MORE: 'Ghostly voice' heard at Dartmoor's Kitty Jay grave site
She remained at the Poor House into her teens. Records suggest that she was then dispatched to Canna farm, outside Manaton, where she became known as Kitty and began the gruelling life of an apprentice.
It was while working long hours in the fields that Kitty met her lover, the farmer's son. She soon fell pregnant - a scandalous predicament for a young, unmarried woman during that era.
When her employer found out Kitty was banished from the farm in disgrace and left with no hope of finding further employment in the area. Tragically, she took the only option she felt she had at the time and hanged herself in the outbuilding of a nearby farm.
TikToker LaurieAlyceAdventures visited Kitty's grave to explain the legend surrounding the young woman and what happened to her. Laurie said: "This is the mystery of Dartmoor's Kitty Jay grave. Just down from Hound Tor is the 18th-century grave of a young, unmarried, pregnant housemade who was betrayed by her lover.
"Consumed by the shame of being a young woman who was pregnant out of wedlock, Kitty Jay took her own life, and her body was discovered in a farm outbuilding."
In those days, if was forbidden for suicides to be buried in consecrated ground. Instead, they were interred at a crossroads, sometimes with a stake driven through their hearts.
This was to prevent the restless soul of the departed from returning to haunt the living. God-fearing country people believed that if the body was buried at the parish limits, preferably at a crossroads, the spirit would be unable to find its way back. So Kitty's body was brutally disposed of.
But luckily, it's said the pixies of Dartmoor now watch over Kitty's grave. Laurie explained: "Due to the 1823 Burial of Suicide Act, Kitty Jay was not able to be buried in a churchyard. Instead, she was buried here where legends say Dartmoor pixies ensure her grave is always topped with fresh flowers."
According to Dartmoor National Park, it's still a mystery where the flowers come from. Their website reads: "No matter what time of the year, whenever you pass Jay’s Grave you will always see fresh flowers, sometimes wildflowers, sometimes garden flowers.
"No one knows who puts them there or why, but poor Kitty Jay has been remembered for far longer than the superstitious country folk who originally buried her."
READ NEXT:
