In the 1600's fear of the supernatural and witches was at its peak, as always
there were exceptions. In 1631 a miller from Lumley near Chester-le-Street named
John Grahame was one of those exceptions, he was a happy man who laughed at
peoples fears of the supernatural, he was about to change his mind. Happy
working in his mill he was working late by the light of a candle when the
atmosphere changed his blood went cold and his flesh began to crawl. As he
turned there was a woman with blood pouring from her head turning her hair red,
with five deep wounds in her head the blood continued to flow as she stood and
stared at the miller.
The woman told the miller her name was Anne Walker a relative of his neighbour
John Walker. John Walker had seduced her and made her pregnant and to help him
be rid of Anne had asked a pitman from Lancashire named Mark Sharp to take her
away. Anne had gone with Mark Sharp believing she would be looked after until
after she had, had the baby and then return to John Walker. Instead Mark Sharp
had took a miners pick to her head and had murdered her, he had then thrown her
body into a pit. After not being able to remove the blood from his own shoes and
stockings he had hid them with the pick under a bank. The woman begged John
Grahame to tell about her murder and then disappeared.
Terrified the miller hurried home to his wife but said nothing of what he had
seen for he did not want to admit he had been afraid. To his wife's delight
thought he no longer stayed late at the mill. One night the miller stayed a
little later and the woman appeared again, this time she told him to tell of her
murder or she would come back again. Fearing people would think he was mad he
would still not go to the law. It was on St. Thomas Eve before Christmas while
walking in his garden the woman appeared again, this time she made the miller
promise to tell the law the next day of her murder.
Keeping his promise the next day he went to the law and they searched the pit
and found the woman's body, searching further the shoes, stockings and the pick
were also found. John Walker and Mark Sharp were arrested and their trial was in
August 1631 which lasted one day. Mr Fairhair a witness said that during the
trial he could see the likeness of a child on Walker's shoulders, disturbed by
this Judge Davenport sentenced them the same day. The pair were sentenced to
death and both were executed.
It was said that John Walker was not a nice man he abused his wife and he was
not liked by his neighbours, who agreed that shortly after she arrived as
housekeeper Anne Walker suddenly disappeared. The woman was never seen again but
the ravine in the Old Mill Wood where she was murdered was known by locals after
as 'Sharp and Walker's Gill'.
