The Feared Witch Of York | Mother Shipton

Who was the 'Witch of York' Henry VIII wrote of in 1537? The answer might be a legendary woman known as Mother Shipton. Living deep in a cave on the edge of the Forest of Knaresborough, Mother Shipton - born Ursula Soothtell - would rise from an outsider in her community to become the most respected and feared prophetess of her age. This video looks at the story of her unusual life, and what impact her prophecies continued to have long after her death...
*I've removed a small section where I gave an incorrect reason of death for Thomas Wolsey which might not show immediately - sorry, mistakes do sometimes happen! Thank you to the person who spotted it.
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Mother Shipton's Legacy - amzn.to/3EzVzqB
The Strange and Wonderful World of Mother Shipton - amzn.to/3rME9iP
Mother Shipton Investigated - amzn.to/3Mow7WS
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[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Thanks for watching! Do you believe Mother Shipton was real? Or was she a legend made up of many people? If you enjoyed this video, why not click on another? Could You Survive As A Medieval Peasant? kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKHHlqetnbKCl9U The Forgotten Tudor Queen | Part 1 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmGydZSdqrKjaMk

[@Philip-bk2dm]

Even today, if a writer wants us to dislike a character the writer will make that person physically unattractive. Life may be unfair, but we do a lot to make it that way for each other. Hats off to those who don't let it stand in their way. Thanks for another great video.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! 😊 And you're right, physical appearance is always linked to how 'bad' or 'good' someone is. It's interesting that the sculptor who made her statue stated that they purposely wanted to stay away from making Mother Shipton look like a typical witch, or rely heavily on her description that was like a caricature, in order to counter the idea of her being a witch. I live just up the road from Knaresborough, and she's a very affectionately thought-of figure these days.

[@trishabidesi8604]

My 5 yr old son is Autistic. His fathers mother calls him the result of a curse. Calls me evil. We have been ostracized. People pretend to be nice to our face but talk horribly behind our backs. And to make matters worse. These people claim to be Christians. Yet they do things the total opposite of God.

[@tonibarrone854]

It is so sad that the poor and different had to suffer for others stupidity

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

It is sad, but there's at least something good in Mother Shipton's tale that she rose above it - even if she didn't really exist, hopefully it meant others like her also managed to find respect in a world that scorned them.

[@carolinemacrae6227]

They still do.

[@juliebarry5375]

but they are off evil....people today give lunatics a pass when in reality they are infected with evil.....the old times knew the truth,,,but now its pity all lol

[@danatowne5498]

This was fascinating! My husband's family (I'm on his account exercising) lost 2, almost 3 women to the Salem witch trials in New England. That was really over a land dispute, but I've always held a soft spot in my heart for the misunderstood.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Same here - I am certainly going to cover the Salem Witch Trials at some point, as well as the British version of similar events, The Pendle Witch Trials. It's sad how those who were different were wanted at times when it was useful, and reviled the next when it wasn't.

[@danatowne5498]

@@HistorysForgottenPeople , absolutely true. it seems always to be the way. People who are different are often very creative and we would not have a society at all without them, not to mention plain old kindness. We wouldn't survive without that either!

[@LilyGazou]

It’s always that delicate question of money.

[@michaelarchangel1163]

This reminded me of a now deceased friend, who'd once told me of visiting an old lady, of whom it was said could foretell a person's future. He said she stared at a wall and told him that she saw him wearing an uniform. He laughed inwardly, as he was a hairdresser, a gay chap and had absolutely no intention of working at anything else. Three or so years later, he was cutting hair on the SS Canberra, a P&O ocean liner and had to wear a white uniform as a requirement for the job. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

I love it! As you say, we'll never know if it was a coincidence or not - don't laugh at old ladies telling fortunes!

[@naeemapatel5259]

Those poor two women I'm sure all they yearned for was love and acceptance but they were denied this basic human right, it's so sad

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

It is awful to think how they (and others like them) were treated, I agree, but at least Mother Shipton - if she existed - became respected and famous despite that. I suppose it's always something to remember about to treat others. It's also some comfort that her foster family apparently cared for her like their own, as well.

[@uksquall]

Her prophecies about modern times are fascinating.

[@robertafierro5592]

Poor Agatha and tiny Ursula, living in a cave like animals t he most dangerous animal.out there is MAN.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

History does prove that time and again!

[@gtqn1425]

This is such an underrated channel. So much research and detail. Thank you!

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Thank you so much, that's very kind. I'm glad you enjoyed the video! 😊

[@barbieblues7639]

I wonder how much is real. History can be really confusing. It's too bad that only "important" people were/are ever really documented well.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

I wonder that, too. But I suppose even if everything about Mother Shipton (and her mum!) was made up, at least they're still an example for the hundreds of nameless women who had to go through similar experiences.

[@barbarastepien-foad4519]

Hm, it's the "important " people who have lots of invented things written about them...mainly to make them look even more important and powerful 😆

[@j.c7719]

I have always wanted to be a witch, I love the artwork, the lifestyle, the mystery.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

It's certainly a good time of year for it! 🧙‍♀️

[@christinewuerth7505]

Dankesehr für deine Videos, ich werde alles in Ruhe anhören und danke für deinen absolut great slang, ich war in Boscastle im Hexenmuseum vor einiger Zeit, sehr interessant. Jetzt weiß ich, warum ich cats so liebe, Besenstiele eher nicht? ❤️🥂🙋‍♀️

[@P9rkour90]

Damn, “the devils bastard” has got to be one of the worst things to be called….

[@annacalifornia6498]

Wasn't her "prediction" used for recent Prime Video mini series?

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Oh, I don't know, I'd have to look for that. It wouldn't surprise me that her supposed predictions were still holding people's imaginations, though!

[@annacalifornia6498]

@@HistorysForgottenPeople Good Omens.

[@kyndramb7050]

The Prime series is based in a book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens.

[@Lulu-ut9pv]

I live near Knaresborough in Yorkshire, England It's a great day out and there are teddies durned to stone

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

I'm close too, I'm just up the road around Ripon. 😊 The objects there are amazing to see, even if we know how it's done now.

[@Lulu-ut9pv]

@@HistorysForgottenPeople OMG this is.. spooky, I've never met someone on KZbin who lived so close to me, they still do talks and tours about Knaresborough and mother Shipton, my family on my mother's side where royal hunters, Harrogate used to be the royal hunting grounds while Knaresborough Castle was still a living residence

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Wow, that's really cool knowing that about your ancestry! It's an interesting thought that if Mother Shipton was real, your family may have been aware of her, or even known stories about her as they lived there around the same time. 😊

[@savantianprince]

Sad that disability and diffetnce was met with witchcraft

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

It certainly was - I'm not surprised many of these people made threats about curses, etc. in order to frighten others away as a survival mechanism. Equally though, they were the first people turned to for medicine and prophecies!

[@reincarNATE_2178]

She was very real

[@starcherry6814]

Witches aren’t real How cruel they were to the girl and her mother.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

They were, a lot of people back then were targets for others wanting to demonise someone. Unfortunately, single mothers were an easy target, and even if Ursula and her mother didn't really exist, they're a symbol of many who were in the same position.

[@nobodysbaby5048]

Witches are real. Unfortunately if a woman had an interest in the healing/herbal arts back then & was an unconventional person it was often fatal. They are not necessarily the same thing.

[@zevleigh4735]

Witches are very real

[@aw9307]

Although she was a real person, she is more fiction than fact.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Oh absolutely, and I do make it clear that it's mostly legends and stories about her. But I think it's still powerful that so many of them continue on, to the point that she's now a proud symbol of Knaresborough.

[@paulbrookes413]

Is the narrator TOYAH?

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Er, nope. Got my name on my about page, but people never look there, haha.

[@juneroberts5305]

​@History's Forgotten People Strangely enough, it's the first place I check on a newly discovered channel. I want to know the Who, What and Where - I feel robbed when I check it and there is no info. 😂 New sub here, so checked 'About'' just half an hour ago...

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

@@juneroberts5305 Well, I'm very glad to hear someone is reading my about section! Thank you!

[@juliebarry5375]

mother shipton WAS REAL....stop the doubting thomas crap