On March 14, 1895, Michael Cleary murdered his wife Bridget on suspicion of being a changeling. Was this a result of Michael’s superstitions or Bridget’s independence?
Bridget was a dressmaker and milliner, and sold eggs to support herself. Both literate, the childless couple lived in a stone cottage with glass windows, all rare for their area at the time. Though Michael apparently didn’t like for Bridget to deliver eggs on her own, she did that fateful morning, passing a medieval earthen ring fort on her way.
Local believed the forts were the home of faeries, whom they blamed for their mishaps in life. They also believed that if you walked too near a fairy circle, you might be replaced by a changeling.
When Bridget returned home, she fell ill, and Michael began to look for a supernatural cause. According to his later testimony, Michael claimed that the ailing Bridget was taller and prettier than his actual wife. His suspicions were purportedly affirmed by a neighbor. To drive out the changeling, Michael forced Bridget to drink milk mixed with bitter herbs, threw urine on her, and burned her with a hot poker. Eventually, he set her clothes on fire and buried her in a shallow grave near their home. Michael was later charged with manslaughter. Some observers question whether the educated Michael was really that superstitious or if he merely wished to rid himself of an independent wife. However, he didn’t act alone. His father and several of Bridget’s cousins participated in the attempted exorcism.
Do faeries and changelings exist? Was Michael deranged by superstition? Or was this a scheme to do away with a troublesome wife? You decide.
