Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-01-29

Superstition Surrounding Them.


Mother shipton. = '.*
~ Superstition Surrounding Them.
Most people are satisfied with one
mother, and so they should be in the
course of nature. I have, however,
writes London correspondent to The
Boston Herald, discovered in one por-
ton Of London three mothers, and all
of them mothers of the same offspring,
all living at Camdentown and Kentish-
town, all easily reached by tram-car
starting from Kings Cross railway sta
ton, which is situated in the northern
part of this vast city. The offspring of
these mothers three, is-what do you
suppose? Briefly, then, since you prob
ably give up the riddle, it is a bar, not
legal bar, but public bar, or, in Eng
fish abbreyiation, "a publ The moth
ers are the three names of inns of the
past, now degenerated into mere way
side resorts for the expenditure of the
nimble coins of the realm, which seem
somehow to burn in the pockets of the
British workman and his spouse. Gu
rious to learn something of inns, which,
as far as can ascertain, are the only
ones called mother" this or that, +
made little tour of investigation as to
their origin and history, both on the
premises themselves and ut that mine of
knowledge, the British museum, which
includes the histories of every sort of
English enterprise and Of the books and
literature of all nations. 1t was posi-
BILE, however, to CLEAN most Of my facts
from the places under consideration
namely, the "Mother Red Cap" '.Moth-
er Black Cap" and Mother Shipton'
kosteleries. The people living near
them have preserved large amount of
biographical lore, and, save that here
and there a date needs verifying, Cam
dentown and its contiguous Kentish-
town are we'll grounded in all. pertain
ing to their celebrated ''Three Moth
ers.' AS far back as 1880 these three
inns were in hourishing condition.
Mother Red Cap and Mother Shipton
date back to the early seventeenth cen
tury, and, believing vague rumors, even
further back. Mother Black Cap can
not trace with authority earlier than
1920. With Mother Red Cap it was and
is at rivalry, and it's name was doubt
less given in order to be one quite op-
posite to red, or, likelier still, because
Mother Red Cap was once intended to
have been made a second Tyburn.
Therefore black may have been used in
derisive spirit. ''Orders." wrote The
Morning Post newspaper in 1776 shave
been given from the secretary of state s
office that the criminals capitally con-
yicted at the Old Bailey shall in future
be executed at the cross-road near the
Mother Red Cap inn, the half way
house to Hampstead, and that no gal
| leries, scaffolds Or other temporary
stages be built near the place.
The first home of Charles Dickens in
! London was within sight of the Red
| Cap when he came here with his par
cnts from Chatham in 1921. 1t was
then about the poorest portion of the
London suburbs. The thoughtful little
, lad saw about him that sorry poverty
which he SO graphically portrayed later
on in his marvellous word paintings. That
his childhood was lonely in consequence
OF his having at that period of his life
no suitable companions was perhaps
the best thing which could have hap
pened for the imperceptible develop
ment of his mental life.
The Mother Red Cap was from earli-
est times q terror to travellers. She was
character in history, sometimes called
''Mother Damnable," of Kentishtown.
At her house the notorious :'Moli Gut
purse" the highway feminine marauder
of Oliver Cromwell's day, halted and
lodged. Viragos these two beyond all
doubt. In 1850 the old house was taken
down and a new one built on its sight,
with the same swinging sign over the
door OF buxom, shrewish-looking wo-
man, with formidable xtinguisher-
shaped hat. The present house is in its
turn successor to the 1850 one, built
about 1875. Much of the walls and
stone foundations are not only those
comprising the later but the former
domicile. As many histories are pre-.
sented of this somewhat mythical per.
sonage as there are days in the week.
The venerable dame, witch, or alewife
is identified by many writer's as the cele.
DRAFTED Eleanor RUNNING, of Leather.
head, in Surrey, who lived in the days
of Henry VIII This old alewife is de-
scribed by the poet laureate of bluff
King Hal as being most uncomely oil
face, 'ugly of cheer, her face all brow.
sy, wondrously wrinkled, her 'een
bleared, and she gray-haired."
In work on the history of St. Pan.
creas is the account of her life which is
most probable, and the one nearest the
traditions still extant in Camdentown
''She was,' says this record, "some.
times called, besides Mother Damnable'
and Mother Red Cap the 'Shrew .o1
Kentishtown.' She was the daughte,
Of one Jacob Bingham, brickmaker in
the town and neighborhood. firing o.
the humble labors of a bricklayer, he
enlisted in the army and went to Scot
land, marrying there a Scotch peddler'
daughter. The result of their union
was our Mother Red Cap, whom they
named Jinney. At last the father wear.
led of the army and returned to his
bricks, sometimes relieving life's mon.
oto1F by travelling, with his wife an6
child, as a peddler. Thus the girl got
into vagabond ways, and at 16 had an
intrigue with one Gypsy George, or as
he was less frequently known, George
Coulter, an idle ne'er-do-well This
man was a deal of bother to- the magis.
trates, and, truth conpels us to record,
he lived by his wits, which were most
disreputable ones. In his evil deeds he
was seconded by the lawless Jinney.
At last Coulter was caught sheep steal
ing, sent to Newgate. tried at the Old
Bailey, and hung at Tyburn.
! Reckless Jinney did not long wear
I She willow. No. 2 in her laWless atfec.
/ ions was drunken fellow named OAR
~. They We're constantly quarreling,
md st last Jinney talked matters over