Last Spring I was introduced to the legend of “Witch Bonney” who resides in the Lowell Cemetery in Lowell, Ma. If you go to see her, you will find all sorts of offerings and remnants of candles burned at her feet. There are often coins, flowers, prayer beads, stones and more given to her. I have heard of a story of a woman who took some beads from the grave and had nothing but bad luck and actually brought them back to end the “curse” of those who disrespect her.
The fact is, Clara Bonney Lilley was a married woman who is buried at her father’s (Bonney) plot along with her husband and mother. There is no evidence that she was a witch, although the “story” is that she was a witch that was hung during the witch trials, and she supposedly said before she died that she was going to come back an kill the family members of the people that condemned her. It goes on to say that she is buried with a list of last names of the people who killed her and when her dress falls below her breasts those family members with those last names will die. FACT: Clara died in the 1800′s, not 1600′s.
It is said that one day she will be reborn in the hollow of a tree. Scoff if you wish, but then one notices an odd thing if you frequent the cemetery. Workers there are careful to cut down any trees that are showing age and could be home to her resurrection. Are they believers or just not taking the chance? Supposedly there have been some odd EMF readings at the site as well.
There is also a story of a “guardian” or “protector” of Witch Bonney that you can find by looking where she looks. It is believed that this is the grave she looks to:
So, if you happen into this beautiful cemetery, be sure to say “Hello” to Witch Bonney and her brave lion for me.
What a very interesting story! I like the way you gave us myth vs. fact. Would love to visit her someday.
Thank you. It’s a BEAUTIFUL garden cemetery. Definitely worth the visit.
Last week my sister and I visited our relatives who live in Lowell. We both live in the southwest. We took a walk in the lowell cemetery which I frequentley did when I was a kid growing up in the area. We saw witch Bonney’s grave and stood on the hallow ground she is burried in. It was an errie feeling we felt when we walked onto her gravesite. There were other visitors in the grave yard who directed us to her grave. they also felt that feeling of a presence. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up as I walked away from her grave.
I remember as a kid finding a group of graves in that same cemetery where the people burried there were burned at the stake for being witches. My sister and I couldn’t locate the group. do you know where those graves are located in the cemetery? If you have photo’s of their graves I would like to see them.
There is definitely a presence at that site.
As far as I know, there was no cemetery located there during the time of the witch trials. All “official” burnings were done where the courts were, namely near the Salem Ma area and Boston and most of those burials were unmarked or outside of cemetery borders due to the belief that these should not be placed in “holy ground”.
Are you sure it was near this cemetery? Could it have been one of those myths you heard as a child that really isn’t fact? As I stated, one myth about Bonney was connected to witch trials but there are more than a hundred years discrepancy so there is no way. It was simply a made up story.
Lowell Cemetery dedicated 1841. Last witch trials in Massachusetts happened in 1692, 149 years earlier than creation of cemetery.
my mother told me that when she was a kid she went to see witch bonnie 2 days in a row. the 1st day both of the witches feet were pointed forward.the 2nd day one foot was pointed at an angle.my mom thinks the witch walks at night.
[...] covered Ms Bonney’s history in a previous post. [Witch Bonney] Tomorrow is Clara’s birthday. This is my gift to her. Happy Birthday Clara Bonney [...]
I actually live in Lowell near the cemetery. My cross country team holds our summer practices at the park across the street from the cemetery(sheds park). Since I will be a captain on the team this fall, I get to choose the route we run at practice, and we often run through the peaceful(and mercifully shady) cemetery. During our fall cross country seasons, we have a long standing tradition where on Halloween we visit the Bonney statue, check the level of her neckline(which really does seem to drop each year, although I don’t think it will ever truly go lower than her nipples, which is the current level) and introduce her to our freshmen(freshwomen technically) which she ”preys” on, or so we tell them.
Anyway, so last year when the team went into the cemetery for Halloween I and another veteran runner on the team(my co-captain for this year) went into the cemetery ahead of time to scare the other runners (the coach knew about our joke)… We went to witch Bonney and looked at all her offerings and found two crumpled up dollars in the front of her dress. We each took one and then we laid near the statue, after covering ourselves in dirt, leaves, and fake blood. The girls were so freake out when our coach brought them to Bonney, but when we got up and laughed, they did too.
So we got up and finished our run, and my cohort and I made plans to spend the Bonney dollars. A few days later, though, when I checked my music box where I kept the dollar, I noticed it was gone. I asked my teammate and she lost hers too! It was so freaky but kinda cool at the same time. True story, I swear.
[...] I found some information at this site http://darkofthemoon.wordpress.com/2008/12/19/witch-bonney/ . [...]
I live in Lowell, Massachusetts. I have a creepy story, although I’d rather not share because honestly I dont want it to happen again. But, me knowing what I’ve seen can happen when she’s involved in anyway to this day, KNOW, that “fact” of the matter is, she is a witch. Without absolutely no reasonable doubt. And for the record, shes there with her husband, mother and father. There’s two men, one last name Lilly and one with Bonney. Clara’s husband’s family found out she was a witch and told eveyone in the towm. She was burnt at the stake, but those dates are before the which trials, not before witches were discovered.
That’s so weird!!! Did you ever stumble upon the other witches? Are they around Bonney?
[...] Witch Bonney December 2008 9 comments 3 [...]
I love the story it is soooooo interesting!!!!
To the “Fact” that Witch Bonney was a witch, no. There is no “fact” that she was a witch. There is no records of her being a witch. There is nothing to implicate she was ever a witch. That doesn’t mean she couldn’t have been a witch. Just bear in mind, NONE of the people killed during the witch trials were actually witches. (Salem MA, for that matter, is laughable to me, as the witch trials didn’t happen there, but thats another story. Research it if you want).
Witch Bonney also was not a Wiccan, as Wiccan didn’t exist yet. Wiccan is a very new organization of old rituals and traditions associated with witchcraft passed down for generations. It’s like “Into to Witch Craft” for anyone who wants to be Pagan but isn’t quite sure what their path is. Sooo… she isn’t Wiccan either.
As for the Lion statue, there is more to that. The groundskeepers protect it in the winter by boxing it up, part of the legend is when her dress falls to her waist, she will be reborn in the hollow of a tree, and the lion statue will crumble. Not only do the groundskeepers cut down any trees that start to show signs of being hollow, but they also protect that statue.
As for strange occurrences, I’ve had my share there. I live in Lowell. I have no doubt that there is SOMETHING going on there, but I have to say that she was not burned at the stake for witchcraft, her religious beliefs can only be known to her. (even if she was baptized Christian, her own personal beliefs are impossible to know unless you can find a way to ask her). She was not a Lowell mill girl either, look at the dates. Also, her dress has fallen slightly over the years.
I have been to Witch Bonney’s statue along with some friends and there is definetely a strange feeling along with strange occurances that take place there
I am born & raised in Lowell & I can still remeber the first time I went to see Bonney
It was September 3 1995 it was my 14th birthday & I had always talked about wanting to go see her, since I grew up hearing all kinda of stories about her that I just has to see her!! So my mothers friend drove me their & it was an amazing expirence the feeling I had was so amazing, peaceful… & I go there to this day & still get that feeling I can’t explain… It’s like a calm peaceful feeling & although my mothers friend drove off & left me there as a joke, “NOT FUNNY” I did feel scared I started to run it felt like I was running in circles because I kept ending back at her resting place,, it was the weirdest thing ever. The cemetery it self is extreamly beautiful its nice for walks & I like to go through each tomb & pay my respect <3 if you have never been it is a nice place to visit, now the times that I have gone I've never seen any candles or offerings yet I hear that people do leave coins & all kinds of items, the last time I went I took a friend & he was being rude to the statue & I was telling him to be more respectful & to not speak about Bonnie the way he was & that night while driving home home we had an accident & the crazy part was all I could think off was Bonnie & him being disrespectful, I felt as though she was giving us a warming well him not me because he got hurt I was fine…. So make sure then when you do visit your at your best behavior & don't take anything left for her, overall it's a great place to visit….. 