We found a curious little find a few months back located on the site of the original 12th Century St. Angustine’s Church – also known as the Old chancel in Rugeley.

The Unusual tomb is a memorial dedicated to  two sisters, Elizabeth Cuting, who died in 1695, and Emma Hollinhurst, who died in 1696. On its top are carved effigies of two figures, each tied at the top and bottom in a shroud. These curious effigies are behind a local legend that the sisters were buried alive in sacks by Oliver Cromwell after rumours they were witches, Despite the fact that Cromwell died in 1658 which debunks this local legend.

The true story of the tombs is connected to a parliamentary act of 17 years earlier, which required corpses to be buried in wool. These ladies, among others, preferred to be buried in linen and defied the act, as the burial register shows.

Defiance would have resulted in a fine, and these ladies were fined even though they had actually passed on…meaning that they took a debt on from beyond the grave!