Remembering Polly

 

You may have previously been introduced to Polly Mayas in my article ‘Polly and Mary- Two lives cut short’ in the brilliant Haunted Magazine. However, I feel that there is far more to be told, and much of her story has been left unsaid. So, I returned to my research (and even uncovered some new information in the process) to continue the story, in hope that this little girl is never forgotten.

Ghost stories are fascinating things. They are so much more than they are given credit for. They serve as conduits for the attitudes and fears of a particular time or place, the dominant mindsets in a culture and in this case, a gateway into a history that has been left untold. I think that when looking at such stories, it is as important to ask why apparitions are remembered, as it is to question their validity. Often, in my experience those who subvert societies expectations, the lost or unloved souls become ghosts, it’s a way in which their legacy can continue, even if the memory of their life fades into the either.

I think this gives us even more reason to retell these tales. You see, our ghosts deserve compassion and respect. We must look beyond the narrative; to the human being existing behind the phenomena and understand their lives and the trauma they faced.

Whilst researching Shropshire’s ghost lore, I am often struck by the harrowing nature of some of the stories, particularly those involving women and young girls. If you have read some of my work before you may know some of what I am talking about. Indeed, littered over Shropshire’s blue remembered hills is a legacy of murder and profound violation and the female apparitions that were left behind. Though difficult to read, the content of these stories is part of my motivation to discuss Shropshire folklore. I think that these ghosts serve as a reminder, a collective rally against the indignation and ill treatment women faced. I want to turn their quiet whispers into war cries.

 They deserve to be remembered.

Polly’s story is part of this legacy. Her story is a truly heart wrenching example of how a child can suffer at the hands of those who purport to love them. This little girl deserved her life. She deserved to laugh and play and grow up to be a young woman. Unfortunately, this was taken from her. She was denied a voice and lost among the patriarchal world of the past. Since first discovering Polly, she has stayed with me; it’s as if she is never far from my side.

Let us return to Shropshire now, it’s been too long since our last visit and go to the village of Kynnesley. Now Kynnesley is part of Telford and Wrekin today, but it still bares all the trappings of the small rural community it once was. The local church is beautiful and has its origins in the 13^th century. The villages oldest house dates in part to the 1500s. History rises from the ground here and as with much of Shropshire you’re never far from the past.

 In the centre of the village is a raised bit of land known as ‘The Whim’. On ‘The Whim’ stands an oak tree, an ominous silent guardian, gnarled by age and experience. Lore suggests it served as the hanging tree for the local courthouse long ago. These were the parameters of Polly Mayas known world, the community in which she grew up. Unfortunately, this would also be where she met her end.

Much of what we know about Polly comes from the newspaper reports after her death, which I think adds to the tragedy of her story. Polly’s full name was Mary Elizabeth Mayas – but everyone referred to her as Polly. Several variations of her last name are found in the records, including Mayos, Mayers and Mayas. Polly lived in Kynnesley with her father Thomas, her stepmother Elizabeth as well as Elizabeth’s three children. Polly was still a child at the time of her death, with her age varying between eight and twelve, depending on which newspaper was reporting. The dated language used to describe Polly suggests that she was vulnerable and perhaps had a form of learning disability.

We are given little information regarding her family, other than Thomas was hardworking, and often absent from the family home. This left Elizabeth to contend with four children. There are several references to alcohol in the later newspaper reports, which hint at the possibility of Thomas being a prolific drinker. Though this is speculation.

Elizabeth was said to resent being at home with 4 children and struggled to meet the demands of Victorian motherhood. Stifled by her claustrophobic surroundings, she directed her aggression towards Polly. Polly suffered greatly under the care of Elizabeth, even if the other children has been misbehaving. She was starved of food and affection, to the point where neighbours resorted to secretly feeding her whatever they could spare. Their next-door neighbour, William Hicks testified in the later trial that ‘feeling certain that the deceased girl was being underfed, he took some bread and cheese to the prisoners house and asked them to give it her’ this was met with aggression however, with Thomas threatening William with violence and telling him to leave.

Further evidence of ill treatment came from a woman called Elizabeth Hughes, who reported that on the 10^th of January 1883, Polly came to her house. The day was cold, and she was dressed in thin, grubby clothes.  Polly was described as ‘starving… with a bruise on her arm and two black eyes and asked Elizabeth if she could stay a while at her house, for warmth and something to eat; to which she agreed.  For those who were on the outside looking in, this must have been a very powerless situation.

Polly was beaten frequently, a human punching bag for Elizabeth’s vile temper. It’s fair to say that Polly didn’t experience much love in her short life. She was ostracised from the other children, forced to stay indoors, with her stepmother refusing to let her play with her siblings. There is evidence of ill treatment towards her siblings too, with Polly’s brother William later testifying he was ‘frequently lashed’ and that Elizabeth purposefully starved Polly. This makes for extremely hard reading.

 It’s truly heart-breaking to think of such sustained abuse, and the fear she must have lived in before her untimely death. It isn’t known if Thomas knew about the true extent of the abuse, as Elizabeth covered her tracks, or he didn’t care. There is some evidence to suggest that Thomas was involved with the violence and later murder, but each statement contradicts itself. The neighbours certainly noticed that she was emaciated, and often dressed in dirty clothing. However, they didn’t understand the true extent of the situation, and no one could predict the level of violence that was about to unfold.

On the morning of Polly’s death, Elizabeth couldn’t control her outbursts. She chastised the young girl, hitting her several times, each time harder than the last and without restraint. She shouted at her and continued to hit her.

 Poor Polly didn’t stand a chance; she died of a fractured skull.

Things were to get more harrowing though. As Elizabeth cut up the young girl’s body and tried to burn it, with little success.  One account suggests that her husband Thomas assisted with the disposal of Elizabeth’s body, and this is certainly mentioned in some newspaper reports. The ‘Leeds Mercury newspaper’ from Friday 28^th April 1883 suggests that both Thomas and Elizabeth confessed to involvement with the crime but contradicted each other’s statements.

Thomas stated that he returned home to find his daughter Polly dead, with Elizabeth claiming Polly had fallen on the fire, banging her head by accident. He then claims Elizabeth prevented Thomas from getting the doctor, instead insisting they should ‘make away with it’ (Polly).

I’ve never truly got over that statement, the callousness, the dehumanisation, and denial of personhood. Elizabeth didn’t want her abuse to be uncovered, and thus they cut up Polly’s body and disposed of her remains in several places, including Appley wood pool (Known then as Apsley Park) and in the River Severn.

Elizabeth and Thomas informed the other children and the neighbours that she’d been sent to Shrewsbury to learn a trade, or for a role in service. Though people had their suspicions, nothing was spoken of her for around a month.

On the 9^th of February 1883, Polly Mayas’ severed head was found. Two versions of the story of its discovery exist, running parallel in some places, and in others inexplicably entwining. One comes from the newspaper archives, and the other folklore. Let’s follow both threads, untwining them as we go.

Both stories agree that on the morning of the discovery, two men were poaching on the banks of Apley pool, when they came across a bag, which contained human remains. Our ghost story takes over here, and suggests that whilst poaching, the men noticed a young girl paddling in the shallows of the water. They called to her, but she continued to play, quite happily in her own world. She was walking out into the deeper parts of the pool, towards the reedbed opposite. Not wanting her to get hurt, they tried to follow her, however as they got close, their dogs began to howl and bark. They turned to their dogs, as this was uncharacteristic behaviour, but when they turned back; the little girl had gone.

The two men looked around, puzzled. Soon they noticed that in the reedbed, there was a sack, which floated on the surface. As they looked inside, they saw Polly’s partially burnt remains. This must have been such a horrible moment for the two men, and one can only imagine the trauma they wrestled for the rest of their lives. If we are to believe the ghost story, it shows us that Polly wanted to be found. She directed the men to her remains. She didn’t want her story to end there.

Polly’s ghost is a frequent visitor of the riverbed and is still seen to this day wandering and in the vicinity of Apley wood. She is usually described as walking alone or playing by herself. Which makes for an incredibly sad haunting. People have also reported feeling melancholy, and an overall heaviness when walking in the area.

But Polly is more than a ghost story, she was flesh and blood, and the newspapers continue the tale. The men, one being identified as Joseph Bates ‘Gas Man’ at Apley Castle were out hunting for duck eggs when they found Polly’s head, wrapped in a sack. They quickly informed the police, who drained the pool, but no other body parts were found. However, a few days later her legs were found not too far away: after a widespread search. Her complete body was never recovered, with it sadly being lost to the Severn.

The police released a notice informing people that a human head and remains had been found, and soon enough, locals came forward to identify the remains. This much have been such a heart wrenching task, and one cannot help but wonder if they went to identify the remains with Polly in the back of their mind.

Sure enough, the locals identified the remains as belonging to Polly Mayas, and the police quickly arrested both Thomas and Elizabeth for the murder. When details of their crime hit the newspapers, the community was outraged. The family’s cottage was ransacked, with Elizabeth’s belongings being publicly burnt. This didn’t quell the anger of the masses, so they crowded around Wellington police station, where the accused were being held shouting threats and curses.

 The crowd was so large that the police had to draft extra officers from afar to meet the demands. When the two were being transported between prisons and to court even more police officers were drafted for fear of the crowd overpowering and lynching the accused. Though Polly saw little love in life, such an outpouring of collective grief after her death is truly powerful.

The Cheshire Observer described the situation as follows:

 "The feeling aroused against the prisoners since their apprehension is of such a nature that the police are compelled to use extraordinary precautions in conveying them to and from Shrewsbury Gaol for the purpose of examination before the magistrates, the crowd - being most threatening and loud in the desire to wreak summary vengeance on the accused". They had been transported from Shrewsbury to Wellington by mail train.’

The trial itself took place in Stafford and Mr. Justice Stephens heard the case on the 26^th Of April 1883. What we know of the trial is from newspaper records. The facts make for difficult reading. Especially, when we are given snapshots of the testimony of William Mayas, Polly’s 13-year-old brother. William is described as ‘bursting into tears’ with such intensity that the proceedings of the court had to be stopped. The court was patient with this brave young man and gave him time.

 During this break Elizabeth was said to be ‘crying bitterly, wringing her hands’ – perhaps a sign of guilt or a shred of remorse. After William had composed himself, he told the court how he and Polly had been ill-treated by Elizabeth, receiving frequent lashings. He stated that Elizabeth had been even crueller to Polly. Purposefully starving and neglecting her. On the day of the murder, he was at home with his mother and sister. He was then unexpectedly told to leave the house mid-morning, perhaps to run errands. Upon his return he stated that both his sister and mother were absent. When he enquired about Polly his mother chastised him, and upon seeing the police statements that human remains had been found, he spoke to his mother, and she refused to talk to him.

Though he struggled to make it through his testimony, William Mayas gave Polly a voice.

William’s bravery demonstrates that Polly’s siblings loved her, even if they lived in a culture of fear where showing it put them at risk. It must have been devastating for him, and her other siblings.  His testimony provides us insight into the lives of the Mayas children, and how Elizabeth’s cruelty tore the family apart.  I cannot begin to imagine what William must have gone through. What a wonderful, brave young man.

The trial ended with Polly’s father; Thomas Mayas was acquitted of murder but charged as an accessory to murder and sentenced to 18 months hard labour. Elizabeth’s defence emphasised her struggle with mental health issues, and certainly there is evidence of this. I don’t want Elizabeth to fall into the ‘Evil Stepmother’ trope so, it is important to highlight her poor mental health. However, her campaign of violence against Polly and her other children is inexcusable. Elizabeth received a sentence of 20 years for manslaughter. She died within six years of her imprisonment.

Polly’s murder and the subsequent trial was reported all over the world. It is stated grimly that Apley Pool became quite the attraction with:

 “Large crowds have visited the place, and intense excitement prevails".

Even as the eventual excitement dimmed, and the years drifted by reported sightings of Polly continued. She has never left the wood. She’s often seen as I mentioned earlier coupled with reports of a sombre, melancholy mood.

 I have never seen Polly but have experienced this feeling of solemnness. Whilst walking in the area. Its a feeling that rises from the chest and threatens to choke you. I felt this long before I learnt of her story. It always confused me but now, it makes more sense.

 If we are inclined to believe in ghosts, Polly doesn’t want to be forgotten.

Polly’s ghost has endured for many reasons, far more than we have time to address. The horrific nature of the crime would’ve had a legacy on those involved, directly or indirectly.  Polly’s death would have haunted the community for the rest of their lives. Her story is such an important one to be told. It’s a heart wrenching example of how children can suffer at the hands of those who claim to love them, and who are let down by the world around them. Polly’s ghost conveys the violence and appalling treatment that was the reality for the vulnerable, in a world where their voice didn’t matter.

She was remembered through the sorrow and rage of her community. Who were willing to tear down police doors in hope that something like this could never happen again. Polly is a reminder not to let this happen again. To strive to be a voice for the voiceless. This desire to avenge the wrongs done unto her would have been a driving force behind her story entering folklore. Afterall, humanity is all about remembrance.

 Once the grief and shock subside, we are overwhelmed by a desire to remember, to tell the story- remind the world of the person there used to be. As this was passed down from generation to generation, coupled with any unexplained phenomena that might have happened. She was transformed into the ghost.

Polly suffered a complete disregard for her personhood. Her story is such an extreme example of cruelty and dehumanisation. Its truly a tragedy that we know little about the girl before the ghost.

One cannot help but look at her story and think of the world we live in today, crimes like this haven’t gone away, and our time sadly has children like Polly too. The legacy of her death stretches out a small hand, through the generations.

I want to remember Polly; I want to listen to her tell me stories as she walks beside me. I want to let her be the little girl she deserved to be, let her laugh and play; let her have her childhood.

She deserves to be remembered.