Who put Bella in the Witch Elm?
: Bella in the Wych.at Mysterious People …Professor Murray drew attention to the fact that the hand was missing from the skeleton when found, and suggested it was the sign of a black magic execution. She linked it with ‘The Hand of Glory’, traditionally obtained at the dead of night when it would be cut from the body of an executed criminal hanging from the gibbet or gallows. The hand was supposed to possess powerful magic, and was used to protect its owner from evil spirits, to reveal where treasure was buried or even to put people to sleep. She also drew attention to the ‘ancient tradition’ that the spirit of a dead witch could be prevented from causing any more harm by being imprisoned in the hollow of a tree. Subsequently the ‘Witch’ theory, where witchcraft was indistinguishable from black magic and ‘Bella’ had been put to death for some serious crime against a mysterious coven, became briefly popularIf no real identity was found for the murdered woman then at least a nickname s
