The Tragic Fate Of Bridget Cleary, Whose Husband Believed She Was A Changeling
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Bridget Cleary was an unconventional woman in what many considered a confounding marriage. Her home was also built upon what locals called a " fairy fort" so when Bridget fell ill, many, including her husband michael, believed it was the work of angry entities, and that cleargy had been replaced with a changeling.
From there, things only got worse for Bridget, as Michael began putting her through horrifying tests. To prove her identity
This children’s rhyme speaks volumes for the effect Bridget Cleary's burning had on Irish folklore and people's perception of fairies. Considered by many historians to be the last of the witches burned in Ireland, Bridget was a 19th-century “It” girl in her rural village, with the looks, education, and means to spark envy in others - the perfect target for accusations of supernatural scheming.
Changelings may seem like delightful monsters of the week on a CW show, but to the denizens of remote 1890s Ireland, the risk fairies posed to normal people was nothing to scoff at. Folklore and legends ran deep within these isolated communities, leading some to commit unbelievable acts to “cure” fairy-related ailments through extreme measures and, ultimately, even death.
Bridget Boland Grew Up In A Small Town In Southern Ireland
Born in 1867 to Patrick and Bridget Boland in the south of Ireland near Clonmel, Bridget Cleary was the youngest and only daughter in the family. Because of the family’s Catholic faith, Bridget was sent to a convent school, where she obtained an education, as well as skills like dressmaking and needlework.
By most contemporary accounts, she was an impressive young woman with good looks, marketable skills, and uncommon literacy. With such valuable skills, Bridget carried herself with a visible confidence, making a living as a seamstress and selling eggs from her own hens.
While the belief in witchcraft and fairies still lingered in Irish culture around this time, Bridget seemed to hold no real interest in it, instead appearing level-headed and logical. After her mother’s passing, Bridget would occasionally visit the stones of the fairies, natural stone formations of calcium carbonate with a unique bulbous shape. Aside from these visits, however, there was no evidence of an interest in the magical.
In 1887, Bridget Surprised Everyone By Marrying Michael Cleary
Despite how much she stood out as a beautiful, progressive, and well-educated woman, Bridget married young at the age of 18 to the town cooper, Michael Cleary. The marriage attracted a great deal of scrutiny and speculation for several reasons, from their nine-year age difference to the contrast between Bridget’s bright, outgoing personality and Michael’s reserved, broody temperament.
Bridget certainly stood out in the village. Thanks to her success in business, obvious intelligence, and stylish gold jewelry and feathered hats, she was a rarity for women at the time. In fact, Michael himself even admitted, “She is too fine to be my wife.”
The Couple's Marriage Had Strange Beginnings
Perhaps most odd about the beginning of their marriage was the fact that they lived apart for its first five years. Bridget stayed with her parents in Ballyvadlea, and Michael lived in his own Clonmel home. The married couple didn't move in together until 1891.
Along with Bridget's father, the couple ultimately made their home in a cottage in the small village of Ballyvadlea. Odder still for the time, they had no children, even after eight years of marriage. With no children, Bridget’s forward-thinking fashion sense, and her undeniable business acumen, Bridget certainly fit the definition of the 19th century “New Woman,” despite her rural life and upbringing.
This term was commonly used to describe women who pushed against the limits society had long imposed upon women. Many wondered what a woman like Bridget was doing with a man like Michael Cleary.
In March 1895, Bridget Fell Very Ill
Bridget’s successful egg-selling business kept her busy; she often made personal egg deliveries to locals, though Michael disapproved of this activity. On March 4, 1895, she made the familiar three-mile trek to the home of Jack Dunne, her father’s cousin, to deliver some eggs to him and his wife. This journey took her past the earthen ring of Kylenagranagh Hill’s fairy fort, a structure Bridget likely did not fear, but which was often avoided by locals, including her own husband.
Unfortunately, this particular trip was in vain, as Jack and his wife were not home, so she returned to the cottage. Despite the warmth of her own home, Bridget couldn’t shake the chill of early spring, and her condition quickly deteriorated to a pounding headache, fever, and shivering fits. Her illness was likely the result of bronchitis or tuberculosis, both common ailments at the time, but locals considered her symptoms a sign of something far more ominous.
After five days sick in bed, Michael summoned Dr. Crean to the home. After a careful examination, he diagnosed Bridget with “nervous excitement” and “slight bronchitis,” administering medicine and reporting that he “had no anxiety about the case.” Unfortunately, Michael was already forming his own diagnosis, which was a far cry from Dr. Crean’s opinion. This visit was the last time Dr. Crean saw Bridget alive.
After Bridget’s Death, Michael Cleary Was Arrested And Convicted Of Manslaughter
The next day, March 16, Michael reported his wife missing, claiming she had once again gone away with the fairies. He even spent the next three consecutive nights waiting on Kylenagranagh Hill for the fairies to return his “real” wife; however, five days later, Bridget’s charred body was found in a shallow grave, where Michael and Patrick Kennedy, Bridget’s cousin, had quickly buried her. Authorities immediately arrested Michael for her murder, along with the nine others present in the home, and a strange court case soon began.
The jury heard Michael’s sworn statement that his Bridget Cleary had been taken and a changeling left in her place. Jack Dunne testified that she had one leg longer than the other and therefore couldn’t have been the real Bridget Cleary. On the other hand, Bridget’s aunt testified that during her illness, Bridget claimed Michael had been “making a fairy” of her for months and “he thought to burn me about three months ago.”
Whether Michael truly believed his wife was an imposter or had simply used the excuse as a motive for the cruel murder is hard to know. Some have theorized he suffered from Capgras syndrome, a disorder of delusion and misidentification; people with this disorder believe an imposter replaced someone they know.
The court ultimately acquitted Denis Ganey and Mary Kennedy, sentencing the other defendants for wounding and Michael Cleary for the crime of manslaughter. At the time, people widely believed that, because most of the defendants were illiterate and steeped in traditional lore, they believed their actions were helping Bridget, hence their lesser sentences.
After 15 years, Michael was released from prison and migrated to Canada, never to be heard from again.
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