Ursula Southeil (c. 1488 - 1561) (possibly Ursula Sonthiel), better known as Mother Shipton, was an English soothsayer and prophetess who is said to have made dozens of unusually accurate predictions, including the Great Plague of London, the Spanish Armada, and the Great Fire of London. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Prophecy, generally describes the disclosing of Information that is not known to the Prophet by any ordinary means The Great Plague (1665-1666 was a massive outbreak of Disease in England that killed 75000 to 100000 people up to a fifth of London 's population The Spanish Armada ( Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada, "Great and Most Fortunate Navy" or Armada Invencible, "Invincible This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London.
It is now generally accepted that the figure of Mother Shipton was largely a myth, and that the majority of her prophecies were composed by others in retrospect, after her death. Although her prophecies were apparently recorded in a series of diaries, the first publication of her work did not appear until 1641, eighty years after her death. The most notable book of her prophecies, edited by Richard Head, was published in 1684. Richard Head (born c1637 in Ireland, died before June 1686 at sea near the Isle of Wight) was an Author, Playwright and bookseller
Head later admitted to having invented almost all Shipton's biographical details. He stated that she was born in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, in a cave now known as Mother Shipton's Cave, and was reputed to be hideously ugly - supposedly because she was fathered by the Devil. Knaresborough is an historic Market town and Spa town in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located four miles Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Mother Shipton's Cave (or "Old Mother Shipton's Cave" is at Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England, near to the River Nidd. The Devil is the Head claimed that she married Toby Shipton, a local carpenter, near York in 1512 and is said to have told fortunes and made predictions throughout her life. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England.
Prophecies
The most famous example of Mother Shipton's prophecies apparently foretells many aspects common to modern civilization and predicts the end of the world in 1881; however, it is now known to be a 19th century forgery, which did not appear in print until 1862:
- Carriages without horses shall go,
- And accidents fill the world with woe. Year 1881 ( MDCCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday
- Around the world thoughts shall fly
- Quick in the twinkling of an eye.
- The world upside down shall be
- And gold be found at the root of a tree.
- Through hills man shall ride,
- And no horse be at his side.
- Under water men shall walk,
- Shall ride, shall sleep, shall even talk.
- In the air men shall be seen,
- In white, in black, and even green;
- Iron in the water shall float,
- As easily as a wooden boat.
- Gold shall be found and shown
- In a land that's not yet known.
- Fire and water shall wonders do,
- England shall at last admit a foe.
- The world to an end shall come,
- In eighteen hundred and eighty one.
- Philip Cole will one day remove his coat at the dinner table.
External links
- Mother Shipton's Cave
- Mother Shipton at the Museum of Hoaxes site
- An 1881 Essay about Mother Shipton by William H Harrison
- Mother Shipton's Prophecies
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