Jay's Grave

Kitty (or Mary) Jay was an orphan, who lived in the parish of Manaton around the late 18th century. She is reputed to have committed suicide after falling pregnant, the result of a young farmhand forcing his attentions upon her. Her body was refused by the three nearby parishes (Manaton, North Bovey and Widecombe) so she was buried at a point where the boundaries of those three parishes met. It was common to find victims of suicide buried at crossroads in this way. Around 1860, the grave was opened, under the supervision of a Mr. James Bryant, and the remains of a teenage girl were found. These were reburied on the same spot, and the grave was marked with head and foot stones.