When people mention Saddleworth Moor and murder they think of Ian Brady &
and Myra Hindley - the Moor Murderers - who buried
some of their victims in shallow graves up there. However if you stand in the
area where the bodies were found at Hollin Brown
Knoll you can look down onto Yeoman Hey reservoir and see where two heinous
murders took place. The crime is sometimes referred to as “the original Moor
Murders”. It happen at The Moor Cock Inn and nobody was ever charged. I went to
have a look at the scant remains of the former pub and also the grave where the
victims are buried.
I parked on the A635 that takes you up over the
moors and climbed over the stone wall. I made my way down passed sheep to the
former site of the pub. Further down you can see Dovestones
Reservoir which is a favourite haunt of walkers. It wasn't built when The Moor Cock
Inn was here though. There’re still some evidence of the pub jutting out of the
earth. Innocent sheep totter around not knowing of the savagery that ensued
years ago and is still features in books today.
The Moor Cock was owned by Bill Bradbury (aged
86) and he lived there with his son Tom (aged 46). Tom was a gamekeeper and on
the evening of Monday 2nd April 1832 he returned to the pub after a
day on the moors. He walked from the pub down to into Greenfield village to buy
food. On the way he met his dad who handed him keys to the pub. Further down
the road they met three men resting at the side of the road. One with an Irish
accent asked how far away Holmfirth was. Tom bought some food and walked back
up to the pub. What happened after this is still mystery but Tom and his dad
were each beaten to a pulp and left to die.
The next morning Bill’s granddaughter arrived at
the pub to get some yeast but found a scene of bloody butchery. Blood covered
just about every horizontal and vertical surface downstairs, even the ceiling. Her
uncle Tom was downstairs lying in a pool of blood and her granddad Bill was upstairs
on his bed saturated in his own blood. Both were still alive so she sprinted to
get help at the nearest neighbour house about half-a-mile away (since
demolished.) Back at the farm Tom was lying face down and his head was such a
mass of clotted gore that he was not recognisable. Though unconscious he made
frequent attempts to rise from the floor but flopped down each time. Upstairs
Bill was still alive but muttering nonsense. A deep cut down side of his head
showed bone and his fingers, hands and arms were cut to ribbons.
Both soon died: Tom was put into his bed but with
sixteen head wounds and two skull fractures he died as his wounds were being
dressed. Upstairs his dad died in the early hours of the following morning. Nobody
was ever arrested for the murders. The murders were reported at the time as
“one of the most diabolical murders ever committed” and theories still abound
today. Both men had obviously fought for their lives: flying blood in the pub
had splattered furniture, walls and stairs suggested frenzied attacks. Weapons found
nearby were probably used: a fire poker, sword stick, spade and a broken pistol
- all covered in congealed blood and matted hair.
Who had killed them? Bill had lived long enough
to say ‘pats’ or ‘platts’ - ‘pats’ was slang for
Irish people. Had the Irish workers At the time Irish workers were in
Greenfield village as they were laying the road to Holmfirth. Bill could have
said ‘Platts’ which was a common local name. He could
have said “Platters” which was a term used at the time to describe gypsies who
collected broom from the moors to weave into baskets. Tom who was a gamekeeper
may have had an argument with them over access rights to the moorland. Another
person questioned was a local poacher who Tom hated. An inquest was held at the
King William pub in nearby Uppermill and a £100
reward was offered (it was never claimed.)
I had a walk around the grass and the former site
of the pub. The pretty view down onto water belies the hellish carnage that
went on here. The Moor Cock was demolished in July 1937 and there’s not much
left. The most obvious bit is part of the cellar which is often used by sheep
to shelter. I’m not even sure if this private land now but I didn’t see anyone
around. A few stones still poked out from the earth here and there.
Near the former pub site lies Saddleworth
Church where dad and son are buried and I went to find the grave. I found the
churchyard to be one of the most overgrown I've ever seen. Thankfully the grave
was less prone to attack from expanding foliage as it was in a corner. As it
was horizontal and the size of a huge coffee table I stood on it. It was
difficult to imagine this neglected churchyard was the centre of a huge funeral
- thousands of people attended as the murders had gained notoriety far beyond
the area. On the slab are words that don't hold back, “Here lie the dreadfully
bruised and lacerated bodies of William Bradbury and Thomas, his son, both of
Greenfield, who were together savagely murdered in an Unusually horrid manner,
on Monday night, April 2nd. 1832, William being 84 and Thomas 46 years old.”
I did a salute, thought, "Blimey, someone's
got away with murder here," and I wondered if there was a Hell. For more
information there’s a paperback book (part fiction and part fact) called “The
Murders at Bill O’ Jacks” about the case - Bill O’ Jacks being a local name for
the pub.
To the grave at Saddleworth
church...