The tale of Kitty Jay is a well-known Dartmoor legend, shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Set in the late 18th century, the story revolves around an orphan named Mary Jay, who later came to be known as Kitty Jay.
Raised in a poor house in Newton Abbot, Kitty was sent to work as an apprentice at Canna Farm, located outside Manaton. There, she found herself in a difficult situation as she fell pregnant after receiving the attention of the farmer’s son. Disgraced and abandoned by those who should have cared for her, Kitty felt hopeless and ended her life, hanging herself in one of the farm’s barns.
As was the custom of the time, suicides were not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground. Thus, Kitty was buried at a crossroads, a place believed to prevent her restless spirit from haunting the living. Her grave, known as Jay’s Grave, became the epicenter of numerous paranormal sightings and strange occurrences.
According to the legend, fresh flowers mysteriously appear on Kitty’s grave daily, with no one ever seen leaving them. Some believe this to be the work of piskies, while others think it’s the tormented spirit of the farmer’s son, cursed to watch over her grave for eternity.
The tale of Kitty Jay continues to captivate and inspire people today, with her grave becoming a popular pilgrimage site for those intrigued by the haunting legend.
A Bards Ballad of Kitty Jay
Verse 1: In Newton Abbot’s humble town, An orphaned girl, her fate was bound, They called her Mary Jay. Raised in the Poor House, pure of heart, She cared for young ones from the start, Her spirit bright as day.
Chorus: Oh, Kitty Jay, your tale we sing, A lonesome soul, your heart did sting, Upon the moor, your legend stays, In Dartmoor’s nights and foggy haze.
Verse 2: At Canna Farm, her life began, A laborer’s life, a humble plan, In Manaton’s embrace. The farmer’s son, his heart did sway, To Kitty Jay, he’d often say, “You’ve brightened up this place.”
Chorus: Oh, Kitty Jay, your tale we sing, A lonesome soul, your heart did sting, Upon the moor, your legend stays, In Dartmoor’s nights and foggy haze.
Verse 3: A love so sweet, it could not last, For Kitty Jay, her fate was cast, A babe within her grew. Outcast, alone, and filled with strife, Kitty Jay, she took her life, No refuge she could find.
Chorus: Oh, Kitty Jay, your tale we sing, A lonesome soul, your heart did sting, Upon the moor, your legend stays, In Dartmoor’s nights and foggy haze.
Verse 4: At crossroads near, her body laid, In earth’s embrace, a mournful shade, Her spirit roams the moor. And by her grave, each moonlit night, A figure kneels, a mournful sight, Their love and guilt endure.
Chorus: Oh, Kitty Jay, your tale we sing, A lonesome soul, your heart did sting, Upon the moor, your legend stays, In Dartmoor’s nights and foggy haze.
So as we wander through the night, Remember well, dear Kitty’s plight, Her story lives in song. And on the moor, if you should pass, Her lonely grave, a whisper’s cast, For Kitty Jay, we long.
Chorus: Oh, Kitty Jay, your tale we sing, A lonesome soul, your heart did sting, Upon the moor, your legend stays, In Dartmoor’s nights and foggy haze.
