'My ancestor was tried for witchcraft and drowned in Shrewsbury 400 years ago - I travelled 4,000 miles to pay my respects'
'She's out here somewhere,' said American visitor Bill Garner as he walked round the ancient graveyard of Old St Chad's Church.
Four thousand miles and a family story going back nearly 400 years had brought Bill and wife Landi from Florida to this quiet spot in Shrewsbury, the last resting place of his nine-times grandmother Kathryn Garner who was tried as a witch in 17th century Shropshire.
"I don't know exactly where Kathryn is buried, but she is thirsty. She needs a drink," he said.
And Bill had come prepared with a flask of specially chosen bourbon from a Texas distillery. Choosing a suitable grassy spot, he poured a little of the bourbon on the sacred ground before taking a sip from the flask in a toast to her memory.
The story goes that Katherine, Kathryn, or Katharn - spellings are inconsistent - was tried for witchcraft in 1636. This involved tying her up and throwing her in water.
"Because she drowned, proving her innocence, she was buried in Christian ground and I thought it would have had to be at St Chad's because that's where her son John was christened."
