November 8, 2019 • 13 mins
Whatever your thoughts on supposed occult groups conducting rituals in England's west Sussex countryside, for whatever reason, it's fair to say the region has certainly had its fair share of weirdness.
In fact, only last year, yet another peculiar story emerged from out of the shadows of the Sussex Downs, as compelling as any other that had previously come to light... Featuring the story of Anthea Ring.
Go to @unexplainedpod, facebook.com/unexplainedpodcast or www.unexplainedpodcast.com for more info. Thank you for listening.
In fact, only last year, yet another peculiar story emerged from out of the shadows of the Sussex Downs, as compelling as any other that had previously come to light... Featuring the story of Anthea Ring.
Go to @unexplainedpod, facebook.com/unexplainedpodcast or www.unexplainedpodcast.com for more info. Thank you for listening.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to Unexplained Extra with me Richard McClane Smith, where
for the weeks in between episodes, we look at stories
and ideas that, for one reason or other, didn't make
it into the previous show. In last week's episode, The
Dark Ascending, we took a trip to Chanctonbury Ring in Sussex,
England to shine a light on the many peculiar happenings
(00:31):
that are said to have occurred there and in the
surrounding countryside over the years. The episode focused largely on
Charles Walker from the town of Worthing, who, after looking
into a number of these strange events, became convinced that
a local occult group known as the Friends of hecate
were operating in the area. It was Walker's belief that
(00:54):
this group may even have committed murder as part of
a series of rituals they were conducted, as many people
have noted. However, despite Walker's claims, very little has been
uncovered to prove that the Friends of Hecateae even exist,
let alone were responsible for ritual murder of humans or
indeed dogs, which they have also been linked with. As
(01:18):
one listener of the show kindly wrote in to explain
though historically ancient worshippers of Hecateae did sacrifice animals in
the hope of gaining favors from the Goddess, the Great,
many Hecatea and practitioners of magic that exist today are
fervently opposed to violence and cruelty and are unlikely to
do such a thing. Certainly, there is no evidence that
(01:40):
such practitioners have ever made a human sacrifice to the goddess,
who is also considered to be the guardian of dogs,
all of which makes this Hecatea connection or the more
fanciful attempts to associate the group with Satanism, a theme
that was later picked up and expanded on in a
book by Toy Newton, author of the nineteen eighty one
(02:03):
magazine piece about the Peculiar String of Events, are also problematic.
Without wanting to go into too much detail since it
will likely feature on a future show, supposed Satanism has
long been demonized pun intended as a practice of heinous
and wicked acts, as opposed to merely being an outlet
for nonconformist and unorthodox ideas. That said, it's hard to
(02:27):
deny that this small pocket of southern England for whatever reason,
has certainly had its fair share of weirdness. In fact,
only last year, yet another peculiar story emerged from out
of the shadows of the Sussex Downs, as compelling as
any other that had previously come to light. In nineteen
(02:53):
forty six, nine year old Anthea Ring was playing outside
her home in Surrey with her best friend when the
pair of them got into an argument. Upset, Anthea turned
to run back inside, but was stopped in her tracks
when Peter called after her. I don't care if you
tell on me to your mother, he said, she isn't
(03:16):
your real mother anyway. Shocked and confused, Anthea ran crying
to her parents and demanded to know what Peter was
talking about. That night, her parents, Margaret and Douglas, revealed
the truth that when she was a newborn, Anthea had
been abandoned on the doorstep of Worthing Hospital in Sussex. Thankfully,
(03:40):
the surprise revelation didn't appear to upset Anthea too much,
who loved her kind and caring parents. Regardless, she had
even been a little excited at having such a unique
story to share with all her friends. At fifteen, Anthea
went to work at a department store in London before
moving to to train as a nurse. It was there
(04:03):
that she met and fell in love with Francis, with
whom she would have two children, Jonathan and later Christine.
One afternoon in nineteen sixty one, Anthea was showing pictures
of her baby Christine to her parents when her father
Douglas went quiet for a moment, then turned to look
at her mother, Margaret. Is it time to show her?
(04:26):
He asked. Anthea looked on, confused as Margaret went upstairs,
returning moments later with an old newspaper clipping, complete with
the photo of a small baby. Anthea took the article
and began to read. It told the story of a
Margaret and Arthur DoD who'd been out for a walk
(04:49):
with their children on the Sussex Downs one bright summer's
afternoon in August nineteen thirty seven. The family had been
walking along the side of cisp Berry Ring, an iron
age hill fort barely two and a half miles south
of Chanctonbury Ring, when Margaret heard something peculiar. Stopping suddenly,
(05:10):
wiping the sweat from her brow, she told the others
to be quiet and listen whatever for her husband had
asked that said, Margaret, can't you hear it? It sounds
like a baby crying. Within seconds, the family was staggering
(05:31):
about the hill trying to locate the source of the sound,
when finally, hidden deep inside a BlackBerry bush, they found it,
a tiny baby in a pink dress, covered in scratches
and mosquito bites, with its hands bound tightly together. Margaret
immediately gathered up the baby, and together the family went
(05:55):
in search of the nearest house to use a phone,
eventually ending up at a farm house in the nearby
village of Something. From there, the police were called and
a baby promptly taken to Worthing Hospital. After careful examination, Mercifully,
despite a few minor injuries, the baby was found to
(06:16):
be in good health. However, despite a national appeal for information,
the police were unable to ascertain who her parents were
or how she came to end up abandoned in a
bramble bush on the Sussex Downs. It wasn't long after that,
having read about it in the newspaper, Douglas and Margaret
(06:37):
contacted the hospital and offered to adopt her. Are you
always taking care of your family? Do you often take
care of others and not yourself. Now it's time to
take care of yourself, to make time for you. You
deserve it. Tele adoc gives you access to a licensed
therapist to help you get back to feeling your best
(07:00):
to feeling like yourself again. With teledoc, you can speak
to a licensed therapist by phone or video. Therapy appointments
are available seven days a week from seven am to
nine pm local time. If you feel overwhelmed sometimes maybe
you feel stressed or anxious, depressed or lonely, or you
might be struggling with a personal or family issue, teledoc
(07:22):
can help. Teledoc is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches,
so they make it easy to change counselors if needed.
For free teledoc therapy is available through most insurance or employers.
Download the app or visit teledoc dot com forward slash
Unexplained podcast today to get started. That's teladoc dot com
(07:46):
slash Unexplained Podcast. Having learned the full story behind her adoption,
Anthea was understandably devastated, but after discussing it with her husband,
decided not to share the news with her children, but
instead do her best to forget it and move on.
(08:08):
But as the years wore on, the gnawing urged to
find out more only grew more intense. In nineteen ninety four,
Anthea made attempts to gather more information, contacting Worthy police
for any records they might have regarding the original investigation,
but sadly, nothing significant came to light. It wouldn't be
(08:31):
until two thousand and twelve, when, after taking a DNA test,
that the by then seventy five year old Anthea really
started to get somewhere. After first matching with a woman
in North Carolina in the United States, Anthea was eventually
able to trace both sides of her family to County
Mayo and County Gorway in Ireland. After teaming up with
(08:56):
Julia Bell, an expert in genetic genealogy, the pair were
able to narrow things down even further, until finally they
hit upon the name of Lena O'Donnell from County Mayo.
O'Donnell was Anthea's birth mother. A birth certificate was quickly
discovered that revealed Anthea had officially been born on twentieth
(09:19):
of November nineteen thirty six and given the name Mary Veronica. Incredibly,
the identity of Anthea's father would also be discovered soon after,
thanks to DNA evidence taken from a stamp that he
once used to send a letter to a cousin of hers.
His name was Patrick Coyne, who traveled to London from
(09:41):
County Gorway to work as a laborer in nineteen thirty six.
As Bell investigated further, it appeared that Lena and Patrick
were not in a relationship when Anthea was conceived, and
it's not known whether Patrick even knew that Lena was pregnant.
In any case, Shortly after giving birth, Lena O'Donnell moved
(10:05):
with her baby to a Roman Catholic care home in Chiswick,
West London called Devonnook. That, however, was the last recorded
address of Anthea's birth mother until two years later, when
she appears again on an electoral role, but with no
mention of her baby. At the time and even today,
(10:27):
there were many who considered an unmarried woman with a
baby to be a moral degenerate. For years, the Catholic
Church encouraged women with so called illegitimate children to give
them up for adoption, with many being sold to wealthy families.
In America, the Devonnook Care Home was different, however, in
that it often encouraged mothers to keep their babies if
(10:50):
they could. Though it isn't known for sure how Anthea
ended up separated from her birth mother, Julia Bell has
raised the tragic possible ability that she may have been
stolen and sold on by a foster mother that had
been trusted to look after her when Lena was out working.
For what reasons the baby's hands were tied, and how
(11:12):
it ended up left for dead in a thicket of
brambles remains just another mystery of the Sussex Strange. As
for Anthea herself, speaking to the BBC about her story
in two thousand and eighteen, she is now said to
be at peace with the mystery. Unexplained. The book and audiobook,
(11:38):
featuring ten stories that have never before been covered on
the show, is now available to buy worldwide, who can
purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Waterstones, among other bookstores.
All elements of Unexplained, including the show's music, are produced
by me Richard McClain smith. Please subscribe and rate the
show wherever you listen to podcasts, and feel to get
(12:00):
in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories
you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation
of your own you'd like to share. You can reach
us online at Unexplained podcast dot com, or Twitter at
Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com. Forward Slash
Unexplained Podcast. Now, it's time to take care of yourself.
(12:28):
To make time for you. Teledoc gives you access to
a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling
your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or
video anytime between seven am to nine pm local time,
seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is available through most
insurance or employers. Download the app or visit telldoc dot com,
(12:52):
Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast Today to get started. That's t
e Ladoc dot com. Slash Unexplained Podcast
Welcome to Unexplained Extra with me Richard McClane Smith, where
for the weeks in between episodes, we look at stories
and ideas that, for one reason or other, didn't make
it into the previous show. In last week's episode, The
Dark Ascending, we took a trip to Chanctonbury Ring in Sussex,
England to shine a light on the many peculiar happenings
(00:31):
that are said to have occurred there and in the
surrounding countryside over the years. The episode focused largely on
Charles Walker from the town of Worthing, who, after looking
into a number of these strange events, became convinced that
a local occult group known as the Friends of hecate
were operating in the area. It was Walker's belief that
(00:54):
this group may even have committed murder as part of
a series of rituals they were conducted, as many people
have noted. However, despite Walker's claims, very little has been
uncovered to prove that the Friends of Hecateae even exist,
let alone were responsible for ritual murder of humans or
indeed dogs, which they have also been linked with. As
(01:18):
one listener of the show kindly wrote in to explain
though historically ancient worshippers of Hecateae did sacrifice animals in
the hope of gaining favors from the Goddess, the Great,
many Hecatea and practitioners of magic that exist today are
fervently opposed to violence and cruelty and are unlikely to
do such a thing. Certainly, there is no evidence that
(01:40):
such practitioners have ever made a human sacrifice to the goddess,
who is also considered to be the guardian of dogs,
all of which makes this Hecatea connection or the more
fanciful attempts to associate the group with Satanism, a theme
that was later picked up and expanded on in a
book by Toy Newton, author of the nineteen eighty one
(02:03):
magazine piece about the Peculiar String of Events, are also problematic.
Without wanting to go into too much detail since it
will likely feature on a future show, supposed Satanism has
long been demonized pun intended as a practice of heinous
and wicked acts, as opposed to merely being an outlet
for nonconformist and unorthodox ideas. That said, it's hard to
(02:27):
deny that this small pocket of southern England for whatever reason,
has certainly had its fair share of weirdness. In fact,
only last year, yet another peculiar story emerged from out
of the shadows of the Sussex Downs, as compelling as
any other that had previously come to light. In nineteen
(02:53):
forty six, nine year old Anthea Ring was playing outside
her home in Surrey with her best friend when the
pair of them got into an argument. Upset, Anthea turned
to run back inside, but was stopped in her tracks
when Peter called after her. I don't care if you
tell on me to your mother, he said, she isn't
(03:16):
your real mother anyway. Shocked and confused, Anthea ran crying
to her parents and demanded to know what Peter was
talking about. That night, her parents, Margaret and Douglas, revealed
the truth that when she was a newborn, Anthea had
been abandoned on the doorstep of Worthing Hospital in Sussex. Thankfully,
(03:40):
the surprise revelation didn't appear to upset Anthea too much,
who loved her kind and caring parents. Regardless, she had
even been a little excited at having such a unique
story to share with all her friends. At fifteen, Anthea
went to work at a department store in London before
moving to to train as a nurse. It was there
(04:03):
that she met and fell in love with Francis, with
whom she would have two children, Jonathan and later Christine.
One afternoon in nineteen sixty one, Anthea was showing pictures
of her baby Christine to her parents when her father
Douglas went quiet for a moment, then turned to look
at her mother, Margaret. Is it time to show her?
(04:26):
He asked. Anthea looked on, confused as Margaret went upstairs,
returning moments later with an old newspaper clipping, complete with
the photo of a small baby. Anthea took the article
and began to read. It told the story of a
Margaret and Arthur DoD who'd been out for a walk
(04:49):
with their children on the Sussex Downs one bright summer's
afternoon in August nineteen thirty seven. The family had been
walking along the side of cisp Berry Ring, an iron
age hill fort barely two and a half miles south
of Chanctonbury Ring, when Margaret heard something peculiar. Stopping suddenly,
(05:10):
wiping the sweat from her brow, she told the others
to be quiet and listen whatever for her husband had
asked that said, Margaret, can't you hear it? It sounds
like a baby crying. Within seconds, the family was staggering
(05:31):
about the hill trying to locate the source of the sound,
when finally, hidden deep inside a BlackBerry bush, they found it,
a tiny baby in a pink dress, covered in scratches
and mosquito bites, with its hands bound tightly together. Margaret
immediately gathered up the baby, and together the family went
(05:55):
in search of the nearest house to use a phone,
eventually ending up at a farm house in the nearby
village of Something. From there, the police were called and
a baby promptly taken to Worthing Hospital. After careful examination, Mercifully,
despite a few minor injuries, the baby was found to
(06:16):
be in good health. However, despite a national appeal for information,
the police were unable to ascertain who her parents were
or how she came to end up abandoned in a
bramble bush on the Sussex Downs. It wasn't long after that,
having read about it in the newspaper, Douglas and Margaret
(06:37):
contacted the hospital and offered to adopt her. Are you
always taking care of your family? Do you often take
care of others and not yourself. Now it's time to
take care of yourself, to make time for you. You
deserve it. Tele adoc gives you access to a licensed
therapist to help you get back to feeling your best
(07:00):
to feeling like yourself again. With teledoc, you can speak
to a licensed therapist by phone or video. Therapy appointments
are available seven days a week from seven am to
nine pm local time. If you feel overwhelmed sometimes maybe
you feel stressed or anxious, depressed or lonely, or you
might be struggling with a personal or family issue, teledoc
(07:22):
can help. Teledoc is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches,
so they make it easy to change counselors if needed.
For free teledoc therapy is available through most insurance or employers.
Download the app or visit teledoc dot com forward slash
Unexplained podcast today to get started. That's teladoc dot com
(07:46):
slash Unexplained Podcast. Having learned the full story behind her adoption,
Anthea was understandably devastated, but after discussing it with her husband,
decided not to share the news with her children, but
instead do her best to forget it and move on.
(08:08):
But as the years wore on, the gnawing urged to
find out more only grew more intense. In nineteen ninety four,
Anthea made attempts to gather more information, contacting Worthy police
for any records they might have regarding the original investigation,
but sadly, nothing significant came to light. It wouldn't be
(08:31):
until two thousand and twelve, when, after taking a DNA test,
that the by then seventy five year old Anthea really
started to get somewhere. After first matching with a woman
in North Carolina in the United States, Anthea was eventually
able to trace both sides of her family to County
Mayo and County Gorway in Ireland. After teaming up with
(08:56):
Julia Bell, an expert in genetic genealogy, the pair were
able to narrow things down even further, until finally they
hit upon the name of Lena O'Donnell from County Mayo.
O'Donnell was Anthea's birth mother. A birth certificate was quickly
discovered that revealed Anthea had officially been born on twentieth
(09:19):
of November nineteen thirty six and given the name Mary Veronica. Incredibly,
the identity of Anthea's father would also be discovered soon after,
thanks to DNA evidence taken from a stamp that he
once used to send a letter to a cousin of hers.
His name was Patrick Coyne, who traveled to London from
(09:41):
County Gorway to work as a laborer in nineteen thirty six.
As Bell investigated further, it appeared that Lena and Patrick
were not in a relationship when Anthea was conceived, and
it's not known whether Patrick even knew that Lena was pregnant.
In any case, Shortly after giving birth, Lena O'Donnell moved
(10:05):
with her baby to a Roman Catholic care home in Chiswick,
West London called Devonnook. That, however, was the last recorded
address of Anthea's birth mother until two years later, when
she appears again on an electoral role, but with no
mention of her baby. At the time and even today,
(10:27):
there were many who considered an unmarried woman with a
baby to be a moral degenerate. For years, the Catholic
Church encouraged women with so called illegitimate children to give
them up for adoption, with many being sold to wealthy families.
In America, the Devonnook Care Home was different, however, in
that it often encouraged mothers to keep their babies if
(10:50):
they could. Though it isn't known for sure how Anthea
ended up separated from her birth mother, Julia Bell has
raised the tragic possible ability that she may have been
stolen and sold on by a foster mother that had
been trusted to look after her when Lena was out working.
For what reasons the baby's hands were tied, and how
(11:12):
it ended up left for dead in a thicket of
brambles remains just another mystery of the Sussex Strange. As
for Anthea herself, speaking to the BBC about her story
in two thousand and eighteen, she is now said to
be at peace with the mystery. Unexplained. The book and audiobook,
(11:38):
featuring ten stories that have never before been covered on
the show, is now available to buy worldwide, who can
purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Waterstones, among other bookstores.
All elements of Unexplained, including the show's music, are produced
by me Richard McClain smith. Please subscribe and rate the
show wherever you listen to podcasts, and feel to get
(12:00):
in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories
you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation
of your own you'd like to share. You can reach
us online at Unexplained podcast dot com, or Twitter at
Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com. Forward Slash
Unexplained Podcast. Now, it's time to take care of yourself.
(12:28):
To make time for you. Teledoc gives you access to
a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling
your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or
video anytime between seven am to nine pm local time,
seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is available through most
insurance or employers. Download the app or visit telldoc dot com,
(12:52):
Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast Today to get started. That's t
e Ladoc dot com. Slash Unexplained Podcast
Popular Podcasts
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com