TODAY, OUR AMAZING TEAM MEMBER, AUTHOR DAVID W THOMPSON, IS SHARING AN INSIGHT OF HIS CHARACTER, MOLL DYER, FROM HIS NOVEL, 'SISTER WITCH' #RWRTeamBlog #ReadWriteRepeat
Southern Maryland’s Moll Dyer
Will the real Moll Dyer please stand up?
I’ve been asked similar questions like this since the recent resurgence of interest in Moll’s story. This can be seen by our county commissioners establishing February 26 th as Moll Dyer Day. Then the Weather Channel’s broadcast about her, an upcoming movie, and several books attempting to narrow the search for her historically. All provide interesting and speculative insights to the life and times of our infamous witch. My novel, Sister Witch, published in 2017 was the first devoted to her, and I’d like to think it helped reignite interest in her tragedy.
I’ve been a resident in the area all of my life with the exception of my time in the military. I’ve actively researched Moll Dyer since I first heard her tale- when I was all of 10 years old and squatting by a campfire. But how can anyone research a legendary figure? One with no historical proof of her existence? That was first obstacle I faced in researching Moll’s life-- the lack of documented historical records.
According to the Archives of Maryland, the 1st loss of St. Mary’s County records was in 1768 when records kept at the home of Owen Allen were burned. The Archive further notes that every surviving court record of the colonial period was destroyed in a subsequent fire on March 8, 1831. To add to the confusion and speculative nature of the search, Ancestry.com lists five pages of Dyers on passenger lists arriving in the Eastern United States during the period, a minimum of six Mary Dyers and several Margaret Dyers. It also states that “passenger lists were not kept for every ship” and many others were lost. (The nickname “Moll,” by the way, was most commonly used for women named Mary or Margaret but also seen for any “M” feminine name such as Martha, Martina, Maya, and Melinda, etc.).
Despite this, in researching Moll, we have Moll Dyer Road named after her, and likewise Moll Dyer Run, a small stream just south of Leonardtown, Maryland. There’s the rock purported to be where she breathed her last found on the farm adjacent to the road. There was also a colonial letter describing her as having a “countenance that is such as to hurt the eyes.”
One newspaper account from a century after her death described how the royal governor, Francis Nicholson, and his family visited the area on the days before Moll’s death. Annapolis had been our state capital (1694) for only 3 years at that time. The story goes that after encountering Moll Dyer on his rounds, the governor’s children took ill. The locals informed him it was the work of the witch, Moll Dyer, and asked that something be done. They also accused Moll of causing a two-year drought and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery throughout the colony. The governor, being very aware of the continued public outrage from the Salem witch trials of four years before (1692-93) told the good townsfolk that he was wiping his hands of the situation and of any consequences that might befall Moll Dyer as a result of the crimes she was accused of. I have no doubt this contributed to her ultimate fate.
Past this minimal documentation from her era, we’re mostly left with legends or oral tradition- once the only historical record, and the basis of the old truism “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” How apt is that for Moll’s tale?
As a result, my research included dozens of interviews with local families- families with ancestors resident to the area since Moll Dyer’s time. I discovered that each had a version of Moll’s life, but with minimal variations. As there is a dearth of historical records, it is toward these legends I focused my efforts. What can be derived from the folklore associated with Moll Dyer? Despite some small deviations to the legend, the majority of local families’ stories agreed that she was an herbal healer and hermit. Most state her origin was Ireland, although she likely arrived on a passenger ship from England. She arrived on our shores single and unaccompanied and never married. She dressed in a manner of lost affluence (threadbare clothes originally made from the finest materials). She preferred the company of the Native Americans to her European neighbors. She was known to be outspoken and was not a regular at church attendance. None of these attributes meshed well with 17 th century expectations of what a young woman should be. Then, like now, non-conformity was frowned upon.
After a citizen’s mob burned her small cabin to the ground, Moll Dyer froze to death on the coldest night of 1697. She was found days later, frozen solid, by a young lad searching for his missing cow. She was kneeling at a large rock. One hand was raised in either a curse or a prayer. The other hand and her knees left imprints in the rock. Local legend states that she cursed the land and the people for all generations to come. Her final resting place is unknown, but many have repeated the belief that she was interred at the bottom of the hill as you leave Leonardtown south bound.
Today, people who’ve touched the rock have had varied experiences. Some claim their health or general circumstances were corrupted after touching it while others say the opposite. Perhaps it depends on your frame of mind or your feelings about Moll?
There have been many reports of seeing her in the area over the years, a ghostly figure of a woman often accompanied by a spirit dog. An occasional accident along the Route 5 corridor where her homestead was located has highlighted these sightings over the years. Mechanical and electrical failures have been noted in the woods nearby.
I used this information, along with every variation of the story that was related to me to write Sister Witch. I didn’t feel it would be faithful to her legend and her life to have done otherwise. This is why I describe the novel as historical fiction. This category runs the gamut from silly entertainment like “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter” up to serious historical works. When you put words in a historical figures mouth or speculate about the motivations for their actions, that’s historical fiction. In my case, for one example, I was intrigued by all the references to Moll wearing exquisite but threadbare clothing. How and why was this so? There weren’t any 17 th century Thrift shops or Halloween Spirit stores to buy them. What there was though, was the Battle of Kinsale, Ireland- a generation removed from Moll Dyer and a battle that history has called the end of Gaelic nobility. It was easy enough to connect those two dots.
There were other facets of her story to work through- especially the one or two that deviated from the standard Moll tale. Questions like: was there a child involved? Did she come here unaccompanied? Most said she did. What then would drive a single woman to undertake such a journey? And of course, I had to add a bit of paranormal spice to the story because…well, it’s a story about Moll Dyer.
So then, who is/was Moll Dyer? I can’t in good conscience point a finger at any past lives lived here and say without a doubt that this was our Moll Dyer. Any attempt to do so would read like an episode of Ancient Aliens or Searching for Bigfoot, ignoring logic and stretching the imagination. But I think that is unnecessary to make her story more real. Her tragedy speaks to its own truth and …perhaps that’s enough. My answer to the question is that Moll Dyer is everyone who’s faced injustice or been mocked for being different; those scorned for their beliefs. She is anyone condemned at the court of public opinion and castigated for their lack of popularity or political correctness. She’s the embodiment of Sarah Goode of Salem fame, Anne Frank, our own Rebecca Fowler (1685), Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, Rosa Parks and…the list goes on and on!
In conclusion, I believe Moll Dyer would be proud of her legacy, and that she’d feel some measure of peace and exoneration from the tales being told of her today. She was once used as a cautionary tale- a warning to little children to behave, but no longer. Now we remember Moll whenever we’re bullied, accused without cause or feeling friendless. Perhaps she gives us a twinge of conscience when we are the ones doing the bullying? It warms my heart to think that some good is our final inheritance from the tragedy of Moll Dyer.
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AUTHOR BIO
David W. Thompson is a multiple award-winning author, an Army veteran, and a graduate of UMUC (now UMGC). He claims his first writing efforts were “Dick and Jane” fan fiction as a child, no doubt with a unique twist. As a multi-genre writer, he’s been awarded membership in the HWA--Horror Writers’ Association, the MWA--Mystery Writers of America, and the SFWA -- Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He lives in picturesque southern Maryland, blessed with nearby family and dear old friends. When he isn’t writing, Dave enjoys time with his family, kayaking (flat water, please), fishing, hiking, archery, gardening, winemaking, and pursuing his other “creative passion”- woodcarving. David also writes under the name D. W. Thompson for his mystery series.
Social Media:
Davis W. Thompson, Author. Member HWA, SFWA & MWA
NOVELS:
Legends of the Family Dyer Trilogy:
I) Sister Witch: The Life of Moll Dyer- 1st place Magical Realism Critters Readers Poll 2017, Golden Quill Award Best Book of 2018, Readers' Favorite Finalist Historical Person Category 2018, eBook Selection New Apple Awards 2018
II) His Father's Blood- Readers' Favorite Silver Medal Urban Fantasy 2019, Literary Titan Award (2018), Readers' Favorite Silver Medal Paranormal Fantasy 2021, International Book Awards Finalist Horror 2021
III) Sons and Brothers- 1st Place Magical Realism Critters Readers' Poll
Julianna's Choice (as Davina Guy (Paranormal Romance))
The Mystery at Love's Manor (An Emma Love Mystery)
Love Floats (An Emma Love Mystery 1st Place Mystery Readers Poll)
NOVELLAS
Call of the Falconer (Dystopian Novella)
Haunted Southern Maryland (Paranormal History)
Haunted Potomac River Valley (Paranormal History)
SHORT STORIES
'Possum Stew (Short Story Collection)- American Writing Awards 1st Place Anthologies, Finalist Chanticleer Awards Paranormal Fiction, Firebird Book Award for Best Anthology
What If #2 (Anthology GBB Authors)
What If #3 (Anthology GBB Authors)
What If #4 (Anthology GBB Authors)
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COMING SOON: On Wednesday, 14th October, we welcome our guest author, Lois Crockett, who is sharing
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