History and Legends of St Botolph's Church

by Peter Coleman

There are many legends and interesting historical stories associated with Boston Stump which are worth recounting.

The 'Devils Puff'
The first of these is the well-known ‘Devil's Puff', as the constant breeze around the west side of the Tower is known. It is on this spot that St. Botolph is reputed to have met with and fought, the Devil. The struggle was a long one, but his Satanic Majesty was finally overcome, and in his anger has never ceased to blow upon the tower of St. Botolph's Church seeking to send it tumbling down onto the inhabitants of the town.

'Doom Birds'
The second legend is not essentially a part of the Church tradition, but is part of the Boston ‘Doom Birds' legend. These birds are cormorants, and their visits are said to be almost invariably followed by the death of some prominent townsman. In 1860, one of these birds was shot, and it seems to have been this year when the tradition first made a grip onto the imagination of the inhabitants.

On 8th July, the cormorant, which was later killed, perched high up on the town and was seen by large crowds of people. The fears of the superstitious were afterwards confirmed for on that same day, the Member for Boston, Mr Herbert Ingram MP and his eldest son both perished with about 300 other passengers, in the collision on Lake Michigan of the Lady Elgin.

Other instances of this phenomenon have happened subsequently, prominent among which was on 16th April, 1928, when two cormorants took up their grim sentry over the town, and remained throughout the night, watched until dark by a large crowd of people. One month later three of the best known families of the town suffered bereavement, one of the deaths being that of an ex-Mayoress. On that same evening one of the fateful ‘Doom Birds' again visited the Church and perched on one of the gilded weather-vanes. It remained on the tower for some time and was watched until its departure by crowds of people.

An explanation, which has been suggested for the supposed malignant qualities of these birds, is that in Leviticus the cormorant is classed among the unclean, and in Isaiah and again in Zephaniah. In both these cases it is the symbol of desolation and departed glory.

'A Narrow Escape'
On 5th August, 1900 on the Sunday after Bank Holiday, worshippers at evensong in the Church had a miraculous escape, for the south-eastern pinnacle, struck by lightning, fell inside the church, depositing huge masses of masonry on the font steps.

There was an exceptionally large congregation in the Church on that day, and occasionally they were startled by the tremendous crashes of thunder, for a terrific storm was raging outside during the service.

Immediately after the Blessing the organist Mr GH Gregory, played the Dead March as a token of respect to the Duke of Edinburgh who had recently died, and in consequence of this the choir remained in the stalls. Suddenly, with a tremendous crash, about two tons of masonry came through the roof above the font and fell in the place where the choir would have been passing as they filed out had it not been for the playing of the Dead March.

A fraction of a second before the stone fell into the church, one of the bells tolled, for the pinnacle, which had been struck by lightning in its fall, hit the bell without damaging it, before crashing through the roof.
Confusion reigned in the church for some minutes, everyone trying to escape as quickly as possible in fear should another pinnacle or even the whole of the tower should fall, and in the panic several ladies fainted.

As the people escaped the confusion rapidly subsided, and no one was seriously hurt. Had it not been for the fact that the Dead March was being played, the falling masonry might have taken a terrible toll amongst the choir. Again, on 13th May, 1908, the tower was struck by lightning, and then a pinnacle fell in the yard outside the church.