The Death of Charles Walton

Perhaps you've heard about what happened to Charles Walton and the case itself is quite straight forward. However, after the discovery of the body and the numerous theories that began to circulate, it became clear that Charles Walton's death was anything but ordinary.

From Lower Quinton in Warwickshire, the farm was located perhaps an hour's drive from where I live and, is still speculated about to this day. So, let's investigate the death of Charles Walton and you can decide for yourself whether witchcraft was really involved here...

Plot

It was Valentine's Day, 1945 when Charles Walton - a farmer from Warwickshire, was working for Alfred Potter as he had been for a few months by that period. Charles Walton was 74 years' old and definitely getting on in years when he was working on The Firs farm, situated on the slopes of Meon Hill. He lived with Edith Walton, his neice who was employed at the Royal Society of Arts.

Walton was last seen between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. on February 14th, slashing hedges in a field known as Hillground and was due to be home at around 4pm but never returned. At 6:00 p.m., Edith Walton, concerned for his whereabouts, enlisted neighbour Harry Beasley to search for him. And it was clear that something was amiss, something had gone horribly wrong. The two were clearly concerned that perhaps something had happened to Charles Walton. Eventually discovered Walton's body near a hedgerow and the body was in such a condition that the two were very aware that the murder scene was brutal and graphic.

Walton had been struck down with his own stick, practically beaten and received some blunt force trauma. He was also slashed in the neck with a hook. Finally, he had been pinned to the ground with a pitchfork.

The post-mortem examination revealed that Walton had suffered a tracheal incision and multiple broken ribs, but that he also had defensive wounds on his left hand and bruising on his right hand and forearm. His time of death was set to between 1-2pm.

Into the Theories

Alfred Potter

Chief Inspector Robert Fabian led the investigation and Alfred Potter became the primary suspect. Many people who were interviewed stated that Potter had a financial dispute with Charles Walton, his movements that day were also not adding up - making him a primary suspect for the death of Walton. Whilst at the crime scene, the inspector noticed that Alfred Potter's movements and demeanour was very agitated and he was not at all acting like a man who managed a farm. Despite extensive interviews and searches, no conclusive evidence linked Potter to the murder.

Whispering Knights

Whispering Knights is an area (a stone circle) associated with Druidic rituals and more than often, there have been phantom humans and dogs seen wandering the grounds. Some people thought that perhaps Walton was involved in the things that went on in this location, possibly some sort of supernaturally-inspired or possessed being who eventually paid the ultimate price. This was based on the fact that the detective stated later on that the murder definitely resembled a pagan sacrifice.

Witchcraft

During the demolition of the outhouse in 1960, Charles Walton's watch was found and contained a piece of coloured glass normally referred to as 'witch's glass'. 'Witch's Glass' is usually used for protection against evil spirits and forces and people have often speculated why it was inside a watch that Charles Walton would not have taken off himself. The discovery of the watch reignited the links to paganism and the supernatural that the detective had speculated years' before.

Why It's Shifty

Nobody knows what happened to Charles Walton but it seems very clear that someone out there does. Many people believe that there was definitely some involvement of pagans, cults or witches to some degree because of the significant way that the body was positioned and the way the man was killed. The death of Charles Walton was also one of the cases which inspired the making of one of my favourite movies: The Wicker Man (1973). Ever since then, the location of Lower Quinton has been riddled with mystery and speculation about what truly went on during the lunch hours of February 14th, 1945.

Conclusion

So, what do you think happened to Charles Walton? Was this a murder by a disgruntled employer, or was this something more? Do you believe the stuff of pagan ritual? What about what the detective said about the positioning of the body? And what to make of the witch's glass found in the watch over a decade after the body was discovered? Perhaps we will never know what really happened to Charles Walton...

Next Week: Leave No Trace - Japan’s Evaporating People