Jane Gardiner
The Witch Who Wasn't
Jane Gardiner is not folklore in the traditional sense — she is a real historical figure believed to haunt the town of St. George in Bermuda. In 1655, she was accused of witchcraft in a town gripped by fear and superstition. Her trial was a farce — a twisted dance orchestrated by fear and fueled by paranoia. She was charged, unfairly, with practicing witchcraft and communing with the devil.
Jane was hanged at Gallows Island for crimes she never committed. Her body, forbidden a proper burial, was interred beneath the earth on which Stewart Hall now stands. The faded marker outside is a silent testament to Jane's unjust end.
Her spirit is said to linger still, haunting the grounds of Stewart Hall and the cobblestone streets of St. George — a restless presence born not of evil, but of injustice.
Unlike the creatures born of supernatural malice, Jane Gardiner is a ghost made by human cruelty. Her haunting is not a curse — it is an accusation. Every time the air grows cold near her unmarked stone, every time footsteps echo on cobblestones where no living person walks, it is a reminder of what fear can make ordinary people do to an innocent woman.
In "Shadows In The Trade Winds," Jane Gardiner stands as proof that the most dangerous monsters are not always supernatural. Sometimes they are the ones who hold the gavel.
Origins
Bermuda, 1655. Jane Gardiner was a real person — one of the few individuals executed for witchcraft in Bermuda's colonial history. The site of her burial, beneath Stewart Hall in St. George, remains a place of historical note. Her story is part of Bermuda's documented colonial record.
Known Traits
- ⟡ Historical figure turned spirit
- ⟡ Victim of unjust colonial execution
- ⟡ Haunts St. George, Bermuda
- ⟡ Restless presence born of injustice
- ⟡ Roams cobblestone streets and Stewart Hall grounds
Protections
- 🛡 Acknowledge her unjust fate with respect
- 🛡 Do not mock or disturb her marker outside Stewart Hall
- 🛡 Speak her name with reverence, not fear
- 🛡 Avoid Gallows Island after dark
Appears in: Chapter 5 — "Beyond the Bermuda Triangle"