Episode Description
In 1943, four boys exploring woodland in Hagley Wood discovered a human skull hidden inside the trunk of a wych elm tree.
The victim was later identified only as “Bella” — but who she was, how she died, and who placed her inside the tree have never been answered.
Then, just a few years later and less than fifty miles away, another case unsettled rural England. In the village of Lower Quinton, farm labourer Charles Walton was found brutally murdered in circumstances that fuelled rumours of witchcraft, ritual killing, and the occult.
Over time, the two cases became linked through folklore, speculation, and fear.
In this episode of The Eclectic, we explore the mystery of Bella in the wych elm and the murder of Charles Walton — examining the evidence, the theories, and the strange atmosphere that continues to surround both cases.
Because sometimes, it’s the stories around a crime that become impossible to bury.
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Who put Bella in the wych elm? - Wikipedia
Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? — Foulplay Games
The 80-year-old mystery of the skeleton found in a wych elm - BBC Reel
‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’: Espionage, Witchcraft, and other Theories – Curious Archive
Who put Bella in the Wych Elm? Cathi Unsworth on the spooky true story - Serpent's Tail