Mystery of ‘Old Cankey’ buried in ginnel’s past
In our third to last instalment of spooky local stories for Halloween, looks into the mysterious grave robber, Old Cankey, in Middleton VEN today, some known as “Owd Kankey” who lead a reclusive people in Middleton was discovered dead. life, and was also diminutive. avoid Canky’s The report read: “About It added that he had a Ginnel at night. a quarter past eight on Friday bent back, and an “aversion
The alleyway, off Lodge night, William Lancashire, to soap and water” Street, is said to have been better known as and that “on several occasions used by grave robber Old ‘Owd Kankey’, was discovered the sanitary authority Cankey, also known as dead in his house, have received complaints Old Kankey, who died in near the cemetery wall in this respect.” the late 20th century. behind Lodge-street. It then said: “He was
The man would watch “A neighbour happening quiet and harmless, his burials take place in St to enter the house at very unoffensiveness Leonard’s historic cemetery, the time stated, found the often making him the butt before creeping deceased lying on the of numerous jokes. through the ginnel in the coals in the kitchen, his “By what means he subsisted dead of night to exhume right hand grasping the is hardly known, the body, where he would coal scuttle. The deceased but it is reported that then transport the body has for several years suffered since his decease a by water to Manchester severely from bronchitis, considerable sum has for use by medical students, and was under the been found concealed for cash. care of Dr. Stelfox. in various parts of his
According to Rochdale “He had evidently gone house.” Borough Council, the narrow, into the kitchen for the It could be said that the cobbled footpath is purpose of replenishing amount of money found believed to be an ancient his fire, when he was overcome was from his penchant for highway that has been in with an attack of illness, exhuming the dead. existence since the 18th in which he died. To this day, various century. “The deceased was groups run ghost tours
As reported by the about 70 years old.” through Cankey’s Ginnel, Middleton Guardian on The report went on to recounting this legend, November 4, 1882, William say that ‘Owd Kankey’ was before it is swallowed by Lancashire, better a man of “eccentric habits” the ages.
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