06/01/2026
This is fascinating. Who knew?!!!!
In 1705, an Irish woman named Margorie McCat was believed to have died from a fever and was buried quickly to prevent the spread of illness.
She was laid to rest wearing a valuable ring that her husband John, a doctor, could not remove because her finger was badly swollen, making her grave an appealing target for body snatchers. Later that same evening, before the grave had fully settled, grave robbers began digging and, unable to remove the ring, decided to cut off her finger.
When blood was drawn, Margorie suddenly awoke from a coma, sat up, and screamed. What happened to the grave robbers is unclear, with one version claiming they fled and never returned to their trade.
Margorie managed to climb out of the grave and walk home, where John heard a knock and remarked that if his wife were still alive, he would swear it was her. When he opened the door and saw Margorie standing there in burial clothes, bleeding, but alive, he collapsed from shock and passed away suddenly. He was later buried in the grave meant for her.
Margorie eventually remarried, had several children, and when she truly passed away years later, she was buried at Shankill Cemetery in Lurgan, Ireland, where her gravestone reads, “Lived Once Buried Twice”.
Stories like Margorie’s are often cited to explain why families once tied a string to the finger of the deceased, leading to a bell placed above the grave. If the person revived and moved, the bell could be rung, giving rise to the phrase “saved by the bell”. This fear also explains the presence of graveyard watchers, who walked the rows listening for any signs of movement, and the custom of waiting 3 days before burial. That waiting period became known as a wake, allowing family and friends to watch over the body to be certain the person was truly gone.
