SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I wasn't sure which forum this should come under so put it here.I remembered reading a while back that a winged cat was born at a workhouse in Leeds and when it died was stuffed and put on display by showmen.I finally found the details in a new book "Dr Shukers casebook" by reknowed cryptozoologist Karl Shuker.The cat was born in 1900 at Bramley Workhouse. It was called either "Thomas Bessie" or "Thomas Bessey" and when it died was exhibited at fairs in a glass case. The last sighting of the case was at a pub in Scarborough owned by a Mrs Clague the daughter of the last showman to have it. No one has seen it since then.Anyone on here seen it or know any more about it?

I have now discovered via Google that the case is the subject of a novella "The Strange Possession of Thomas Bessie"a fictional account of the case.Apparently the name is because the workhouse didn't know if the cat was male or female to start with although it appears it was a Tom.

For anyone else interested in this subject, I just came across this excellent article complete with pictures:http://www.messybeast.com/winged-cats.htmThe "Thomas" "Bessy" case refers to the Leeds case as does the reference to the showman Dance which was the case containing this winged cat.I would love to know what happened to the cats case!probably lurking in some Yorkshire attic out there.

Have you tried looking in the Trees i' Bramla'?Might a' flown up there! (Freetened them spuggies to de-ath!)L O L!

Steve Jones wrote: I wasn't sure which forum this should come under so put it here.I remembered reading a while back that a winged cat was born at a workhouse in Leeds and when it died was stuffed and put on display by showmen.I finally found the details in a new book "Dr Shukers casebook" by reknowed cryptozoologist Karl Shuker.The cat was born in 1900 at Bramley Workhouse. It was called either "Thomas Bessie" or "Thomas Bessey" and when it died was exhibited at fairs in a glass case. The last sighting of the case was at a pub in Scarborough owned by a Mrs Clague the daughter of the last showman to have it. No one has seen it since then.Anyone on here seen it or know any more about it? I have a vague memory of seeing this when I was a child, I think it was in one of the freak shows that were quite popular in Scarborough in the fifties. It was probably in the one featuring the horrific Hiroshima survivor, and the scantily clad Amazon beauty who lay on a type of chaise longue looking bored stiff.

Interesting about seeing it in Scarborough on display. According to Shuker, it was on display last in the pub then consigned to an attic. i presume you weren't drinking under age<LOL>?I remeber seeing one of the last travelling freak shows in a trailer at Temple Newsam Steam Fair back in the late 1980's.Wonderful stuff and as a Fortean , I was fascinated.

Steve Jones wrote: Interesting about seeing it in Scarborough on display. According to Shuker, it was on display last in the pub then consigned to an attic. i presume you weren't drinking under age<LOL>?I remeber seeing one of the last travelling freak shows in a trailer at Temple Newsam Steam Fair back in the late 1980's.Wonderful stuff and as a Fortean , I was fascinated. I am dredging my memory and I think the Richard the third which is now I believe a restaurant was a pub then which also had a small museum. Or the pub was itself a museum, a small cupboard upstairs with a couple of ancient cheeses in net bags, supposedly a smugglers hideaway, and various other oddities which a child would happily spend a tanner to gawp at.

And just to show how psychic I am . I openened todays Metro to find a photo of two winged cats!

Isn't there a Babylonian image of a winged lion (cat) with a human head, Steve?The stuffed cat with wings sounds like a Victorian taxidermist's idea of a joke.

I find this whole thing quite creepy... But then, I used to find the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz quite the most frightening thing on TV. A lot scarier than the Daleks ever were!