Kyteler's Inn, Kilkenny, Ireland

Kyteler's Inn is the former property of Alice de Kyteler, who was born in the house in 1280.

It seems that Alice was extremely unlucky in her choice of husbands. Her first was a banker with the interesting name of William Outlawe. They had a son named for his father. William Senior died a few years later; not long after this, Alice married Adam de Blund, also wealthy - and also to die suddenly, of unknown causes, within a few years of their marriage. Alice now had two fortunes at her disposal, so what did she do?

She married again. Her third husband, Richard de Valle, followed in the footsteps of his predecessors. She then married a fourth time, to Sir John de Poer. It seems that de Poer must have known of the tendency of Alice's husbands to die suddenly and unexpectedly; if he did, it didn't put him off. He became sick a few years after their marriage, with his hair and nails falling out. He held on long enough to change his will so that Alice and William, Jr. would receive his full estate, however. It was this act - not his death, evidently - that caused his other relatives to bring charges against Alice. She was accused of witchcraft, especially using this power to get Richard to change his will. According to them, Alice also headed a witches' coven and had sexual relations with a demon.

Richard de Lederer, the Bishop of Ossory, heard the charges against Alice, and tried in vain to have her arrested. Instead, he himself was arrested and incarcerated. Upon his release, he continued his campaign. Alice headed for England, but traveled to Dublin the following year, where she asked the Archbishop to take action against de Lederer for her excommunication. The two men had a confrontation in Dublin, ending in de Lederer's return to Kilkenny, still demanding the arrest of Alice. She then left for England again, this time for good (the year was 1324).

The Bishop got his pound of flesh and more, however; William Outlawe, Jr., was arrested and sentenced to give to the poor and attend three masses every day. Alice's maid, Petronella, on the other hand, was tortured and, finally, burned at the stake.

History does not record what happened to Alice after she fled to England the second time; she disappears from the records. She hasn't left her one-time home, however; the staff at Kyteler's Inn are ready to vouch for that.