Editing Mother Shipton (section)

=== Adulthood ===
[[File:Mother Shipton.jpg|right|thumb|An engraving of Ursula Southheil (Mother Shipton) from the title page of 1686 book ''The Strange and Wonderful World of Mother Shipton'']]

As Ursula grew so did her knowledge of plants and herbs and she became an invaluable resource for the townspeople as a [[herbalist]]. The respect she earned from her work gave her the opportunity to expand her social circle and it was then she met the local carpenter<ref name=":1"/> Toby Shipton.<ref name=":3">Simon, Dr. Ed. "Divining the Witch of York: Propaganda and Prophecy – 'Mother Shipton' in Medieval England". Brewminate, 22 August 2019. https://brewminate.com/divining-the-witch-of-york-propaganda-and-prophecy-mother-shipton-in-medieval-england/ .</ref>

When Ursula was 24 years old she and Toby Shipton were married.<ref name=":3"/> From this point on Ursula adopted her husband's surname and became Mother Shipton. The people in town were shocked at their union and whispered of how he must have been bewitched to marry her.

About a month into her marriage a neighbour came to the door and asked for her help, saying she had left her door open and a thief had come in and stole a new smock and petticoat. Without hesitation Mother Shipton calmed her neighbour and said she knew exactly who stole the clothing and would retrieve it the next day. The next morning Mother Shipton and her neighbour went to the [[market cross]]. The woman who had stolen the clothing couldn't stop herself from putting the smock on over her clothes, the petticoat in her hand, and marching through town. When she arrived at the market cross she began dancing and danced straight for Mother Shipton and her neighbour all the while singing "I stole my Neighbours Smock and Coat, I am a Thief, and here I show't." When she reached Mother Shipton she took off the smock, handed it over, curtsied and left.<ref name=":1"/>

Two years later, in 1514, Toby Shipton died, and the town believed Ursula to have been responsible for his death. The grief of losing her husband and the harsh words of the town prompted Ursula Shipton to move into the woods, and the same cave she had been born in, for peace. Here she continued to create potions and herbal remedies for people. Mother Shipton's name slowly became more and more well known, and people would travel great distances to see her and receive potions and spells.

As her popularity grew she grew bolder and revealed she could see the future. She started by making small prophecies involving her town and the people within, and as her prophecies came true she began telling prophecies of the monarchy and the future of the world. In 1537 King [[Henry VIII]] wrote a letter to the Duke of Norfolk where he mentions a "witch of York",<ref name=":3"/> believed by some to be a reference to Shipton.