William Mackenzie supposedly lost a bet with the Devil and used a pyramid tomb to get out of the deal.
Everything is on line
The world of gambling is full of mysterious, terrifying and fantastic stories, from bizarre bad strikes to gruesome robberies, murders and even ghosts. When it comes to the antics of spooky gambling, it’s hard to beat the story of gambler William Mackenzie – whose remains are found inside a 15-foot pyramidal tomb in Liverpool, England.
Mackenzie lost his soul to the devil at a game of poker
The gambler’s grave is located in the cemetery of St Andrew’s Church on Rodney Street. Legend has it that Mackenzie lost his soul to the Devil in a game of poker. Once he was dead and his body buried, the deal stipulated that Mackenzie’s soul would descend with Satan into Hell.
However, the story goes, Mackenzie had an ingenious way of ensuring he would never have to follow through on his part of the deal.
Mackenzie story
Born in 1794, Mackenzie was originally from Nelson, Lancashire, and began his career initially as an apprentice weaver before turning to civil engineering. Moving to Liverpool, he joined as a locksmith on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1811.
Working on canal and railway projects in Belgium, France and Spain, the avid gambler made his fortune. Mackenzie died in 1857, the eldest of 11 children, at the age of 57 – but not before losing a game of poker with the devil.
He tricked Satan into not claiming his immortal soul
The story, often told as an oath of truth, claims that after Mackenzie’s death, he left instructions that he should be placed inside the tomb above the ground, holding a winning hand of cards as he sat at the card table. With his skeletal remains not buried, he tricked Satan into not claiming his immortal soul.
To add to the legend surrounding Mackenzie’s pyramidal tomb, locals and tour guides claim that his ghost has been seen wandering the churchyard and vicinity. His restless spirit is said to appear at dusk to haunt Rodney Street as night begins to fall.
real or fantasy?
While the story of Mackenzie’s grave has remained a popular tale over the years, it is likely that it was far from the truth. In fact, his tomb was erected 17 years after Mackenzie’s death by his brother Edward in 1868 following the death of Mackenzie’s second wife Sarah in 1867.
The inscription on his tomb read:In the vault below are the remains of William Mackenzie of Newby, Dumfriesshire, the Honorable who died on 29 October 1851 at the age of 57. as well as Mary, his wife, who died December 19, 1838, at the age of 48, and Sarah, his second wife, who died December 9, 1867, aged 60. “His brother Edward erected this memorial as a token of love and affection in the year 1868 A.D. Blessed is the memory of the just.”
However, many locals still believe Mackenzie’s story wholeheartedly. When visiting Liverpool, it is possible for people to see Mackenzie’s pyramidal tomb which still exists in the graveyard of St Andrew’s Church. Although the tomb is closed with a gate, visitors can easily spot the memorial.
It is not the only pyramidal tomb
Mackenzie’s tomb is not the only one in the shape of a pyramid.
A twenty-five-foot pyramid dedicated to John “Mad Jack” Fuller
In East Sussex in Brightling, in the churchyard of St Thomas a Becket is a twenty-five-foot pyramid dedicated to John “Mad Jack” Fuller, a founding member of the Royal Institution and a member of Parliament in the United Kingdom.
According to local legend, Fuller was buried in the pyramid fully clothed and top hat, seated at a table complete with roast chicken and a bottle of wine. It was not until renovations carried out in 1982 that this was discovered to be incorrect.
