The Astonishing Tale of a Woman Who Lived Alone for 47 Years

It happened when Elizabeth Pretjohn was 33 years old.

The village she had lived in all her life—Hallsands (in English: Hallsands, Devon) in England—was entirely swept into the sea by a massive storm, bringing with it enormous waves from the nearby sea.

The storm completely destroyed it, washing entire homes into the sea. Amazingly, all 79 residents living in the village at the time managed to escape in time. Over the years, everyone left and moved to other villages on higher ground, which were not affected by water.

Except for Elizabeth. She decided to stay in her birthplace and lived a simple life, eating eggs from the chickens she raised and fish she caught in the sea. For 47 years, Pretjohn lived entirely alone in a village that once housed 37 homes, bustling with life.

Shortly before her death in 1964, at the age of 80, Elizabeth was interviewed by the local newspaper covering her story in 1960. She said, "I have all my memories here, but sitting alone isn't good. The storm took all the houses on our shore, and the chaos afterward lasted four days. The sea was like mountains, and I prayed to Hashem that the wind would stop. Once I thought about moving to Dartmouth, but this is where I belong, with my memories."

In the newspaper of that time, Elizabeth was photographed against haunting backgrounds of yellow and black. Still, even in these photos, she is seen with a headscarf and a long brown coat covering everything, despite the pictures being taken on a warm summer day. The photographs show her pulling fish from the water and putting them into a large bag, which she carries up the hill with difficulty.

Curious tourists who heard her story frequently visited her residence, and she welcomed them warmly, happy to tour them around the neighboring houses of her former neighbors.