Black Dogs - Cave Canem

The Black Dog phenomenon remains an enduring connection to our ancient history. However many of the ‘facts’ we thought we knew about the phenomenon may not be true after all.

Black Dog (henceforth BD) legends and folk tales are known from most counties of England, there are a few from Wales and one example that is known to the author, from the Isle of Man. There are many tales about these spectral animals. Few are alleged, in the popular sources, to bode well for the witness, and there has grown a misleading folklore around the phenomenon which is largely unsubstantiated by the scanty evidence. What exists is a collection of folk tales, spread across the length and breadth of Britain, about large spectral hounds, with black fur, large glowing eyes and perhaps an ethereal glow around them, which may explode, emit sulphurous breath, augur death and misfortune and produce poltergeist-like activity. At the outset I must take pains to point out that any recorded examples of BDs which may be a genuine haunting by a dog which happened to be black have (bar one at Ivelet in Swaledale) been screened out. The evidence presented below is not comprehensive but is believed to be a representative sample of the available recorded cases and thus may produce an insight into the phenomenon, or promote further in-depth study.

Some common misconceptions or misrepresentations about the BDs include the following three statements:

(1) It has frequently been claimed that the BDs are to be found in the Anglo-Saxon and Viking areas of Britain.

The first problem with this sweeping statement is that all of England was at one time under Saxon kingship; at first smaller kingdoms, Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria in the Saxon Hegemony, and later under Athelstan and his successors as a unified whole. Viking areas are even more difficult to properly define, their extent very much depending on the time period at which the researcher looks. At the time of Alfred, for instance, there is a division of the country to define the Viking or Dane lands as being north and east of the Thames. Under Cnut, one can argue that all of England was Viking. Yet another problem is that Wales and the Isle of Man also have versions of the BDs. These areas were neither Saxon nor, apart from a brief Viking interlude on the Isle of Man, Viking centres. The accompanying map of locations clearly demonstrates that this locational belief is false. BD phenomena have been reported from almost everywhere, the exception so far noted in the course of this study being Scotland.

Should, however, this Germanic origin for the phenomenon be true, then we may place the start of reports of BDs in the British landscape at either the fifth and sixth centuries, when there is evidence of Saxon settlement in the archaeological record, or the ninth to tenth centuries for the Vikings. The Lindisfarne raid of 793, which opened the ‘Viking’ Age in Britain, cannot count as settlement.

(2) being Anglo-Saxon or Viking in origin, the phenomenon is clearly associated with the Germanic pagan religion.

The place of the BD in the pagan Germanic religion is something that has been repeatedly stated ‘parrot fashion’ by authors on the paranormal for decades. Brooks (1994.282), for example, strongly asserts this Saxon/Viking link to the phenomenon, when he writes that: Black Dogs represent evil, having derived from Odin’s Black Hound in Viking Mythology’.

Black Dog locations

While the origin of the BD as a phenomenon may indeed be Germanic, Odin did not have a BD as a companion. Odin is accompanied in the world of man (Midgard) by his two ravens, Huginn and Muninn (thought and memory) and his two wolves Freki and Geri (both terms generally translated as ‘greedy one’). The Germanic origin for the BD is a generally accepted ‘folklore fact’ which must be treated with considerable scepticism. If we accept it and have to seek a candidate for Germanic tales to identify the BD, then such a more fitting one is perhaps Garm, the hound that guards the gates to the underworld. Garm is described in the Lay of Grimnir as being the fiercest hound, who is chained in the cave Gnipahellir at the entrance to the land of mists (Niflheim) and the land of Hel.

The association of the BD phenomenon and the Germanic pagan tradition is far more likely to stem from the later medieval period, when pagan gods and beliefs were being blamed for all manner of occurrences, both natural and supernatural, by the zealots of the Christian church.

(3) BDs are most prolific in the counties of East Anglia.

From the accompanying table and map you can see that the phenomena are not outstandingly prevalent in East Anglia and the eastern counties. Only 23 eastern county locations have been identified as having phenomena reported, which represents only 26% of the total recorded areas and far less than would be expected should the assumption be true.

One statement which may, however, have some justification is that BDs are always detrimental to the witness. In this sample of the phenomena, there are a very few examples where the sighting of a BD is beneficial (only 4 percent), and a large number where the associated folklore is non-committal (52 percent). But it may be observed that the proportion of BDs which are reported to be harmful to the witness is disturbingly large, at 44 percent of cases. While it is true that in many accounts the phantom is accredited with being a bad omen, a harbinger or a servant of evil, only sometimes is the BD identified as a harbinger of death (see Black Shuck, Wooton Bassett and Foxham, Hergest Court, Whitmore Park and Sedgley examples below). It is clearly an erroneous statement when the Gurt Dog oftheQuantocks isperceived as a benevolent force. Physically the phenomenon has consistently been described as a large black dog of the mastiff or great dane variety, often having a luminosity which 4 marks its paranormal nature. In some cases the dog has been credited with breathing a sulphurous breath, and in others it has been witnessed to explode violently, thus causing damage to property and persons in proximity. It may be tentatively concluded that the general assumption that, to meet a BD in the British countryside is an ill omen, is largely confirmed.

The witnessed phenomenon itself may be split into a number of sub-types, each of which are linked by the central theme of the visualisation of a ‘black dog’, which has been generally perceived as an evil omen. Some of the phenomena included in this study are of a dangerous exploding type, some are portents of death, some are family retainers of a sinister kind, a very few are seen as beneficial and finally there are the packs of dogs associated with the wild hunt. 

The individual dogs, although sharing many features which group them under the BD banner, have been assigned a plethora of names. In Norfolk and Suffolk it is called Black Shuck or Old Shock (from Scucca) meaning demon; in Winchester it is the Black Dog; inWakefield it is Padfoot, while in Burnley and Manchester it is Barghest. These are common names to be found elsewhere in the country, as are Galleytrot, Gabriel Hounds, Glassensykes, Trash and Guytrash. In the Quantock Hills area of Somerset we find the term Gurt Dog being used, while in other parts of the country the generic term Black Dog is a constant. The names given to the phenomena for the BDs outside England are: the Gwyllgi and Cwn Annwn in Wales and the Mauthe or the Moddey Dhoo (Mauthe Doog) on the Isle of Man.

Perhaps the classic example of the most dangerous type of this phenomenon, and certainly the most written about and commented on, is to be found in a case from Bungay in Suffolk, which occurred on Sunday 4 August 1597 between 9 and 10am, during a service in the church. The events were said to have occurred during a storm. As it worsened and produced lightning, a BD suddenly appeared inside the church. With the interior of the building illuminated by the electric storm overhead, the dog was seen to run down the centre of the aisle, between the assembled villagers. Two of these were struck dead as the beast passed by, and another was described as shrivelling up as he was touched. The phenomenon is recorded on the market weathervane at Bungay, where the usual cock or arrow is replaced with the figure of a wild BD. At the same time as the example in Bungay, the people of Blythborough also witnessed the same form of phenomenon in their church. As before, some people were killed and the dog is alleged to have scratched at the church door, leaving deep gouges which are visible to this day. 

Other phantom dogs seem just as dangerous to encounter. On Dartmoor, a farmer in the moor area is alleged to have heard a padding sound from behind him which was, when the farmer turned to investigate, a large BD. When he attempted to stroke the beast (a dangerous thing to do if other examples are to be believed), the dog ran off emitting a sulphurous breath. As the dog approached a stream of running water it exploded violently. In Essex, a volatile BD is described as occurring in Hatfield Peverell. A wagon was set alight upon striking the BD, which exploded. In Suffolk, on the heathland adjacent to Walberswick and the remains of Dunwich, the variety is called the Galleytrot, an interesting account of which is rendered by Boar & Blundell (1983). During the second world war an American serviceman and his wife were living in one of the remote houses (a flat-topped hut to be precise) which bordered the Walberswick marsh. On a stormy night the couple were frightened by a loud banging on the door to the building. Looking through a window, the serviceman saw a BD, the Galleytrot, trying to enter and causing a lot of noise. The attack lasted for hours, the door had been barricaded from within and would not yield to the dogs assaults. The sound of the barrage was heard from all the walls and even the roof. After the attack had faded away, daylight gave the couple courage to investigate. Expecting to find a great deal of damage to the property, they were astounded to find that no damage had been caused and furthermore there were no prints in the area to suggest 5 that a dog had been there at all. Another tale, from Snitterfield in Warwickshire, of a BD seen racing across gardens was reported by Palmer (1976) as leaving no trace of its passing. 

Often the sighting of a BD is taken to herald some forthcoming calamity. Possibly the most prolific of this type of BD appears in East Anglia, where it is termed Black Shuck, Old Shock or Skeff. The Fens are a favoured haunt of this variety, as is the coastline from Felixstowe to Hunstanton, around Cromer, the area around Wicken Fen (Newmarket) and the Norfolk Broads. Interestingly, the BD is seen to patrol the Peddars Way across the forested Breckland. Hundreds of incidents have been reported, alleging a sighting in the lanes and small roads in these areas at night. The hound is described in some of these reports as having a single eye in the centre of its forehead which blazes red, orange or yellow and is accompanied by the clanking of his chain. This version is always viewed as a portent of death and disaster. Porter (1974) relates the tale from Garveston in Norfolk where the dog was termed Skeff. Here the dog was the size of a small pony, with a shaggy coat and saucer sized eyes burning as though on fire. In Thetford in the last century a blind boy and his sister were standing on the bridge over the river, when the boy distinctly felt a large dog pushing him from behind towards the river. The sister could not see any dog and asserted this when her brother asked her to get rid of it. She realised that this must be the Black Shuck when her brother was thrown forwards towards the river. She managed to catch her brother and they both ran home.

In the west of the country, Somerset has a couple of examples of the BD phenomenon. The first is located at Budleigh Hill and the second on the Audries to Perry Farm road. The first of these was seen in 1907 and described as a large BD with fiery eyes the size of saucers. The second account is more vague and is alleged to appear only to those about to die. Whitlock (1976) relates the tale of two villages in Wiltshire, Wooton Bassett and Foxham, which have BD phenomena. In both cases the sighting of the creature is taken as an omen of death, illness or calamity to the witness. Simpson (1976) records that Herefordshire has a BD tale which occurs at Hergest Court. Here the BD heralds a death in the Vaughan family. The Glassensykes of Darlington in County Durham is of the mastiff type, a huge black beast which pads through the streets of Darlington or its outlying districts at night. It is described as having huge glowing eyes, the size of saucers, and is alleged to bring bad luck to anyone unfortunate to be confronted by it. Fortunately for most perhaps, the dog is only supposed to appear to the people of Darlington. The BD was recorded in the Northern Echo as being last seen in October 1989. Increasing traffic in the Darlington area at all hours seems to have greatly diminished the phenomena. An interesting example, which may be a BD, is revealed by John and Anne Spencer as haunting a bridge in Swaledale. At Ivelet there exists a humpbacked bridge which is alleged to cross the river at the point where the old corpse way ran. This was a path used to convey the dead for burial at a churchyard. The haunting takes the form of a headless BD which glides on the bridge and disappears over the edge. As with other BD legends, this example is alleged to foretell doom and tragedy for those who witness it. Palmer (1976) records an example from Whitmore Park in Warwickshire, where a BD with shaggy matted fur and green eyes is alleged to foretell a death in the family of the witness. At Sedgley in Staffordshire, Raven (1978) reports a local BD which is meant to bring death to the witness. One man is alleged to have been followed to his house by this beast. As the man entered, the dog started howling. Very soon the house fell down, killing the man inside.

Other examples are not apparently seen as dangerous or harbingers. The tales merely record details of a sighting. Deanne & Shaw (1975) relate a tale, originally collected by the folklorist William Painter at the turn of the century, concerning a stretch of road which had a BD between Bodmin and Launceston in Cornwall. This BD was described as being as big as a calf and had eyes as large as saucers, while its mouth foamed. Buckinghamshire has a BD story from Aylesbury, where a farmer saw one of these dogs and struck at it with his stick, whereupon the dog vanished. Padfoot is a large BD who has saucer eyes and allegedly backwards-pointing feet. The Barguest of Trollers Gill in Yorkshire is similar in that it has large, burning eyes and follows travellers. In Burnley there is the variety known as Shriker or Trash, a large dog whose feet make a splashing, padding sound as it passes the onlooker. Simpson (1976) records that Bunbury, the lanes near Barthlemy and the Stretton Hills have BDs, the latter described as having fiery eyes. Brooks (1994) records BDs at Bunting Nook near Norton in South Yorkshire, and East Riddlesden, Keighley in West Yorkshire, among many others.

In contrast to the above, there exist at least two examples where the BD is viewed as a good influence. The Gurt Dog of the Quantocks was believed to be responsible for keeping children from harm on the hills. A second instance of a benevolent BD is an unusual tale related by Simpson (1976), which was centred on woods near Withington. In the tale, a woman was being approached by a man of ill or dangerous repute while walking through the woods, when at her side there appeared a large BD. The BD kept her company and safe until she reached the end of the trees, whereupon the creature vanished.

Also to be mentioned briefly, although they represent a whole genre of their own, are the packs of dogs associated (once more) in folklore with our pagan heritage and which form a part of the Wild Hunt. This is a subject largely outside the scope of the current article and is a topic worthy of its own study. However, a few cases are included to illustrate that they are a different phenomenon from the BDs of this study. In the south of the country, this plural variety of BD phenomena occurs on Dartmoor and especially around the area of Whistman’s Wood. In this case a pack of BDs (the Whisht Hounds) are to be heard emitting fearsome howls. Of a similar nature are the King John’s Hounds around Purse Caundle in Dorset.

There are a number of northern accounts of this phenomenon. One is alleged to occur near to the old Pele Tower of Cresswell, which has a Viking legend associated with it and is supposed to be haunted by a White Lady. The BD phenomenon occurs in the area of the beach of Druridge at the southern end of Cresswell, which is well attested to be haunted. Here there are phantoms of dogs described as big, black, hairy retrievers by one author, and as sporting dogs by another. They are alleged to appear when the weather is wild and a stiff wind is coming from the North Sea. A more definite identification with the Wild Hunt is to be found in the local tales of the Gabriel Hounds. These hounds, of County Durham, are to be seen on wild nights, especially when storms rage, and their howls and cries are to be plainly heard. They are supposed to be large dogs with humanoid heads and are always associated with calamities for the watcher. They are also supposed to hover around the house of someone who is about to die. Perhaps the same phenomenon is witnessed at Todmorden in West Yorkshire, once more termed the Gabriel Hounds. They are perceived to fly down the Cliviger Gorge and vanish into the ground. It is only since the advent of Christianity in the north that they have been associated with the angel Gabriel, the spirit of truth, and also of fire and lightning.

Exactly what these large BDs are, in terms of paranormal classification, remains somewhat of a mystery. Except for a few ‘family retainer’ cases and the Ivelet phenomena, which have been included for the portents of death associated with them, the included accounts (see table) of BDs are certainly not the manifestations of a deceased animal. Their destructive or ominous nature has little in common with a benign, if not friendly, wandering animal ghost. Neither do they seem to be corporeal animals, for they share no affinities with that other mystery animal, the alien big cats, that roam parts of our countryside. Corporeal animal are not liable to explode on contact. The closest parallel to some of the reported occurrences may be ball lightning, especially in the Bungay case, or the Jack O’ Lanterns that have been reportedly witnessed on the remoter moors and fens.

Overall, while there are always caveats which must be applied, there are a number of similarities between all the examples. The large size, colour and large burning eyes are common denominators. They tend to have a remarkable affinity for track ways, especially older tracks such as Peddars Way, Roman roads, barrows and Iron Age hill forts (areas where emotion has been spent in the past). They seem to be wary of water. Even the Swaledale example (which may be no more than an ordinary haunting) disappears over the bridge where it finds water. One recurrent association has been the location of the BD with that of UFO activity. Whether the association is meaningful or just circumstantial, in that a remote area is more conducive to both phenomena, is unclear. The topic of UFO phenomena and their connection with the appearance of BDs is not one in which the author has enough experience to offer a comment.

As the author has not witnessed any of this phenomenon, nor heard of any recent accounts, it would be of interest should any members of the association have such a sighting. Please write in, perhaps with a short piece in ASSAP News, to aid the continuation of the research. With communications improving year on year, travel becoming easier and people venturing further into the remoter places in Britain, it might have been expected that more sightings of this phenomenon would have been forthcoming. This has, as far as the author is aware, not been the case. No recent accounts (within the last 20 years) have come to light. Perhaps the BD is no longer to be witnessed in the British countryside. Perhaps it never was and the tales of BDs are merely that, tales to frighten children or to explain accidents and unexplained deaths on the highways, or a variety of other mundane reasons.

However, during the course of this study, one single factor has been made clear to the author: the BD phenomenon, if it exists, should not be approached in a cavalier fashion by the curious under any circumstances. Be warned, Cave Canem*!

*Editor’s Note: I suppose it was my fault for introducing Latin in volume 28. I believe the title of this article translates as ‘beware of the dog’.