Black Shuck – The Grim English Devil Dog.
Black Shuck - Scratching to get in.
East Anglia is an area of south-east England which includes the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire; some parts of Essex are also considered to belong to the region. Its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, whose people originally came from northern Germany, from an area called Angeln — a peninsula on the coast of Jutland.
East Anglia is claimed to be home to a ghostly black dog that haunts the coastline and countryside of the region. Referred to by the local folk as Black Shuck, Old Shuck, or simply Shuck, he is described as a huge beast, often the size of a pony or even a fully grown horse. The name “Shuck” likely comes from the Old English scucca or sceocca, meaning “demon” or “devil”, though some have suggested it could also derive from shucky, meaning shaggy.
A printed account of the beast appears in 1850, when Reverend E. S. Taylor described him in the journal Notes and Queries:
“Shuck the Dog-fiend: this phantom I have heard many persons in East Norfolk, and even Cambridgeshire, describe as having seen as a black shaggy dog, with fiery eyes and of immense size, and who visits churchyards at midnight.”
Perhaps the best-known description, however, comes from Highways & Byways in East Anglia by W. A. Dutt (1901):
“He takes the form of a huge black dog, and prowls along dark lanes and lonesome field footpaths, where, although his howling makes the hearer’s blood run cold, his footfalls make no sound. You may know him at once, should you see him, by his fiery eye; he has but one, and that, like the Cyclops’, is in the middle of his head. But such an encounter might bring you the worst of luck: it is even said that to meet him is to be warned that your death will occur before the end of the year. So you will do well to shut your eyes if you hear him howling; shut them even if you are uncertain whether it is the dog-fiend or the voice of the wind you hear. Should you never set eyes on our Norfolk Snarleyow you may perhaps doubt his existence, and, like other learned folks, tell us that his story is nothing but the old Scandinavian myth of the black hound of Odin, brought to us by the Vikings who long ago settled down on the Norfolk coast.”
Witnesses who have encountered Old Shuck often describe an aura of dread. He is said to appear silently, padding up behind travellers on dark lanes or waiting in the shadows at crossroads, his single eye blazing like an infernal lantern. As A. W. Dutt points out he is usually considered a death omen, and so the thought of meeting him filled the local people with fear. However, on rare occasions, he is described as escorting the witness - perhaps even protecting them from some unseen threat.
The most notable of his appearances was said to have occurred on 4th August 1577, recorded that same year by Abraham Fleming in A Straunge and Terrible Wunder.
Fleming describes how Black Shuck burst through the doors of Holy Trinity Church at Blythburgh. His arrival was marked by a clap of thunder; he ran up the nave past the terrified congregation, killing a man and a boy as he did so and causing the steeple to collapse. As the dog departed, he left scorch marks on the north door, which can still be seen at the church today. (See photos.)
On the same day, the beast is said to have appeared again - this time at St Mary’s Church in Bungay. Once more, he broke into the church during a religious service, running among the kneeling worshippers, biting heads and breaking necks before vanishing again.
Other accounts attribute these events to the Devil himself, and the scorch marks on the door are still referred to by local people as the Devil’s fingerprints, commemorated in the following verse:
All down the church in midst of fire,
The hellish monster flew,
And passing onward to the quire,
He many people slew.
Black dogs are common in English folklore; nearly every county has its own dark hound said to stalk the land, and very few of them are friendly. Indeed, it would seem that evening rambles down lonely country lanes are a rather hazardous occupation in this country. Perhaps in the future I will blog about a few more of these beasts — let me know if you would like me to.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Below is the link to my free horror story The Postman’s Tale. Available in EPUB and PDF, it is guaranteed to give a pleasing shudder — my Halloween gift to you, dear reader. If you enjoy it, please consider supporting me by purchasing one of my books from the shop.
Until next week, stay spooky.
Sources
Highways & Byways in East Anglia by W. A. Dutt (1901)
A Straunge and Terrible Wunder by Abraham Fleming (1577)
Notes and Queries: by Reverend E. S. Taylor (1850)
Wikipedia
