If anyone were to get in the Barghest’s way it would strike out with its paw and leave a wound that never heals.īesides taking the form of a large black dog with fiery eyes, it may also become invisible and walk about with the sound of rattling chains. At the passing of a notable person the Barghest may appear, followed by all the other dogs of the local area in a kind of funeral procession, heralding the person’s death with howling and barking. The Barghest often serves as an omen of death. Another was said to live in an “uncannie-looking” dale between Darlington and Houghton near Throstlenest, and yet another haunted an area of wasteland between Wreghorn and Headingley Hill near Leeds. In the 1870s a shapeshifting Barghest was said to live near Darlington and was said to take the form of a headless man (who would vanish in flames), a headless lady, a white cat, a rabbit, a dog, or a black dog. Whitby is also associated with the spectre. There is also a story of a Barghest entering the city of York occasionally where, according to legend, it preys on lone travellers in the city’s narrow Snickelways. The man’s lifeless body is discovered soon after with inhuman marks upon his breast. It recounts the tale of a man who ventures forth “to the horrid gill of the limestone hill” in order to summon and confront the Barghest in an act of ritual magic. A ballad entitled “The Legend of the Troller’s Gill” can be found in William Hone’s Everyday Book (1830). One notable case is said to frequent a remote gorge named Troller’s Gill in the Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire, England. Another mooted derivation is Bahr-Geist, German for the “spirit of the funeral bier”. “Ghost” in Northern England was pronounced “guest,” and the origin is thought to be of the combination burh-ghest, “town-ghost.” Others explain it as cognate to German Berg-geist, “mountain ghost” or Bär-geist, “bear-ghost”. The origin of the name Barghest is interesting as it could have a relation with German agricultural daemons in dog or wolf shape, like Gerstenwolf (Barley-wolf), Roggenhund (Rye-hound) or Roggenwolf (Rye-wolf). In Northern English folklore, the Barghest or Barguest is a mythical monstrous black dog with large teeth and claws, though in other cases the name can refer to a ghost or household elf, especially in Northumberland and Durham, such as the Cauld Lad of Hylton. Traditionally ghostly black dogs are often regarded as an ill omen. Paranormal societies have investigated the phenomenon, particularly in the 1970s. The Hednesford Hellhound and the Slitting Mill Bastard to name but two. The last sighting was around a hundred years ago.Ī black dog in Hertfordshire haunts the town of Stevenage near the Six Hills (a collection of Roman barrows) and Whomerley Wood.Ĭannock Chase in Staffordshire has long since had rumours of a Black Dog. It is considered a death omen, and reports claim that anybody who has seen it died within a year. The dog is allegedly headless, and leaps over the side of the bridge and into the water, although it can be heard barking at night. Galley Hill in Luton, Bedfordshire, is said to have been haunted by a black dog ever since a storm set the gibbet alight sometime in the 18th century.īetchworth Castle in Surrey is said to be haunted by a black dog that prowls the ruins at night.īlack Dog Hill and Black Dog Halt railway station in Wiltshire are named after a dog which is said to be found in the area.Ī black dog is said to haunt Ivelet Bridge near Ivelet in Swaledale, Yorkshire. Stories are told of a black dog in Twyford, near Winchester. In Lancashire, the black hound is called Barguist, Grim, Gytrash, Padfoot, Shag, Skriker or Striker, and Trash. The ghostly huntsman is said to ride with black dogs this tale inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write his well-known story The Hound of the Baskervilles. When he died in 1677, black hounds are said to have appeared around his burial chamber. On Dartmoor in southern Devon, the notorious squire Richard Cabell was said to have been a huntsman who sold his soul to the Devil.
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