bestiarium:The Black Dog of Newgate [English folktales]If you could travel through time and visit pl

bestiarium:The Black Dog of Newgate [English folktales]If you could travel through time and visit places from all different eras of history, there are some places that would be lovely to visit and others that you’d definitely want to avoid. 17th century English prisons definitely fall into the latter category.These institutions were notorious for their horrible living conditions, so it comes as no surprise that one of worst of these prisons, Newgate Prison, spawned some really dark folktales.The Black Dog of Newgate is a spectre that supposedly haunted this building. He was a very large wild dog, with ‘saucer-like’ eyes that shone like lamps, and carried iron chains around his neck. Illustrations of this creature from the 17th century sometimes depict the creature with snakes coming out of his head, like Medusa, but this might be an artistic choice and not intended to be taken literally. In the 17th century, a man named Luke Hutton published a pamphlet about this creature, claiming that the story was told to him by a strange, very thin man. This booklet is written like the author is trying to warn the reader about this dangerous supernatural creature, yet it does contain a disclaimer that the story is most likely fiction, with the remark that in reality there is only one black dog in the prison, and it is a statue. I wonder if the monster was originally intended as a metaphor for the harsh treatment of the inmates that the prison was so infamous for?In any case, the black dog nevertheless gained a position among the local folktales and cryptids. I have seen claims that the story of the monster actually predates the booklet I mentioned, but there doesn’t seem to be a source on this statement, or any source older than the pamphlet.The story goes like this: a peculiar man was (correctly) accused of sorcery and sentenced to a cell in the Newgate prison complex. Unfortunately for him, this happened during a time of great famine. During an uprising, some starving inmates overpowered him and, because the guards did not care enough about the prisoners to interfere, managed to kill the man and eat his corpse. But with his dying breath, the sorcerer cast a powerful curse on his assailants. After he was slain and eaten, a large black dog was sometimes seen on the prison grounds. This monster was assumed by some to be the spirit of the victim, and it stalked the prison at night. The creature was formidable and hunted down all the inmates who were responsible for the sorcerer’s death, gruesomely killing every single one of them until none were left. Though the prison was demolished over a century ago, there is still an urban legend about a shapeless black shadow that roams the Amen Court area. Sources:Hutton, L., 1638, The discovery of a London monster, called, the blacke dogg of New-gate profitable for all readers to take heed by, London. Which you can read here.(And this internet page for that last part about the urban legend)(Source for both images: Luke Hutton, 1638) -- source link

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