There's a hoard of English folklore about dragons (which is a little strange given how few snakes are native to the British Isles) but this collection covers...
- The Sockburn Worm, or the Wyvern of County Durham
- Maud and the Mordiford Dragon
- The Regenerating Dragon of Loschy Hill
- How a Poisoned Pie Felled the Lyminster Knucker
- The Corpse-Spawned Dragon of Norton Fitzwarren
- The Burrowing, Basking Ludham Dragon
- The Curse of the Lambton Worm
- The Curious Case of the Bures Dragon
- Brent Pelham Village and the Devil's Own Dragon
- Meat, Maidens or Milk for the Bisterne Dragon
- How the Wantley Dragon Came to an Undignified End
- Three Healing Wells and the Dragon of Longwitton
 |
| Quite a few depictions of dragons were crocodilian... (David Clode) |
1. The Sockburn Worm, or the Wyvern of County Durham
Legend has it that Sockburn in County Durham was once menaced by a deadly wyvern, known as the Sockburn Worm.
The wyvern wandered the land before the Norman Conquest, devouring animals and people alike. Not only did the beast have the power and stature of a dragon, it possessed "monstrous venoms and poysons" that blighted the very air around it.
In 1063, Sir John Conyers pledged his only son to the Holy Ghost at Sockburn’s All Saints’ Church, then set out to slay the beast. Armed with a falchion (a heavy blade somewhere between a sword and an axe) he dodged the wyvern's deadly breath and chopped deep into the creature's body, dealing a mortal wound.
The falchion is on permanent display in Durham Cathedral Museum and is traditionally presented to each new Bishop of Durham. The story of the Sockburn Worm is said to have inspired the poem "Jabberwocky" as Lewis Carroll was raised nearby!
2. Maud and the Mordiford Dragon
The village of Mordiford has a large amount of draconic iconography - all linked to an ancient local legend, the Mordiford Dragon.
The story begins with a young girl named Maud (or Maude) finding herself a stray and bringing it home as a pet... the twist being that the animal in question is either a baby dragon or wyvern, depending on the teller. Naturally her parents were not in favor of Maud's new companion and told her to abandon it, but the girl continued to secretly feed the serpent with milk.
As the dragon grew, so did its appetite - it began raiding farms for livestock, then moved on to eating people. The only person who was safe from the dragon was Maud, for whom the creature held fond memories. The tale splits into three versions at this point:
- A member of the local Garston family hid in a barrel and ambushed the dragon as it drank from the river, either killing it, shoving it into the water to wash away or convinced it to hunt wild game in the forest instead of bothering the villagers. The dragon is never seen again, though Maud sometimes vanishes into the countryside and comes back with a smile.
- A condemned prisoner was offered freedom if he slew the dragon - he hid in spike-covered barrel on the riverbank, then fought the beast from inside his keg. The dragon was maimed by the spikes as it struck back, which allows the prisoner to land a killing blow... but the serpent breathes a fatal gust of fire or poison on its killer as it dies!
- The dragon eats too much meat from cattle that drowned in a flood and falls asleep, allowing the villagers to creep up and club it to death!
 |
| English wyrms quite often added poison to their arsenal... (Pixel-mixer) |
3. The Regenerating Dragon of Loschy Hill
The church at Nunnington features a tomb emblazoned by an armored knight, with a hound at his feet. One local legend is that the occupant is Peter Loschy, who slew a dragon on Loschy Hill.
The knight prepared his armor with outwards facing spikes (which seems to be a common dragon fighting tactic in English folklore) and set out to face the beast accompanied by his hound. He didn't have to wait long - the wyrm charged him, thinking him little more than a convenient meal.
The dragon swiftly caught Loschy in its coils, but was forced to let go when the spikes gored it... but to the knight's chagrin, the dragon instantly healed each of its wounds. Things were looking grim for the would-be slayer.
It was Loschy's hound that turned the tables - when a mighty blow carved a chunk from the dragon, his dog snatched it up and buried it near the church before returning to battle. It repeated this feat until the monster had been well and truly disassembled!
Now for the sad part. Loschy bent down to praise his faithful hound... and it licked him. The toxic blood of the dragon was in its mouth and on its breath, and both the slayer and his hound fell dead on the spot.
4. How a Poisoned Pie Felled the Lyminster Knucker
What's a knucker, you ask? Well, this strange beast is actually a kind of water dragon from English folklore, one that lives in a knucker hole or pool of water. The word probably comes from the Old English "nicor" or "water monster."
The Lyminster Knucker lived in a knucker hole near the church and would fly out to devour maids all over Sussex (in some versions of the tale, it had slept harmlessly in the pool for centuries... until a local dropped a bell into the pool to see how deep it was.) Things got so bad that the King of Sussex offered his daughter's hand in marriage to whoever slew the beast.
Enter Jim Puttock, a local lad with an unconventional approach to dragon slaying. He baked a massive pie (laced with poisonous toadstools) and transported it to the knucker hole on a horse-drawn cart. The knucker gobbled down the pie, cart and horse... then died due to the poison (or potentially just indigestion!)
Some versions of the tale also end with the death of Jim Puttock - since he forgot to clean his hands after foraging for fatal fungi!
 |
| Oops. (Anonymous) |
5. The Corpse-Spawned Dragon of Norton Fitzwarren
Now here's a short but grim one. The ancient hill fort at Norton Fitzwarren was once said to be the home of a dragon that ravaged the surrounding countryside. The beast itself was said to have sprung from human remains left on the site after an ancient battle.
Even when left abandoned, hill forts were excellent defensive positions. One theory behind the legend is that locals saw the dragon banner of the West Saxon army above the ruin. Regardless of its origin, the dragon certainly struck a chord with the locals - a nearby church features a five-hundred year old carving that features crocodilian monsters snatching up men, women and children.
6. The Burrowing, Basking Ludham Dragon
Legend has it that ancient Ludham was terrorized by a dragon that burrowed a network of passages below the village, stretching between the churchyard and main street. The chilly tunnels had downsides for the reptilian beast though, so one day it emerged into the street to bask in the sun.
Seizing the moment, one brave (foolhardy) fellow rolled a boulder across the entrance to the tunnels - and when the dragon realized it had been licked out, it was furious. The beast took off, smashed the walls of St Benet's Abbey and flew off, never to be seen again.
Interestingly the Norfolk Chronicle from the 28th of September 1782 talks of an enormous snake being destroyed on the 16th at Ludham. Described as being 5'8" in length and almost 3' in circumference (that's very big for a British snake) this creature seemed to have small horn-like protrusions on its head and was said to have been living in subterranean burrows hidden around the village!
 |
| Some fossils (such as this tooth I got my hands on) could easily be mistaken for draconic remains |
7. The Curse of the Lambton Worm
The tale of the Lambton Worm begins with a fishing trip. The young John Lambton had skipped church to go angling in the River Wear, when he caught a strange, worm-like creature with nine holes either side of its head. Not liking the look of the thing, he flung it down a well and forgot about it.
Fast forwards through the years, and Lambton has returned from the Crusades to find a giant worm menacing his father's estates. Consulting a local wise woman, he was told that the worm was his responsibility to slay... but that there was a curse on the creature. Lambton would have to kill the first living creature he saw after defeating the worm, or the next nine generations of Lambtons would not die in their beds.
Lambton arranged to blow a horn three times if he was victorious, signaling his father to release his hunting hound - the beast would run to its master, and thus be the first living thing seen post-battle.
Sure enough, the experienced crusader slays the worm in a vicious river battle, hacking the worm in half... but in his joy, Lambton senior ran out to congratulate his son and forgot to send the hound first. Curiously, at least three generations of Lambtons came to a sticky end afterwards.
8. The Curious Case of the Bures Dragon
The story of the Bures Dragon goes back to 1405 Suffolk, when a local Benedictine monk recorded that the fearsome creature (with a crested head and jagged teeth) had been menacing the village and had been witnessed roasting a flock of sheep along with their shepherd.
Attempts to dispatch the creature failed miserably - though bowmen pelted the beast, arrows simply bounced off the creature's ribs and hard skin as though they were made of stone or metal. Apparently the beast wasn't a fan of this treatment though, and fled when the townsfolk rallied for another attempt!
There's actually a theory that the beast may have been a crocodile, a pet given to King Richard the 1st by King Saladin. The king's beasts were held in a menagerie at the Tower of London... so perhaps it was an escapee from there?
.jpg) |
| Could an escaped crocodile have inspired a dragon panic? (George Ciobra) |
9. Brent Pelham Village and the Devil's Own Dragon
There's a tomb in Brent Pelham's St Mary’s Church carved with strange designs - including a dragon with the staff of a floral cross rammed down its throat. Local legend claims the owner is Piers Shonks, a mighty hunter (and in some versions of the tale, a giant) who slew the pictured monster.
The story goes that the dragon made its den beneath a yew tree, and that Shonks faced the beast with the aid of his servant and three hounds. After a long and terrible battle, Shonks managed to ram his spear down its throat and inflict a mortal wound.
Unfortunately for Shonks, the dragon had a master - the Devil himself. Enraged at the death of his pet, he pronounced a curse - no matter whether Shonks was buried inside or outside of a church, his soul would be damned. Shonks arranged to be buried in the wall (and thus neither outside or inside) of the church, foiling the Devil's curse!
10. Meat, Maidens or Milk for the Bisterne Dragon
The New Forest in Hampshire has its fair share of folklore, including the tale of the Bisterne Dragon.
The story goes that the dragon lived on Burley Beacon, commuting to the village of Bisterne each day and demanding tribute. Depending on the tale, it wanted a heap of meat, a human sacrifice... or a pail of milk.
When the dragon alighted to feed, de Berkeley and his hounds sprang from concealment and charged the unprepared beast. Though they died in the struggle, his dogs bought de Berkeley enough time to land a fatal blow - and as the dragon finally succumbed to its wounds, it crashed into the ground and transformed into the hill called Bolton's Bench.
11. How the Wantley Dragon Came to an Undignified End
Things didn't end happily for the knight either. Broken by the intense battle and the loss of his loyal companions, he eventually lay down on Bolton's Bench and died. From his abandoned bow sprang a sapling, and a mighty yew tree crowns the hill to this day.
 |
| The Dragon of Longwitton used magic wells... (Freedom_in_the_mind) |
11. How the Wantley Dragon Came to an Undignified End
The Dragon of Wantley comes to us in the form of a centuries old ballad - and it stands out due to the comedic approach taken to the tale.
The dragon in question was a mighty beast, described as being almost as big as the Trojan Horse and gobbling up people, cattle and trees with relish. The locals turned to the knight More of More-Hall for aid - though to be frank, he doesn't seem to have been particularly chivalrous. He's noted as being furious, for getting in brawls and only offers to help in exchange for a night with a pretty lass.
Coarse he may have been, but a fool he was not. Sir More commissioned a suit of armor from Sheffield, covered in 5-6 inch spikes. So clad, the knight hid in a well and sucker-punched the dragon as it tried to drink. After a long and drawn out battle, Sir More slew the dragon with a kick straight up the backside... the creature's only weak point!
12. Three Healing Wells and the Dragon of Longwitton
Now for the tale of a particularly cunning wyrm. The village of Longwitton was blessed with three magic wells, each capable of soothing the aches and injuries of those who took the water. One day, a plowman visiting the well found that they'd been taken over by a dragon - and it wasn't inclined to share.
This particular seemed to have a knack for magic - it was able to turn itself invisible at will, preventing would be slayers from seeing where it was, let alone landing a telling blow.
Eventually a traveling knight (Guy, Earl of Warwick) chanced upon the village - and it seems he had a few tricks of his own. Applying a magic ointment to his eyes, he was able to see through the dragon's invisibility and strike a devastating blow... only to see the wound heal in a matter of moments.
Things looked bad for Guy as the fight dragged on and each of the dragon's wounds knit shut, until he noticed the beat keeping its tail in one of the healing wells. The knight slowly retreated, luring the dragon away from the magical waters until he could get between the beast and its balm. Cut off from the source of its healing, the dragon weakened with each blow and finally perished!
Thanks for reading - for more strange tales, try...