The Bones of Black Shuck, the Hellhound, may have been found.

Devil dogs and hell hounds have a special place in the legends of the British Isles. You wouldn’t want to meet one of these beasts alone in the dark, on a lonely moor – you probably wouldn’t live to tell the tale...



But maybe, just maybe there is some truth to these legends.
Archaeologists have recently discovered the bones of an enormous dog in the ruins of Leiston Abbey, Suffolk, England. The animal would have stood 7ft tall on its hind legs and has been estimated to weigh around 200lbs.
It comes from the same era as legends of Black Shuck, the infamous black devil dog of the area which terrorised the local community.

"The encounter on the same day at St Mary's Church, Bungay was described in ‘A Straunge and Terrible Wunder’ by the Reverend Abraham Fleming in 1577:
This black dog, or the devil in such a likeness (God he knoweth all who worketh all,) running all along down the body of the church with great swiftness, and incredible haste, among the people, in a visible form and shape, passed between two persons, as they were kneeling upon their knees, and occupied in prayer as it seemed, wrung the necks of them both at one instant clean backward, in so much that even at a moment where they kneeled, they strangely died."

The remains of this massive creature were found just a few miles from St. Mary’s, fuelling speculation that Black Shuck has been caught at last.



More at Ancient Origins

a reply to: beansidhe

It was probably just a relative of the great dane with rabies.

Everyone knows demon dogs turn to ashes when they die.

I think the dogs were called Englishe Tockes, they were a type of boar hunting dog. That's my guess if I'm to be serious.

a reply to: beansidhe
This showed up when I went to the cemetery few days ago.
Reminded me of Hellhound. (used to show up around cemeteries/graveyards and that creepy stuff -- according to the legends)


sorry for the quality of the pic (even though it was taken with the 5S), wish I had my Nikon in my car on that night

a reply to: Necrose

Woah, that's creepy! Great photo!

a reply to: Daz21

DNA tests are going to be carried out, I believe, so I'll keep my eyes open for updates (I'm secretly hoping it turns to demon dust just before the tests, though!).

originally posted by: beansidhe
a reply to: Necrose

Woah, that's creepy! Great photo!

You know, as the legend goes... 3 sightseeings of the Hellhound and you are dead, thus I have 2 more left

a reply to: beansidhe

Haha that would be awesome.

The looks on their faces would be hilarious.

It'll be interesting to hear the true results though, either way It's still a big dog that you wouldn't want to bump into in the middle of the night.

a reply to: beansidhe
It could be an Irish wolf hound-They are one of the few dogs which could reach that size,along with great danes as already mentioned.
Maybe it was a special dog rather than a hellhound-I say that as it was buried in the ruins of an abbey-Thats where monks/nuns would have lived and worked.
Its possible that the dog was buried on holy ground as it did something worthy when alive-maybe it fought off bandits or invaders.
Not just any dog would have been buried in the abbey grounds IMO.
I wonder if any documents from the abby at the time could shed more light on the bones?

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

It is interesting that it was buried on Holy ground, as if it were a special dog. As far as I know, no stories exist of Black Shuck ever being killed or captured so whether it was put there quickly and quietly one night, in fear, or whether it was a beloved pet we don't know.
It would be interesting to know how it died, definitely.

a reply to: Necrose

That cloud looks more like an uncut poodle than a hellhound to me.

a reply to: rickymouse

aww!! That's prolly because you can't see his legs & body in the picture , I could see the whole dog pretty clearly with the naked eye, my iPhone hasn't felt really comfortable while taking a photo in such low-light conditions. The only light visible is the light from the moon, so the rest of his body faded into a vague shadow.

a reply to: rickymouse

It might have been this one. Eeek.

My parents had Dane about that size when I was a kid. 39 inches at the shoulder. About 200 lbs. He could easily look over a 6 ft fence on his hinds.

a reply to: skunkape23

I'm sure he was lovely but there's no way I'd want to meet him alone on a dark night! Irish wolfhounds are that sort of size too I think, so maybe the skeleton will turn out to be one of either of those types.

More about the Black Shuck legend can be found on this fascinating website: www.hiddenea.com...

The account from Suffolk in 1577 has been attributed to a severe thunderstorm with side orders of ball lightning and/or tornado. A church in the village of Blythburgh also seems to have been hit on the same day - I've seen scorch marks there said to have been left by the devil. They aren't that conclusive or impressive, but it is an amazing place to visit.

Here's an account from

www.bungay-suffolk.co.uk...

The most famous event connected with St Mary's church is the apparition of the devil in the disguise of a Black Dog in 1577. During a storm on Sunday, August 4th, a terrifying thunderstorm occurred with such - 'darkness, rain, hail, thunder and lightning as was never seen the like'.
Storms were always greatly feared during a period when most houses were built of timber and thatch and a lightening strike could quickly set large areas of a town ablaze. As the people knelt in fear, praying for mercy, suddenly there appeared in their midst a great black Hell Hound. It began tearing around the Church, attacking many of the congregation with its cruel teeth and claws. An old verse records:
'All down the church in midst of fire, the hellish monster flew
And, passing onward to the quire, he many people slew'
Then as suddenly as it had appeared, it ran off, departing for Blythburgh Church about twelve miles away where it killed and mauled more people.
Bungay Church was damaged, the tower struck by lightening and the Church clock was broken in pieces. Although there is no official record of injuries caused, the Churchwardens account book mentions that two men in the belfry were killed.
Nowadays we would attribute the whole event to the Church having been struck by lightning but, in that superstitious age, many accidents and disasters were considered to be the work of the Devil. There had long been a belief that a Satanic black hound roamed the area and so it was easy to believe for people in the dark interior of the Church, that this evil beast was responsible for the catastrophe.
St Mary's Church still attracts many visitors who come to see where this strange event took place but whereas the door in Blythburgh Church still retains the scorch marks of the Devils claws there is no similar evidence surviving in Bungay.
The Black Dog is sometimes associated with Black Shuck, another spectral hound which haunts the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts. Many people still claim to see these beasts today and a sighting usually results in death or disaster of some kind.

The Wikipedia entry on Black Shuck is also worth a read for those interested in folk tales and legend.

a reply to: Necrose

Fantastic Pic!!

Would you mind posting that on my thread? www.abovetopsecret.com...

Oh, and S&F to you, OP. Great thread.

mastiff breads can grow big even more so in ancient times ...during roman times these beasts were pitted in the arena's against bears and lions....even today mastiff grow as big or even bigger than the beast found in the OP...

urbanlegends.about.com...

Hercules: The World's Biggest Dog Ever According to Guinness World Records

Hercules was recently awarded the honorable distinction of Worlds Biggest Dog by Guinness World Records. Hercules is an English Mastiff and has a 38 inch neck and weighs 282 pounds.

I f I read things correctly, there was a terrible storm at the time. Some dogs absolutely freak out during storms. I had a dog who used to be terrified out of his wits during a thunderstorm and run away. I bet this what happened although it sounds like a huge and aggressive dog.
Speaking of huge dogs, the biggest dog I have ever seen was at a vets 's. He was black and extremely hairy and looked like a yak. They brought him to the vet on a small pick up truck and tied him down. He could have been a cross newfoundland or something. This dog was enormous, as big as a half grown calf. Our puppy started barking at him. I have seen great danes and wolf hounds but this was something else indeed. Does anyone know what it could have been?

originally posted by: sled735
a reply to: Necrose

Fantastic Pic!!

Would you mind posting that on my thread? www.abovetopsecret.com...

Oh, and S&F to you, OP. Great thread.

I got it posted

a reply to: SummerLightning

Thanks SummerLightning, for adding this in

a reply to: grumpy64

There's a dog who lives down the road from me who sounds similar. He's a Newfoundland crossed with something or other (he's got long curly hair).

A storm could cause a dog to panic, and yet these stories are heard across Britain, in many parts. I'm always curious about them as they seem to be ingrained into our folklore.