Berwick Vampire
The Berwick vampire is a English folkloric tale of an alleged vampire accounted for in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in the northern part of England around the twelfth century.[1]
Legend
As the legend goes, in the town of Berwick there was a wealthy man (some accounts say merchant, others just mention his wealth[2]) who people in the town reported seeing after his death. His body would roam the streets at night, causing the dogs to bark and howl. The townspeople became fearful that a plague might spread through the town and decided to dismember the body and burn it. This action did result in them no longer seeing the body walking around, however, a disease did sweep through the town causing many deaths. This disease was attributed to the after-effects of the vampire's presence.[3] This was also around the time of the Black Death (bubonic plague).
Conclusion
It can be concurred that the man was possibly very sick with this plague, which could make him look as if he were dead to those who had thought he had died. This is based on tales that he was not buried on holy grounds, possibly not buried at all. Upon burning the body, the disease spread. There are many retellings of this story, but all of them are basically the same in that he was wealthy, died, roamed the streets, and after his dismemberment and burning, a disease swept through the town.
References
- ↑ Whitney (2012-03-26). "Berwick Vampire". Vampires. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- ↑ Terry, Paper (2019-03-15). "Berwick Vampire | How The Northumbrian Villagers Dealt With Evil Forces". Wearside Online. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- ↑ Roberts, Steve (15 August 2012). Vampires!. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4488-8066-9. Retrieved 28 January 2021. Search this book on
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