The Canon William of
Newburgh, a highly respected priest who lived during the
reign of Richard I in the thirteenth century, introduced
the tale of the Berwick Vampire to folklore. This was
around the time when the plague devastated whole towns and
cities in one swoop and the northern counties were no
exception. Canon William’s story is about a rich merchant
who was a victim of the plague he was also known as a
religious and thoughtful man. It was only after his death
that the villagers of Berwick discovered that the man had
lead a corrupt, sinful life and they refused to let him be
buried on consecrated land.
Soon after his funeral, some unexplainable and terrible
incidents took place in Berwick. The merchant had begun to
rise from his grave in search of human flesh and blood
amongst the villagers. The demented demon would bolt
through the streets looking for victims shouting "until my
body is burnt, you folk of Berwick shall have no peace"!
Behind the Vampire a pack of howling dogs followed, their
loud baying keeping the villagers awake.
The villagers had to end the horror of the Vampire and
decided to have a meeting. Ten young farmhands were
selected to exhume the merchant’s grave and dismember the
body and burn it until only ashes remained. However
tragedy would not go away, shortly after the destruction
of the vampire, the plague returned to Berwick killing
half the population. Villagers claimed as they buried
their dead that the sound of baying hounds and the fearful
screams of the Vampire could still be heard.
