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.
