Peterborough's Own Hellhound

The most notorious ghost in Peterborough is that of the demon hellhound, Black Shuck, who is said to have haunted the area since 1127. It was said that this phantom dog was part of a divine curse upon the people of Peterborough for tolerating the sins of the Abbot of Peterborough Abbey. There are various legends about Black Shuck, or Old Shuck as he is sometimes called, across the east of England, but Peterborough's version of the legend is the oldest.

 

The word Shuck comes from the Anglo-Saxon for 'Demon' or 'Devil'.

 

Shuck was first seen as part of a demonic hunt said to terrorise the area, but shortly afterwards was reported as operating alone. Shuck is described as being huge, black, hairy, with red eyes that weep fire... and as a harbinger of death, anyone who sees him will be dead by sunrise. He was most commonly seen on the Fen roads on the outskirts of Peterborough.

 

It is believed that Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle based the story of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', Sherlock Holmes' most famous mystery, on that of Black Shuck after hearing about the legend on a visit to the region in 1901.