In the churchyard of the village of Dent, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales in northern England, is the grave of George Hodgson, a reputed vampire. He died in 1715 at the great age of 94.
George had lived an uneventful life, but after his death ugly rumours began to emerge about his peculiar tastes and habits. One of the villagers claimed George had enjoyed a regular glass of animal’s blood. And a local farmer recalled how he had seen a black hare—or witch’s familiar—and blasted it with his shotgun. He followed the injured creature's trail of blood to George's house and, peering through a window, eyed him treating a gunshot wound.
Folklore says the concerned citizens of Dent resolved to exhume George’s body—supposedly to check he was dead. His coffin was dug up and opened, to find George’s remains still inside. But to make sure he couldn’t get up to any mischief, he was reburied in a fresh grave at the door of St Andrew’s church—with a brass stake driven through his body!
George is nowadays celebrated as a local legend—as the Vampire of Dent.
He is one of the spooky, creepy and eccentric characters we will be celebrating when the England Project goes Halloween next weekend!
On Friday October 30th, England Project members will begin our Halloween Challenge—as we divide into teams to create, source and connect WikiTree profiles for a selection of witches, ghosts and other folks connected to paranormal activity in England.
It will be a weekend of creepy stories, teamwork and fun!
How will you be celebrating Halloween on WikiTree this year?
