George
Hodgson, 1621-1715, the Dent Vampire
by Barry & Mary Hodgson, Birmingham
UK (9671)
Just by the porch
of the Dent Church is the gravestone of George Hodgson, said to have
been the Dent Vampire. Born in 1621, George lived to the then astonishing
age of 94 years. Idle Dentdale rumour, even during his lifetime, suggested
that his longevity was the result of a pact that he had made with the
Devil, and that his prominent canine teeth--probably the only ones left
in his head by that time!--were used for sucking youthful blood from
hapless victims. Hedging their bets, the Dent villagers gave him a churchyard
burial, ... but in a remote corner. But when some of them claimed to
have seen his spectre abroad, and that some unexplained deaths in the
dale may have been attributed to it, they dug him up and reburied him,
with a stake through his heart, by the church porch.
Very intrigued
by this story, we decided to visit the little village of Dent, and indeed
the gravestone is exactly as described; it is laid flat and used as
a paving slab, right in front of the Porch, indeed you have to walk
across it to enter the church. The inscription is as follows:
"Here lyes
the body of George HODGSON who departed this life July 4 1715 Aged
94".
Also right where
his heart would have been, there is a hole in the slab, with a metal
cover over it!!!
We also found the
same story in another guide book, but in this version, 'when the coffin
was exhumed and opened, it was said that his hair and nails had grown
and the flesh was glowing pink as though the corpse were alive.'
We must add that
we do not think that we are related to George; would anyone own up to
a direct line anyway?
Dent is in Dentdale,
on the western edge of the Dales National Park, about five miles from
the town of Sedbergh.
The references
are from:
1) 50 Walks in Yorkshire Dales, published by the AA Group, ISBN
0 7495 3513 X
2) Walking in the Dales, by Mike Harding, published by Penguin
Group, ISBN 0 7181 2601 3
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