Stigg our roving reporter has unearthed an interesting article published in the 'THE BRIDGEWATER BILGEPUMP' dated June 1889.

Is this the first reported sighting of the Quantock Goblin - if it is, I dearly hope he gets a more hospitable reception at the next reunion! 

ANIMAL WOUNDED AT HUNTING LODGE

An astonishing and strange occurrence has been reported from the Quantock Hills not so many miles from this very office. Your editor has the following report from Miss Alice Price, assistant reporter to Mr Jenks.

It was last Tuesday week when I was summoned to the village of Over Stowey by Joshua Folds, the landlord and publican of the George Public House. He had been told of the most unusual event that I now report. I have relayed all the facts as told to me by Mr Folds at his public house and later Mr Wilkins of the shooting party.

On late afternoon of June the second this year of 1889 the regular shooting party at the former home of Lord Taunton shot and wounded an unknown animal in the grounds of the great house. This was in close proximity to the hunting lodge. The animal was seen to be in difficulty but made off in the direction of the great house some half a mile distant. Mr Abraham Wilkins, the chief game keeper and the gentleman who fired the shot had to be calmed with several beverages from the Tun and Horse public house before he could relate his story. I have since spoken to him and this is what transpired. I use his words not mine.

We was finished for the day see, a brace of hare for all and three dozen birds for the big house. Mr Sage had taken all the guns to his carriage but I like to clean my own as it was my fathers and I am rather taken to it. The main body of men had started to round up the dogs and most had been placed at tether. It was then that something over at the Lodge caught my eye. Now, I am not a foolish old man and I have seen most of the Lords creatures that swim, fly or walk on this Earth but what I saw stopped me dead. At first I believed I was looking at the devil himself and made the catholic sign out of sheer fright even though my people are all chapel. I looked again and it came into the light, I raised my gun and fired by instinct. I saw this abomination turn its head and then it let forth with such a howl that the park gates at Crowcombe must have shuddered. Mr Plimton nearly fainted and I, much to my shame, ran back to the main group not looking back. It was the boy, Blake that watched the thing run off on two legs to the old Hall. It was the head, such a face I never saw before or want to see again. Contorted it was with all the sins of the World and the Heavens above. I know I hit it full square on its heaving chest, a full charge of number eight, enough to knock a man down. If I live to be a hundred I shall never want see the likes of that again. I have been at the infirmary with my nerves since that day and my family are without an income.

I have  a low resolution copy of this article but hope to post this at high resolution at a later date.  Gentlemen and ladies, your comments please!

Thanks again to Stigg for finding this!

M