The Legend of Lady Grace
Recently, after lambing, I was returning home in the early hours and came across some sheep moving, with a certain purpose, across a country lane. They disappeared into a field near 'Grace's Pond'. I was worried to see them 'free' (especially with the knowledge of recent sheep and cattle rustling) and drove down Grace's Walk to the farm/hall at the bottom of the hill, presuming here to be the owners of the sheep. My news of the wandering flock was greeted with a look of despair, and surprisingly to me, a total lack of animation on the part of the owner. I offered to take my dogs to find them, but the farmer just looked at me and invited me in, saying "There's no point at all in doing that" !! Mystified by his reaction, I accepted his invitation and followed him into his kitchen whereupon he sat me down, with a very welcome mug of cocoa.
The farmer told me that he is not alone in suffering the disappearances of sheep at this time of year. In fact, few farms in Essex have escaped the mysterious occurences and he likened the experience to the Bermuda Triangle, because no-one can ever seem to find trace of the missing sheep in Essex. He then told me the following story..
"During the reign of Good King Jacob, houses were adorned with pargetting, painted decoration and heavy timbering. With the patterning of the timbering, runic symbols of various combinations were formed in the belief that such symbolism would provide the incumbents with good luck and protection, for example, Eolh, Wunjo, Isa, Tir and Gifu (from the Germanic Futhark alphabet). It would seem that these runic devices were of no help to his home's unhappy previous owners, Sir Giles and Lady Ramsden .....
We all know of the Black Dog of Misfortune, found from the Fens of Cambridgeshire to the South Coast. sightings of Black Dog have been rare over the centuries; rarer still in connection with the movement of sheep. However, one authenticated incident recorded in Lord Petre's diary, dated 27th March 1876, was reported by such sober witness as a priest, returning at dawn from performing the Last Rites over a member of his flock - although a more normal connection this - as a harbinger of death.
Less well known , perhaps, is that the Black Dog was also a name used in Jacobean times to denote the sheepdog. This is recounted in Steeleye Span's rendition of an old folk song "Here;'s my Black Dog, and my sheep crook, I give them to you".
It has been established that the original Black Dog of Essex belonged to Lady Grace (b. 1563, d. 1584). Grace (born a de Mandeville) came from a family of wool merchants and sheep producers near King's Lynn. She married Sir Giles of Ramsden, who brought her to the Great Hall at Runsell Green, where they lived very happily. Before marriage, Grace used to help her family with the shepherding, always attended by Black Dog. And so, after marriage, she would lend Black Dog to her shepherd for the annual drive of the Ramsden estate's ewe lambs to Norfolk, bought by Lady Grace's family as replacement breeding ewes, in late March.
Grace was reknowned locally for her somnambulistic tendencies, a habit which developed after her marriage, and she was frequently seen on the poplar-lined walk (now known as Grace's Walk) before (and since!) her death. Indeed, her death occurred at a tragically young age whilst on a somnambulistic sojourn, when she fell into the pond near the Walk. Black Dog was, as usual, at her side. They found Grace's body, on the morning of the 12th day following her disappearance, in the pond, where just her long, flowing hair was visible below the surface but ... no sign of Black Dog, until they extricated Grace from her watery tomb. Black Dog then surfaced with what was apparently a piece of the root that had bound Grace's foot to the bed of the pond in his mouth. He had obviously drowned trying to free his mistress.
After Grace's death Sir Giles was distraught and his zest for life diminished until he could no longer bear to remain in the marital home. The estate was sold and became to the local populace, even to this day, as Great Grace's Hall, in memory of Lady Grace."
The farmer told me that from these past times the sheep started disappearing annually on the day of the Vernal Equinox, the anniversary of Grace's death, and continued throughout the next 12 days, to the morning of her body being found in the pond. Because of this, the local farmers believe that death was no barrier to what Black Dog considered had been his annual task of taking gimmer flocks on the long drive to Norfolk, and with the dog taking sheep from other farms in the area as well as from the Runsell Green estate (they keep fewer sheep there these days) the dog finds them where he may. Perhaps rustlers have used this legend to cover their nefarious activities!!
It appears that my removal to Essex and subsequent discovery of very few flocks in the area is due to their having been moved by the phantom Black Dog to Norfolk where, as we know, sheep are much more plentiful !
As you may or may not be aware, the 12th day following the Vernal Equinox is All Fools Day!! ESMC
Free Forum Hosting
Important Announcement
First 