The Black Dog of Newgate Prison

22 May

In the late 16th century, a Newgate Prison inmate in London wrote a terrifying account of a ghostly Black Dog hunting prisoners. Today, reports continue to circulate about this Black Dog haunting the area around the prison.

The Legend of the Black Dog of Newgate Prison

The story of the Black Dog if Newate Prison begins during the 13th century, under the reign of King Henry III, when England was gripped by a devastating famine. Inside Newgate's confines, where food was scarce, survival turned gruesome as desperate prisoners purportedly resorted to cannibalism. The guards, turned a blind eye to the ghastly acts, which allowed the weaker inmates to fall victim first.

Amid this horrifying scenario, a new inmate was introduced to the prison population - a scholar by trade and frail in stature. His true crime, unbeknownst to his fellow inmates, was the supposed practice of sorcery, with accusations stating he had employed black magic against the King's subjects.

With the scholar's physical weakness, his fellow inmates failed to show any mercy and saw him as an easy meal. They attacked him, consuming his flesh and unceremoniously labeling him 'good meat.'

That very evening, an strange sight struck terror into the hearts of the inmates – the scholar's ghost was seen wandering the prison, morphing from the shape of a man into that of a large black dog.

The phantom dog was said to haunt those who had eaten his human body as if biding time before a vicious assault. Some inmates claimed the phantom dog would roam the prison, its mournful cries echoing off the stone walls.

Paralyzing fear soon evolved into desperate action. The terrorized inmates, feeling the phantom dog's imminent attack, sparked a violent riot, overrunning the guards and escaping into the open. Their collective hope was to put enough distance between them and the haunting entity to forever escape its wrath.

Unfortunately for the prisoners, escaping did not solve the problem. One by one, they were hunted down by the relentless phantom dog. Each ended up brutally mutilated, their remains discovered days later, as though torn apart by a savage beast in the dead of night.

In the following centuries, the Black Dog continued to haunt Newgate Prison, inspiring fear in new generations of inmates. Some alleged that the mere sight of the phantom hound drove them to insanity, leading them to take their own lives. Even after the demolition of Newgate Prison in 1902, sightings of the spectral hound continue, with reports suggesting it prowls the area where the prison once stood.

The Black Dogge of Newgate: Both Pithie and Profitable for All Readers

The story initially surfaced in a 1596 publication titled, "The Black Dogge of Newgate: Both Pithie and Profitable for All Readers". The general consensus is that the book was authored by the known criminal and writer, Luke Hutton. However, the exact timing of its creation raises doubts, given Hutton's incarceration in Newgate during that period.

Newgate Prison Today

Jack the Ripper Tour covers the tale of the Black Dog of Newgate Prison

The Central Criminal Court, more commonly known as the ‘Old Bailey.’, built in 1907, is where the old Newgate Prison used to be. Newgate Prison was known for being a really awful place. An 18th-century writer named Henry Fielding even said that Newgate was like a real-life hell. There used to be a small alley next to Newgate called 'Deadman’s Walk.' It was called this because it was the path prisoners walked on their way to being executed.

These days, 'Deadman’s Walk' is now a quiet courtyard called 'Amen Court,' which is off Warwick Lane. But even with its new, nicer-sounding name, Amen Court is still said to be haunted by the 'Black Dog of Newgate.'

Have you ever seen the Black Dog of Newgate Prison? Tell us about it in the comments.

If you enjoyed learning about the Black Dog of Newgate Prison you might be interested in other spooky dogs such as the Cadejo, or the Palmyra Wolves.

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