As regular readers will know, Richard is one of my dearest friends, and furthermore someone I have known since 1970 when we were children together in Hong Kong. He is a natural polymath, and one of the best researchers I have ever met. What people may not know is that we have something else in common - we both suffer from mental health issues, and in Richard's case his problems were so bad that they landed him in hospital. I have always been open about my own battle with a bipolar illness, and I would just like to say how proud I am of Richard for `coming out` on such a public forum as this. Well done mate...One fine mid summer afternoon in early August 1997 I was sitting at a computer in the Bodleian Library in Oxford,doing research for my MA dissertation. As I was sitting there a strange series of thoughts entered my head and I ended up believing I was the Antichrist. (I was and am not, I am a Christian.) So this delusion got worse and worse until that evening I was put in an ambulance, sedated, and taken to the main psychiatric hospital in Northampton,(because there were no vacancies in Oxford.) Coincidentally, this is where the “peasant poet” John Clare, more famous for his nature poetry, was also a patient. His harrowing poem `I am` about the alienation from those around him that his illness brought to him has inspired me down the years.
I am: yet what I am none cares or knows,
My friends forsake me like a memory lost;
I am the self-consumer of my woes,
They rise and vanish in oblivious host,
Like shades in love and death's oblivion lost;
And yet I am, and live - like vapors tossed
However, I digress.
So I arrived and almost immediately there were cryptozoological stories to investigate. There was a picture above my of a vase of flowers, a reprint of the 18th century horticulturalist Robert Furber`s Twelve Months of Flowers, 1730, picture for March. At the bottom, beneath the vase was a pair of animals that looked like a kind of Tatzelwurm. Jon discussed it with the other members of the CFZ, then at Exeter and they decided it was an early depiction of a dolphin.
Whilst in hospital (which was luxurious by the way) we began to talk about black squirrels in Britain.
She gave me the address of a female friend she had who lived in Cambridgeshire. Moreover this l
ady had photos of black squirrels. Sure enough,when I wrote to her she passed on one of her photos which was later published in British Wildlife, December 1998 along with my essay on the subject.
After a week or two in the psychiatric hospital,I was allowed to go into Northampton accompanied by a nurse. I was in Northampton until early September until shortly after the death of Princess Diana in Paris.
On one occasion I went to the local studies library and in one or two days. It turned out to be the most productiv
e, or - at least - one of the most productive short term periods of cryptozoological research in my life. The library was a delightful old building, and the animal stories below were found by using a card catalogue system. As a qualified librarian I was taught that with the advent of information technology, this is not considered the most time efficient method of searching! But I can see no harm.
Below, in date order, are most of my unusual animal stories from Northampton. A few have been left out or abbreviated, due to their comparatively uninteresting nature.
HORNED HORSE. Northampton Mercury. June 27th 1795. Nearly all the cuttings are abbreviated “N.Merc”,so I presume that means “Northampton Mercury.”
When I first read those words “Horned Horse” I first thought “is this some kind of unicorn?”.Then I found out this was actually a gnu. “The following singular accident took place agout a fortnight since, on the Chester road, near the sand house,a short distance from Brick-hill-A Caravan in which were a Leopard, a Bison(or Buffalo) a Horned Horse, and several smaller wild beasts,owing to the axle-tree breaking,was pitched on one side….etc”
LOCUSTS. Northampton Mercury. September 26th 1857.
This is one of my favourite entomological anomalies.” A locust was found in Adam and Eve street,Market Harborough on Sunday last,while the Rev.J Clifford was preaching in the open air. A servant in the employ of Mr H.Foster took it home with him;it measures more than two inches in length.One was seen on Friday last in a field of turnips in the parish of Cobourn,near Caistor. Its prescence was known by a skip of four or five yards,and on arresting the attention of the beholder impressed him at first that it was a small rising from the ground. A locust was found in St Paul`s street, Stamford, a few days ago; a dog was playing with it at the time. It survived several days.” Note the coincidences: Adam and Eve and St.Paul. Locusts in the Bible are a symbol of God`s judgement.
SHOWER OF SNAILS. Northampton Mercury. June 19th 1858.
“Shower of Snails-After the storm,on Saturday last,myriads of small snails appeared on the high lands north of Stamford and in some cases covered whole patches of vegetation. They now abound on the tombstones at the cemetery,and the lodge-keeper is firmly of the opinion that they descended with the deluge-like rain which fell on Saturday.”
Fort mentions a fall of snails in The Book of The Damned: In Cornwall,near Redruth,on July 8th 1886.This is in Science Gossip 1886-238.(1)
LOCUST. Northampton Daily Chronicle(?) August 22nd 1901
“Another locust,this time a South African one:
A fine specimen of the South Africa locust was found in Derngate,Northampton, by Mr Frank Bex this morning. Mr Bazeley,Sheep Street has it on view in his window.”
AN INDIAN MONGOOSE. Northampton Daily Record (?) September 28th 1904
“A Rare Animal. Whilst out rabbit-shooting on Tuesday last week,at Mr Banks` lime kilns,near Moulton Park.Mr W.Parbery ,of the Old Five Bells Kingsthorpe,was fortunate enough to secure a rare natural history specimen. There was a good deal of speculation as to what the animal was but through the kindness of Mr T.J.George and others it has been found out to be an Indian mongoose. The animal,when “bolted” by a ferret (which was muzzled) showed fight,but was soon despatched. It is supposed that the specimen (which is being preserved) had escaped from confinement.”
CAT FEEDING CHICK. Northampton Daily Chronicle. September 23rd 1905.
“Anomaly In Natural History. Your readers may be interested in the following anomaly in natural history:- Mrs Jackson (wife of Mr Smyth`s gamekeeper)put a lame chicken into the basket of her cat with one kitten to nurse. The cat took kindly to her charge,keeps it warm under her;treats it exactly as she does her kitten,licking it clean,etc., and if the chick is taken out of the basket carries it back in her mouth. The chick is doing well,and will soon be independent of its strange fostermother”. J.T.BARTLETT.
A GAZELLE. Northampton Mercury. May 14th 1909.
This gazelle was supposed to have escaped from a travelling menagerie. This is the usual explanation given in early 20th century British newspapers for exotic animals found or shot in the countryside. But in this story about a gazelle there is a twist: The gazelle was thought to have been being suckled by a cow belonging to a farm owner,Mr Charles Kingston! I will quote from parts of the cutting: My own comments in brackets.
“No little excitement was caused in the village (of Caldecote) on Monday (i.e. the 10th) when it became known that a young gazelle had been shot on Uplands Farm. It appears that for some considerable time the occupier of the farm,Mr Charles Kingston,had been at a loss to understand the reason why one of his best milch cows was yielding so little milk….Mr Kingston, on receiving information,* set off with his man and two lads to stalk the intruder,and after an exciting time got in a favourable position for a shot and brought his quarry down. Several people who have been in South Africa are of opinion that the animal is a young gazelle. How it came to Caldecote can only be conjectured, but the field where it was found lies close to the main road,and it is possible that it may have escaped from a passing menagerie……Judging by the time when the milch cow unaccountably failed to yield her usual supply of milk Mr Kingston thinks that the gazelle must have been on the farm for the greater part of the winter and suckled by the cow."
ANOTHER LOCUST. Northampton Mercury. September 24th 1909
An Unwelcome Visitor - A remarkably fine specimen of the locust was captured on Thursday, in a bean field belonging to H.B.Whitworth,Esq., near the Northampton toll-gate, on the Kettering-road, by a lad named John Roughton,the son of Thomas Roughton, of 111, Market street, in whose possession it remains.
A KANGAROO. Northampton Mercury. April 26th 1912.
"Some residents at Ravensthorpe have had a fright. An uncanny creature was seen in the twilight of Tuesday(i.e. the 23rd ) looping along a field. No one knew what it was, and by night the description approached the following picture from an old writer:- The ouglie devel, with hornes on his head, fier in his mouth, a huge tayle, eies like basons, fangs like a boar, claws like a tiger, a skin like a bear, and a voice roaring like a lion.
But it was not so bad as that. Early the next morning the mystery was exploded. A kangaroo was captured on the Guilsborough road near Marrowell Cottage, the residence of Mr.William Clarke,East Haddon. Mr Clarke discovered the unusual animal entangled in some pens. He and his sons secured it and took it to the Crown Hotel where it was placed in the stables. The animal evidently had recently escaped from some menagerie or private collection".
A TASMANIAN CAT (sic). Northampton Mercury. July 19th 1912.
Now this is very interesting. As you can see from the photograph this animal in question is not a cat,but what looks like a ring-tailed lemur. Nor are these lemurs native of Tasmania, but Madagascar. So why does the text refer to “a Tasmanian cat”? Were there ever colonies of ring-tailed lemurs in Tasmania in the early 20th century or something similar and, if so,what became of them? Could a CFZ Australia member reading this look into it?
“The photograph is of a Tasmanian cat found on the line near Weedon,and given by the railway officials in charge of Mr B.Southgate,of the Horseshoe Inn,Weedon,until the owner can be found. Mr Southgate is making use of the opportunity by collecting for the Northampton Hospital".
SIAMESE WILD CAT. Northampton Daily Chronicle. October 10th 1916.
Now here is another strange one. The piece doesn`t seem to be referring to a domestic cat,but when I Googled “siamese wild cat –images” I only came up with images of domestic cats or hybrids. Please can any one tell me what “siamese wild cat” would be referring to in 1916? Furthermore, a cat,or most cats are bigger than stoats,(see below),so do we have here a cat a similar size to a stoat?
“The other night Mr Knight,a farmer of Chalveston,saw what he thought to be a stoat attacking one of his ducks. He shot and killed it,and then discovered the animal to be one of a species that he could not recognise. (emphasis mine).On taking to Mr H.H.Bryant, taxidermist,of Wellingborough,h owever,that gentleman was able to recognise it as a Siamese wild cat. How the animal, which, though small, is powerful and dangerous got in this locality is unknown, but probably it had escaped from a private collection.
GREY AND RED SQUIRRELS. The Times February 7th 1929.
This is the only item from a non provincial newspaper,nevertheless I include it here because I found it in the Northampton library and because, even though it is 80 years old, it is an early example, seemingly sincere of a certain belief about grey squirrels.This is only a very small extract:
“A few years ago my two elder sons saw a grey squirrel leave a red squirrel`s nest in a tree close by our house, Iridge Place,near Etchingham, in Sussex. One climbed up and found in the nest a dead red squirrel, warm and bleeding.”
Not only did I enjoy myself with these cuttings which now have a wider viewing nearly 12 years on but Richard Freeman of the CFZ visited me and we had a drink at town centre pub and went to a second hand book shop where Richard found a book on animal mysteries. I bought On Safari by Armand Denis which has a photo of the remains of a four tusked elephant and a book called Birth of Toads by Elvig Hansen.
(1) C.Fort. Book of the Damned in The Complete Books of Charles Fort.Dover Publications,Inc. New York.1974.p92.
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