THE CROGLIN VAMPIRE.

    The story of the Croglin Vampire is said to be true and the places mentioned in the story do certainly exist. The story was told by a Captain Fisher and published by Augustus John Cuthbert Hare (1834-1903) in his book “The Story of My Life” (London, 1900). 

   Croglin Grange (or low hall) belonged to the Fisher family and it is curious that this grand home was built only one story high, the Fisher’s out grew the Grange and moved to Thorncombe near Guildford.

    The Grange was rented to two brothers and a sister on a seven year lease, the new tenants were warmly accepted in the village of Croglin and even during the harsh Cumbrian winter they shared in all the social pleasures of the district.

Croglin Grange.

    The summer of 1876 was very hot, on one particularly hot day the brothers were lying around as their sister fanned herself on the veranda, it was just too hot to be active. 
    That evening they sat outside watching the moon bathe the lawn and the neighbouring grave yard in silvery light.

    On retiring to bed the sister locked her bedroom door and secured the window, but she did not close the shutters. As she lay in bed gazing out at the stars and moonlit garden she noticed two specks of light in the trees located between the Grange and the grave yard. As she looked the specks seemed to be getting closer, soon she could make out a figure coming closer and closer.

    The door was next to the window and in her terrified state she could neither move nor scream. The horrible figure then seemed to pass by her bedroom and taking this as a chance to escape she ran for the door. 
    Before she reached it she heard the creature scratch at the window, when she heard a pecking sound she realised to her horror the creature was removing the lead from the window pain. 
    When the glass fell in a bony arm reached in and opened the window…..as the Vampire bound in he grabbed her by the hair and threw her onto the bed, she was so scared she could not even cry out.

Croglin Vampire by Les Edwards.

    As the Vampire bit into her throat she found her voice at last, she screamed for all she was worth. The brothers rushed to her aid but the door was still locked.
    By the time they broke the door in the Vampire was gone and their sister was lying on the bed unconscious with a vicious wound in her throat.
    A doctor was called and the sister tried to relay what had happened, saying; “what has happened is most extraordinary and I am very much hurt. It seems inexplicable but of course there is an explanation and we must wait for it, it will turn out that a lunatic has escaped from some asylum and found his way here.”

    To get over the shock they all went on holiday to Switzerland, whilst there the sister grew in strength and was soon her old self and thoughts turned to going back to Croglin Grange.
    On their return the sister kept her old room but the brothers moved closer and kept loaded pistols ready.  
    The winter passed quietly but in the following March the sister was woken by a scratching on the window.

    This time she had closed the shutters but a pain of glass was visible at the top and at that pain was the Vampire with his glaring eyes.

    This time the sister did scream and the brothers ran outside with pistols drawn, as the Vampire ran towards the church yard one of the brothers fired his pistol and hit the creature in the leg.

    The next day the good people of Croglin opened the vault which was full of coffins that had been broken into and the bodies horribly mangled and distorted. 
    Only one coffin was undisturbed, opening it they discovered the same hideous creature that had attacked their sister. The mark of a recent pistol wound in it’s leg was proof enough to have the Vampire dragged out and burned………and so ends the legend of the Croglin Vampire.