The black dog is a supernatural, spectral, or demonic hellhound originating from English folklore, and also present in folklore throughout Europe and the Americas. It is usually unnaturally large with glowing red or yellow eyes, is often connected with the Devil (as an English incarnation of the hellhound), and is sometimes an omen of death. It is sometimes associated with electrical storms (such as Black Shuck's appearance at Bungay, Suffolk), and also with crossroads, barrows (as a type of fairy hound), places of execution and ancient pathways.Stone, Alby Infernal Watchdogs, Soul Hunters and Corpse Eaters in Trubshaw 2005, pp. 36–37.McEwan 1986, p. 147.

Black dogs are generally regarded as sinister or malevolent, and a few (such as the Barghest and Shuck) are said to be directly harmful.Briggs 1977, pp. 135–140. Some black dogs, however, such as the Gurt Dog in Somerset, are said to behave benevolently as guardian black dogs, guiding travellers at night onto the right path or protecting them from danger.Rickard & Michell 2000, pp. 286–287.Briggs 1976, pp. 207–208. The black dog is a recognised folkloric motif.Quaile, Shelaugh. "'The black dog that worries you at home': The Black Dog Motif in Modern English Folklore and Literary Culture Modern English Folklore and Literary Culture", The Great Lakes Journal of Undergraduate History, vol. 1, issue 1, 2013

Origins The origins of the black dog are difficult to discern. It is uncertain whether the creature originated in the Celtic or Germanic elements of British culture. Throughout European mythology, dogs have been associated with death. Examples of this are the (Welsh),Stone, Alby Infernal Watchdogs, Soul Hunters and Corpse Eaters in Trubshaw 2005, p. 53. (Norse)Stone, Alby Infernal Watchdogs, Soul Hunters and Corpse Eaters in Trubshaw 2005, pp. 44–45. and Cerberus (Greek),Stone, Alby Infernal Watchdogs, Soul Hunters and Corpse Eaters in Trubshaw 2005, p. 38. all of whom were in some way guardians of the Underworld. This association seems to be due to the scavenging habits of dogs.Stone, Alby Infernal Watchdogs, Soul Hunters and Corpse Eaters in Trubshaw 2005, pp. 54–55. It is possible that the black dog is a survival of these beliefs.

Some scholars suggest that the black dog legend evolved from these mythological guardians, blending with medieval superstitions and local folklore. Its association with crossroads and execution sites may stem from ancient beliefs linking such places to restless spirits. Over time, these tales spread across cultures, reinforcing the black dog’s ominous reputation.

Examples

England Black dogs have been reported from almost all the counties of England, the exceptions being Middlesex and Rutland.Trubshaw 2005, p. 2.

Bedfordshire

Galley Hill in Luton, Bedfordshire, is said to have been haunted by a black dog ever since a storm set the gibbet alight sometime in the 16th or 17th century.Matthews 2004, pp. 35–36.

Cornwall

A black dog is said to have appeared to wrestlers at Whiteborough, a tumulus near Launceston.Deane & Shaw 2003, p. 82. A black dog was once said to haunt the main road between Bodmin and Launceston near Linkinhorne.Deane & Shaw 2003, p. 44; also Semmens, Jason. '"Whyler Pystry": A Breviate of the Life and Folklore-Collecting Practices of William Henry Paynter (1901–1976) of Callington, Cornwall." Folklore 116, No. 1 (2005) pp. 75–94. During the 1800s, a Cornish mining accident resulted in numerous deaths and led to the local area being haunted by a pack of black dogs.Thiselton-Dyer 1893, p. 108. The parish of St Teath is haunted by a ghostly pack of dogs known as Cheney Hounds that once belonged to an old squire named Cheney. It is uncertain how he or the dogs died, but on "Cheney Downs" the dogs are sometimes seen or heard in rough weather.Hunt 1865, p. 151.

Devon On Dartmoor in southern Devon, the notorious squire Richard Cabell was said to have been a huntsman who sold his soul to the Devil. When he died in 1677, black hounds are said to have appeared around his burial chamber. The ghostly huntsman is said to ride with black dogs; this tale inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write his well-known story The Hound of the Baskervilles.Barber & Barber 1988, 1990, p. 3.

Hampshire Stories are told of a black dog in Twyford, near Winchester.Feldwick 2006, 2007, pp. 89–90

Hertfordshire A black dog in Hertfordshire haunts the town of Stevenage near the Six Hills (a collection of Roman barrows) and Whomerley Wood.

Staffordshire Cannock Chase in Staffordshire has long since had rumours of a Black Dog. The Hednesford Hellhound and the Slitting Mill Bastard to name but two. Paranormal societies have investigated the phenomenon, particularly in the 1970s.

Surrey Betchworth Castle in Surrey is said to be haunted by a black dog that prowls the ruins at night.Janaway 2005, p. 10.Stewart 1990, pp. 49–50.

Wiltshire Black Dog Hill and Black Dog Halt railway station in Wiltshire are named after a dog which is said to be found in the area."Black Dog Hill" Real British Ghosts.

Yorkshire A black dog is said to haunt Ivelet Bridge near Ivelet in Swaledale, Yorkshire. The dog is allegedly headless, and leaps over the side of the bridge and into the water, although it can be heard barking at night. It is considered a death omen, and reports claim that anybody who has seen it died within a year. The last sighting was around a hundred years ago.

Guernsey There are numerous unnamed black dogs in Guernsey, usually associated with placenames derived from (beast).de Garis, Marie (1986) Folklore of Guernsey, The Guernsey Press,

Isle of Man From the Isle of Man is a tale of a guardian black dog that prevented the deaths of several men. A fishing boat was waiting in Peel Harbour for its skipper to command the crew on a night's fishing. They waited all night but the skipper never came. In the early morning a sudden storm sprang up in which the boat might have been lost. When the skipper rejoined his crew he told them that his way had been blocked by a great black dog, and whichever way he turned it always stood before him until he finally turned back.Briggs 1976, p. 301.

Northern England and Suffolk The Gallytrot (or Galleytrot) of Northern England and Suffolk is notable for not being black, though otherwise fulfilling the archetype. It is described as a large white dog with a shadowy or indeterminate outline, and will chase anyone who runs away from it. The word is derived from gally, to frighten.Briggs 1976, p. 183.

Named black dogs

Barghest

A barghest (or barguest) is said to roam the Snickelways and side roads of York, preying on passersby, and has also been seen near Clifford's Tower. To see the monstrous dog is said to be a warning of impending doom.

Black Dog of Aylesbury A man who lived in a village near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire would go each morning and night to milk his cows in a distant field. One night on his way there he encountered a sinister black dog, and every night thereafter until he brought a friend along with him. When the dog appeared again he attacked it using the yoke of his milk pails as a weapon, but when he did so the dog vanished and the man fell senseless to the ground. He was carried home alive but remained speechless and paralytic for the rest of his life.Hartland 1906, pp. 235–236.

Black Dog of Bouley In Jersey, the (Black Dog of Bouley) tells of a phantom dog whose appearance presages storms. is described as a monstrous black hound with eyes the size of saucers and (in some versions of the legend) a chain which it drags behind it, the sound of which is often the first warning victims have of its presence. Although terrifying, it never does physical harm. Its appearance is said to herald a storm.

The real reason for the superstition of the Black Dog of Bouley Bay is thought to be due to smugglers. If the superstition was fed and became 'real' to the locals, then the bay at night would be deserted and the smuggling could continue in security. The pier at Bouley Bay made this an exceptionally easy task. A local pub retains the name the "Black Dog".Jersey Maritime Museum for references to the folklore of the Black Dog Another theory has it that Le Tchan ("The Dog") is an aural corruption of Le Chouan, a Jèrriais term for a French Royalist émigré (many of which took refuge in the Island during the French Revolution), and the legend took off from there.Hilsdon, Sonia. Jersey Witches, Ghosts & Traditions. Norwich: Jarrold Colour Publications, 1984. Print.

Black Dog of Lyme Regis Near the town of Lyme Regis in Dorset stood a farmhouse that was haunted by a black dog. This dog never caused any harm, but one night the master of the house in a drunken rage tried to attack it with an iron poker. The dog fled to the attic where it leaped out through the ceiling, and when the master struck the spot where the dog vanished he discovered a hidden cache of gold and silver. The dog was never again seen indoors, but to this day it continues to haunt at midnight a lane which leads to the house called Haye Lane (or Dog Lane). Dogs who are allowed to stray in this area late at night have often mysteriously disappeared.Hartland 1906, pp. 238–241.Udal 1922, pp. 167–168.Briggs 1977, pp. 138–140. A bed and breakfast in Lyme Regis is named The Old Black Dog, and part of the legend states that the man who discovered the treasure used it to build an inn that originally stood on the site.The Old Black Dog "The Black Dog Legend"

Black Dog of Newgate

The Black Dog of Newgate has been said to haunt the Newgate Prison for over 400 years, appearing before executions. According to legend, in 1596 a scholar was sent to the prison for witchcraft, but was killed and eaten by starving prisoners before he was given a trial. The dog was said to appear soon after, and although the terrified men killed their guards and escaped, the beast is said to have hunted them down and killed them wherever they fled.Clark 2007, pp. 86–87. Grim (or Fairy Grim) is the name of a shapeshifting fairy that sometimes took the form of a black dog in the 17th-century pamphlet The Mad Pranks and Merry Jests of Robin Goodfellow. He was also referred to as the Black Dog of Newgate, but though he enjoyed frightening people he never did any serious harm.Collier 1841, p. 43.

Black Dog of Northorpe In the village of Northorpe in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire (not to be confused with Northorpe in the South Kesteven district) the churchyard was said to be haunted by a "Bargest". Some black dogs are said to be human beings with the power of shapeshifting. In another nearby village there lived an old man who was reputed to be a wizard. It was claimed that he would transform into a black dog and attack his neighbours' cattle. It is uncertain if there was any connection between the barghest and the wizard.Gutch and Peacock 1908, p. 54.

Black Dog of Preston The Black Dog of Preston is said to be a guardian of the city gates, appearing when danger threatens the town. It is a headless boggart, who could howl nevertheless, and whose howl meant death, as also did its lying down upon a doorstep to someone who dwelt within that special house.The Preston Guardian, 17 December 1887

Black Dog of Tring