Black Shuck Attacks Blythburgh Church During a Thunderstorm (1577)

On August 4, 1577, during a violent thunderstorm, the congregation of Holy Trinity Church in Blythburgh, Suffolk experienced one of the most dramatic supernatural events in English history. According to contemporary accounts, an enormous black dog burst through the church doors and rampaged through the terrified worshippers. The creature killed a man and a boy and caused the church steeple to collapse through the roof. As the beast fled, it reportedly left scorch marks on the north door of the church — marks that can still be seen today, known locally as 'the Devil's fingerprints.' The Blythburgh incident occurred on the same day as a strikingly similar event at St. Mary's Church in Bungay, twelve miles away, leading some to conclude that the same creature visited both churches. Abraham Fleming published an account of the events in his pamphlet 'A Straunge and Terrible Wunder' later that year. The Black Shuck of East Anglia became the most famous phantom black dog in English folklore, and the scorch marks on Blythburgh's door remain a pilgrimage site for those interested in the unexplained.