In the folklore of Cambridgeshire, the Shug Monkey is a creature that shares features of a dog and monkey, which reportedly haunted Slough Hill Lane (a street that leads from the village of West Wratting to nearby Balsham). The creature, believed to have the body of a jet-black shaggy sheepdog and the face of a monkey with staring eyes, was believed to be a supernatural ghost or demon. Local writer and broadcaster James Wentworth Day, who first related stories of the Shug Monkey in Here Are Ghosts and Witches (1954), described it as a curious variation of Black Shuck, while local folklorist Polly Howat suggests that both share common origins in Norse mythology.
According to Howat, sightings of the Shug Monkey have not been reported since before World War II.
Further reading
- Redfern, Nick (2004). "The Final Countdown". Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs, and Ape-Men. Paraview Pocket Books. pp. 227–243. ISBN 0-7434-8254-9.
- Redfern, Nick (2007). Man-Monkey: In search of the British Bigfoot. CFZ Press. pp. 227–243. ISBN 978-1-905723-16-4.
References
- ^ Wentworth Day, James (1954). Here Are Ghosts and Witches. B.T. Batsford.
- ^ Codd, Daniel (2010). "The Weird Animal Kingdom: Black Shuck and Other Phantom Animals". Mysterious Cambridgeshire. JMD Media. ISBN 9781859838082.
- Harries, John (1968). The Ghost Hunter's Road Book. Muller.
- ^ Ash, Russell (1973). Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain. Reader's Digest.
- ^ Howat, Polly (1990). Tales of Old Cambridgeshire. Countryside Books. ISBN 9781853060861.
52°08′39″N 0°20′00″E / 52.14408°N 0.33334°E / 52.14408; 0.33334
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