By Neil Arnold

Legends of ghostly black dogs, and hounds of Hell, are common throughout the world, from Black Shuck, Stryker, Guytrash and Padfoot in the UK, to Garm of Norse mythology. From the headless 'graveyard dogs' of the U.S.A, to Jersey's 'beast' of Bouley Bay, they exist as omens of death, harbingers of doom, phantom canids said to prowl ancient 'coffin roads' or 'corpse paths', protectors of the dead, guardians of Hades gates.

Kent has its fair share of legendary Black dogs, with the neighbouring county of Sussex also having its own pack of solitary ghost dogs, from the beast said to roam Black Dog Hill, the yapping Wish Hounds and Ditchling's headless spectral dog.

These legends are not age-old superstitions or ancient fears of man, but very active spooks, often said to appear as black, calf-sized phantoms with fiery eyes which disappear on sight. The most famous of Kent's enigmatic dog shades is the Great Chart phantom, said to have materialised in the village church several centuries ago, killing several locals in attendance before exploding into a ball of fire. The Isle Of Sheppey also has a phantom dog, it haunts areas of Shurland Hall and appears at dusk, roaming the marshes, although like many of these phantom hounds, may well be confused with reports of roaming, flesh and blood Black Leopards which have inhabited the UK for several centuries also.

Folklore states that a long-bodied hound with human facial features haunts part of old Cranbrook High Street, and the haunted village of Pluckley can boast a couple of strange hounds, one, a whitish dog has been sighted in and around St. Nicholas Church, whilst the other, a stocky manifestation has been seen on several foggy roads at night by motorists, although they could well be seeing large cats.

The most intriguing ghost dog of Kent surrounds the eerie location of Blue Bell Hill near Maidstone where much high strangeness often occurs, mainly due to its dark history. Legend has it that a white, Alsatian-sized dog frequents the lanes from Tunbury to Ayelsford, and such a beast was seen in January 2001 by a motorist at 10:35 pm. A Mr. Flynn was driving on the wet and windy night towards the foot bridge that crosses near to the Ayelsford turn-off, Maidstone bound, when a large, whitish dog sped across the road, causing him to brake suddenly. Another vehicle, a dark-coloured Mercedes seemed unaware of the dog, as Mr. Flynn believes that it would surely have hit it as it was going faster than he was.

The dog went under the central reservation then straight over the Chatham bound carriageway where there was no oncoming traffic. A Victorian account from a Reverend Edward H____, also spoke of  a large dog in the area, this time between Boxley and Burham, where it was sighted by the Revd. and a friend who were returning from Boxley Church. At a point where the road ascended the two witnesses stopped for a break but when they looked back, on the path from whence they had come, stood a tall, lean hound with pricked ears, and at least calf-sized.

Legend has it that a big, spectral dog haunts the Pilgrim's Way with the earliest reference to such an animal traced by Charles Igglesden in his Saunters In Kent, in a letter from the seventeenth century which states: "July 1654, today a man was found dead on the upper road, the Great Dogg having been seen again." Allegedly, this 'dog', had also been sighted in 1745 by two peddlers heading towards Medway from Trottiscliffe. They described the  creature as, once again, "…a great lean hound with prick't ears..", which appeared behind them and later appeared ahead of them before savaging one of the peddlers to death who was buried on the spot.

Is it at all possible that what these peddlers saw was indeed a 'big cat' something akin to a Cougar (Puma) ? Several descriptions of these animals were from a distance, describing an animal easily able to kill a man, of lean appearance and upstanding ears, which slinks from pathways only to appear up ahead.

Black Dog lore is rife throughout the United Kingdom, in Sussex locations of such phenomena have been given names such as Black Dog Copse accordingly, hounds cross these borders into Kent, appearing as headless phantoms, and also black or white, walking ley-lines, ancient pathways and at times roads connected to churches or monolithic burial sites. These legends have embedded themselves in the human mind, and have become potent as folkloric fears, but they are dying out, swamped by the very real phenomenon which concerns reports of exotic cats county wide. Is there a connection? At times, yes. However, it is clear that with some reports we are most certainly dealing with floating, spectral hounds of Hell, spewed forth from some unseen void, appearing as grim shadows on country lanes, a reflection of times past, but very much a force to be taken seriously, hence their staying power.

www.yourcounty.co.uk