The Lambton Wyrm.

The story of the Lambton Wyrm comes from the North East of England, in County Durham and tells the tale of young John Lambton, heir to the Lambton Estate. Being a bit of a hell raiser, John skips church one Sunday morning and instead decides to going fishing in the River Wear. After a few hours, he catches a small worm-like creature, rather like a lamprey or eel. At that moment an old man approaches John and tells him that he’s caught a foul creature (some accounts say the man claims it’s the devil) so that John shouldn’t return it to the river. John tosses the worm down a well and forgets about it. To make up for his youthful pranks, he joins the Crusades and leaves England.



While John is away, the worm grows into a large poisonous serpent (wyrm/dragon) and escapes from the well, heading for a nearby hill and wrapping its coils around the soft earth. Once settled, the wyrm terrorises the locals, demanding tribute in return for not eating their livestock and children. Several villagers, as well as visiting knights attempt to kill the serpent, but they all fail.



Seven years later, John Lambton returns from the Crusades and upon seeing his father learns that the wyrm has devastated the countryside and made the locals destitute. Being cannier than the average knight, John visits a cunning woman who tells him to craft a suit of spiked armour before going into battle with the wyrm. She also advises him that after slaying the wyrm, he must kill the first living thing he sees, or his family will be cursed for nine generations. John’s father tells John to blow his hunting horn after the wyrm is dead and he will release a dog to him so John can kill it and avoid the curse.



John fights the wyrm by the Wear, and as it coils around him the wyrm slashes itself on John’s armour. Greatly weakened the wyrm is slain and its body washed away in the river and John sounds his hunting horn. Unfortunately John’s father is so relived that his son is alive that he rushes out to greet him. John cannot kill his own father and so the Lambton family was cursed that the next nine generations of Lambtons should die violent deaths.


This curse seems to have held true for at least three generations;

1st generation: Robert Lambton, drowned at Newrig.

2nd: Sir William Lambton, a Colonel of Foot, killed at Marston Moor.

3rd: William Lambton, died in battle at Wakefield.

9th: Henry Lambton, died in his carriage crossing Lambton Bridge on 26 June 1761.

The legend of the worm is also told in a folk song;


One Sunda morn young Lambton went

A-fishing in the Wear;

An' catched a fish upon he's heuk (=caught) (=his hook)

He thowt leuk't vary queer. (=thought looked very strange)

But whatt'n a kind ov fish it was (=what kind of)

Young Lambton cudden't tell-

He waddn't fash te carry'd hyem, (=could not be bothered to carry it home)

So he hoyed it doon a well (=threw it down)


Chorus

Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs, (=Be quiet, boys, shut your mouths)

An' aa'll tell ye aall an aaful story, (=I'll tell you all an awful)

Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,

An' Aa'll tel ye 'boot the worm. (=about)


Noo Lambton felt inclined te gan (=go)

An' fight i' foreign wars.

He joined a troop ov Knights that cared

For nowther woonds nor scars, (=neither wounds)

An' off he went te Palestine

Where queer things him befel,

An varry seun forgat aboot (=very soon forgot about)

The queer worm i' tha well.

But the worm got fat an' grewed an' grewed,

An' grewed an aaful size;

He'd greet big teeth, a greet big gob,

An greet big goggly eyes.

An' when at neets he craaled aboot (=nights) (=crawled around)

Te pick up bits o' news,

If he felt dry upon the road,

He'd milk a dozen coos. (=cows)

This feorful worm would often feed (=fearful)

On caalves an' lambs an' sheep,

An' swally little bairns alive (=swallow) (=children)

When they laid doon te sleep.

An when he'd eaten aall he cud (=all he could)

An' he had had he's fill,

He craaled away an' lapped he's tail (=wrapped)

Ten times roond Pensha Hill.

The news ov this myest aaful worm (=most)

An' his queer gannins on (=goings-on)

Seun crossed the seas, gat te the ears (=soon) (=got to)

Ov brave an' bowld Sor John.

So hyem he cam an' catched the beast, (=home he came and caught)

An' cut 'im in twe haalves, (=cut him in two-halves)

An' that seun stopped hes eatin' bairns

An' sheep an' lambs an' caalves.

So noo ye knaa hoo aall the foaks (=now you know how all the folk)

On byeth sides ov the Wear (=both)

Lost lots o' sheep an' lots o' sleep

An leeved i' mortal feor. (=And lived in mortal fear)

So let's hev one te brave Sor John (=let's drink to brave Sir John)

That kept the bairns frae harm, (=from)

Saved coos an' calves by myekin' haalves (=making halves)

O' the famis Lambton Worm. (=famous)