Thorne St Margaret Dog Legend
Thorne St Margaret Church stands sentinel over the sleepy Somerset village, its ancient stones bearing witness to a most curious tale. The story goes that in days of yore, the villagers would participate in the time-honoured custom of 'clipping the church', a ritual that involved ceremoniously clipping or trimming the church's boundary hedges. This quaint tradition was thought to purify and protect the village, and it was often followed by the chasing of a black dog from the village's boundary. This canine apparition was likely a manifestation of the devil himself, or Satan, in the guise of a shaggy hound.
Historical records indicate that this peculiar custom was an integral part of village life, serving as a symbolic act of cleansing and renewal. The black dog, known as a Shuck, was an integral part of this ritual, representing the darker forces that threatened the community's harmony. While the exact date and time of this event are lost to the annals of time, it is clear that the villagers took their traditions very seriously, and the expulsion of the black dog was an essential component of their spiritual cleansing. The ritual was likely performed at specific times of the year, possibly during the spring or summer months when the church's boundary hedges required trimming.
The church dates back to the 13th century
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Nearby Haunted Places
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