Black Dog H(a)unt

Written By Dana Rinder

Ugly, the pub dog of the Devil's Elbow in Princetown, wasn't ugly at all. He was the friendliest and best behaved dog I ever knew.

© All photos by Dana Rinder (unless stated otherwise)

What the Hound of the Baskervilles has in common with the Roy Dog. Why Sherlock Holmes wasn’t needed in Portland. Why I had to take a detour to Dartmoor and past times. Where some black dogs are really friendly. And how I finally found my way back to the Isle of Portland.

When I visited the Isle of Portland in 2003 I hadn’t a dog of my own. But Ugly, the pub dog of the Devil’s Elbow in Princetown, was as good as mine, at least when I stayed in the Dartmoor inn during my regular stays in the South West. He was called Ugly, but he wasn’t ugly at all. Although his black and fawn fur was shaggy, he had a lovely face and more than anything else he was the friendliest and best behaved dog I ever knew. And he was a keen walker and swimmer.

On our walks he turned out to be very persevering as I soon realized. He was already an elderly dog when he mastered with a group of local youngsters the Ten Tors Walk which is a two days challenge organised by the Army on which each team must visit ten specified checkpoints requiring walks from 35 to 55 miles over the rough terrain of Dartmoor and camp on the moor overnight. Apart from stiff legs Ugly showed no signs of tiredness and recovered very quickly as his owner, the landlord of the Devil’s Elbow in Princetown, reported proudly.

No Pint Break - Ugly wants to move on

Hence breaks wouldn’t do for Ugly on the much shorter hikes with me. After five minutes he called it a day and moved on. And although he was a pub dog, he didn’t like to doze under bar tables or benches. During the day he wasn’t allowed in the pub of his owners and had to stay in the backyard. Which I didn’t have in mind, when I stopped at the local inn in Merrivale. After a ramble across the moors from Princetown and a visit to the stone rows and circle near the village I was looking forward for a pint of bitter and a rest for my tired feet. But first I had to go for a quick pee. When I got back from the loo, I just caught Ugly sneaking out of the door with a couple of walkers. Five seconds later, and he would have been gone!

He also loved swimming. More than that he loved leaping into the leats of Dartmoor, these canals, which were used from the 16th century as a regular water supply for Plymouth. And even if he was bred on the moors, Ugly used to jump in without thinking how he would ever get out again. And that was a problem, because the leats are quite deep and have vertical walls which make it almost impossible to climb out. When he did it the first time, I got frantic and it took me about half an hour to drag him out. Besides, it didn’t help that Ugly never wore a neck collar – I think he didn’t even have one.

Merrivale: worth a visit, not only for its stone rows and circle, but also for its pub - but Ugly wanted to move on.

Sticks And Stones - the happiest dog in the world

A very special treat for Ugly was the trip to Dartmeet. Where the West and the East Dart River unite, he was in his element. He could sniff the water from miles away and couldn’t wait to get off the bus and run down to the river. He never tired of jumping into the water and retrieving sticks. No doubt, he would have made a skilful Lighthouse Rescue Dog like Rösli! When I got fed up with stick throwing, picknickers and passers-by took over from me. Ugly was always so happy in Dartmeet and I couldn’t think of something more rewarding than seeing Ugly happy.

Ugly: retrieving sticks ...

... in his element

... the happiest dog

Dartmeet: the River Dart ...

... stepping stones

... the pixie forest ...

Friendly pub ghost and laughing devil

Pat and Michael, Ugly’s owners and landlords of the Devil’s Elbow, knew of my passion for Sherlock Holmes stories, especially «The Hound of the Baskervilles». And as nearly every landlord of an English pub prouds himself that his place is haunted, Pat and Michael indicated to me that they had at least sensed a strange presence going about the ancient inn. They were never very clear about the appearance of their pub ghost, but it was supposed to be a friendly spirit. Even the laughing devil in the pub sign which was a creation of the landlord himself wasn’t gruesome at all. I preferred that sign and the name «Devil’s Elbow» to the historic denomination «Railway Inn» the new landlords resumed a few years later.

The Devil's Elbow in the fog.

I once published a newspaper article in Switzerland which was about Dartmoor, ghost stories and of course about the Hound of the Baskervilles. The Devil’s Elbow and Ugly figured also in this article. Pat and Michael were so pleased about it, that they hang it up in their pub although neither of them or their patrons understood any German.

The Devil's Elbow at Princetown: home of Ugly and a friendly pub ghost.

Princetown Prison and Fox Tor Mires: the scenery for the famous Sherlock Holmes story.

The ideal setting for mystery stories

Many people think of Princetown as a bleak and a gloomy place. Certainly, the notorious prison, the rough and boggy terrain as well as the harsh weather conditions which include heavy rainfalls and a lot of fog make up for its bad reputation. Even on a sunny day it can be hard to find one’s way across the moors, but in tight fog one can easily get lost or sink in a mire. That makes it the ideal setting for mystery stories.

Princetown: a bleak and a gloomy place?

The scenery also inspired the writer of the famous Sherlock Holmes stories. In 1901 Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the Old Duchy House Hotel in Princetown, which is now the Dartmoor National Park Visitor Centre. A figure of the famous detective is displayed in the exposition.

Dartmoor National Park Visitor Centre (former Old Duchy House Hotel, left) featuring Sherlock Holmes.

The hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

«According to an old legend, a curse runs in the Baskerville family since the time of the English Civil War, when a Hugo Baskerville abducted and caused the death of a maiden on the moor, only to be killed in turn by a huge demonic hound. Allegedly, the same creature has been haunting the manor ever since, causing the premature death of many Baskerville heirs.»

Wikipedia

Visited 9/9/2021

The figure of Black Hugo bases most probably on a historical man who lived on Dartmoor in the 17th century and is buried near the church of Buckfastleigh. The story of Richard Capel (or Cabell) was passed on to Arthur Conan Doyle by a friend, who lived nearby. The writer later dedicated his story to him:

«My dear Robinson: It was your account of a west country legend which first suggested the idea of this little tale to my mind. For this, and for the help which you gave me in its evolution, all thanks.»

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

«The Hound of the Baskervilles»

Not all black dogs are demonic. Good-natured Gus certainly wasn't.

Richard Capel - the model for black hugo

Richard Capel who resided in Brook Manor (in the story Baskerville Hall) near Buckfast was an unsavoury character who went after the young girls in the village. He was also known as a very hard landlord.

Brook Manor: the home of Richard Capel aka Black Hugo near Buckfast.

Capel's tomb on the churchyard of Buckfastleigh: iron bars against ghosts and vampires.

There are two different stories how Richard Capel met his terrible death in 1677, but both involve dogs. The first one goes that hounds gathered around his manor and howled horribly, when he laid dying in his bed. The other one tells that he was chased over the moors by a pack of dogs until he fell to his death.

Benedict Cumberbatch Facing the hound

Ugly certainly was no Baskerville, neither in appearance nor in character, but he joyfully joined me on my walks in the footsteps of the famous story. In Arthur Conan Doyle’s tale the Hound of the Baskervilles was a huge black dog with glowing eyes that preyed on the members of the Baskerville family due to an old curse. See how the makers of the British TV series «Sherlock» starring Benedict Cumberbatch imagined the Hound (viewed on 9.9.2021):

Ugly, the amiable pub dog of the Devil's Elbow in Princetown: no Baskerville.

The granite rocks of Bowerman's Nose (above) and Hound Tor: the punishment of the witches for the huntsman and his dogs.

Photo of Bowerman's Nose: iStock | Lesley Jacques

Bowerman: From hunter to hunted

«The Hound of the Baskervilles» is not the only Dartmoor legend concerned with dogs. There is another one connected with two distinctive landmarks on Dartmoor: Bowerman’s Nose and Hound Tor. Bowerman’s Nose, a tall stack of rock, bears a resemblance to a capped man with a large nose, whereas Hound Tor reminds me of a row of dog’s teeth. And that’s the story of Bowerman the Hunter:

«The story goes that a huntsman named Bowerman lived on the moor and while out chasing a hare, he and his dogs disrupted a coven of witches during a ceremony. The witches decided to punish Bowerman the next time he was hunting, turning him into a stack of granite and his dogs into the clitter (scattered granite rocks) that are on nearby Hound Tor.»

www.visitdartmoor.co.uk

Visited 9/9/2021

In no danger to be turned into stone: Ugly chased only after sticks.

The Roy Dog: big teeth, one red and one green eye

The hounds of Bowerman the Hunter bring me finally back to Portland. I only recently excavated the legend of Roy Dog, a very similar creature to the Hound of the Baskervilles. When I was there in August 2003 I hadn’t heard of the legend yet. I stumbled over it when I did some research about the Portland Bill Lighthouse and saw the picture of a sculpture of Roy Dog by the artist Damien Briggs. It was the head of a huge dog with big teeth and one red and one green eye poking out of some kind of a doorway. It reminded me immediately of the Hound of the Baskervilles which I was familiar with since I was a teenager.

Beside the sculpture which had been unveiled in 2018 there is a plate which gives a summary of the legend of Roy Dog:

«The Roy Dog
An old Portland tale
which used to live at cavehole
at portland bill, people say he has
one red and one green eye,
and known to hunt smugglers and
fishermen that passed his cave
If you look closely you can see
the eyes of his victims
weaved into his fur»

#selfiewiththeroydog
Carved by Damien Briggs

The Roy Dog: big teeth, one red and one green eye, carved in stone by Damien Briggs.

Photo: iStock | Roger Mechan

Portland Bill Lighthouse: In the night, the Roy Dog was lurking in the darkness, the lights didn't work properly.

Finally caught by a fisherman

Like the Hound of the Baskervilles the Roy Dog was a huge dog with black fur and fiery eyes, but one eye was red and one was green. And his prey weren’t only the members of a single family. He would drag any travellers passing by in his sea cave near Portland Bill and rip their eyes out which he liked to embroider his mane with. And he certainly was more busy than the Hound of the Baskervilles, because their was the occasional fisherman or smuggler.

But one night he seems to have met his end. Three friends had been fishing near Portland Bill. They didn’t catch anything, so two of them decided to go home. When they passed the lighthouse, the keeper said there was something strange going on because the lights didn’t work properly. Concerned for the safety of their friend they went back to their fishing spot. Suddenly they saw a huge black beast with one red and one green eye. For fear the dog would turn his eyes on them and doom them they hid in a thicket and held their breath. As the beast finally trotted away, the men ran home as quickly as they could.

«The following morning the men returned to their fishing spot to find their friend. He was still fishing. But on approaching they found their friend dead and his eyes missing. On the hook on his line they saw some matted black fur and a huge claw. They concluded their friend had caught the Roy Dog……»

Rachael, Stagger Onwards Rejoicing

Visited 9/9/2021

It’s not known if the huge dog with one red and one green eye was seen again. But the sculptor Damien Briggs brought him to life again und carved him in stone. His imagination of the Roy Dog can be seen in the Tout Quarry Nature Reserve and Sculpture Park which is located near Portland Bill.

Hide and seek in the living sculpture park

When I visited the Sculpture Park in 2003, I turned into a hound myself ‒ not chasing poor fishermen like the Roy Dog, but seeking hidden sculptures in the maze of paths which run through the quarry. Many of them are overgrown by plants and lichens. Nature has recaptured what once was hers and has turned the abandoned quarry in a haven for rare plants and butterflies.

Tout Quarry ...

... is a living sculpture park ...

... and a haven for nature.

portland bill lighthouse

But let us sleeping dogs lie and get back to our main subject, the Portland Bill Lighthouse. It’s one of the few that can be visited, even though only from May to October. In the exposition’s display you learn some interesting facts about the lighthouse and its keepers. If you plan a visit, make sure to check the admission details on the site of Trinity House.

As I am not very much interested in the technical details of lighthouses I must refer you to other websites, for instance the Wikipedia article about Portland Bill Lighthouse.