King Alfrid entrusts Elfleda to St Modwenna's care
This account first appears in ‘Life and Miracles of Saint Modwenna’, written some time in the mid 12th century, by Abbot Geoffrey of Burton (not the same Abbot Geoffrey as appears in the tale). Modwenna, an Irish noblewoman by birth, founded Burton Abbey in the 7th century and was said to have performed many miracles there. When writing about Modwenna, Abbot Geoffrey used many older documents, but for Modwenna’s miracles and the more supernatural aspects, Geoffrey relied on oral sources, in the form of local tales.
As this tale is very old indeed, there are some inconsistencies and contradictions in the surviving accounts, so I have adapted what is left into a more coherent account. The two peasants are unnamed in the original story, so I have given them some authentic Anglo Saxon names, from the period. All other named characters are from the original accounts.
We must also consider what ‘vampires’ were, during this period. They were not the blood-sucking aristocracy, as depicted by Bram Stoker and later authors, but more like zombies; able to suck the very life force from a human and spread disease and pestilence. Also, they were able to change their form, just like the vampires in this tale.
Finally, many thanks must go to Dr Mark Knight, Cultural Heritage Officer at Transforming The Trent Valley Partnership, for his research into this strange account.
THE DRAKELOW VAMPIRES
Life as a peasant, working for Abbot Geoffrey of Burton, was harsh and unrewarding. Days began at sunrise and ended at sunset, with barely a break between and the Abbot’s taxes took most of what you produced; this was the way of serfdom, under the new Norman masters.
Two serfs from Stapenhill, Osmund and Goda, had had enough of this and decided to head for pastures new. Not being the most adventurous pair, they decided to elope to the nearby settlement of Drakelow; the Dragon’s Mound - not nearly as fearsome a place as it’s name might suggest! However, Drakelow was under the rule of Nigel de Stafford; a much kinder master, or so the unfortunate pair had heard. So, under cover of darkness, Osmund and Goda made their way to Drakelow. Upon arrival, they told Sir Nigel of the evil ways of Abbot Geoffrey, about how he was an evil man and did evil things! They also told of their crops that were held in the storage barn, at Stapenhill and that they should, by right, now belong to Sir Nigel. These - apparently false - accusations angered Sir Nigel to the point where he decided to attack Abbot Geoffrey and to go and demand the serf’s crops. At the time Geoffrey heard of his miscreant serf’s escape and their foul words, he was praying barefoot at the shrine of St Modwenna, a canonised nun, who had lived in the area. The Abbot was enraged and, with his men, sallied forth to meet Sir Nigel at the Black Pool, by the River Trent.
A short and, apparently, vicious battle took place there. The Abbot emerged victorious and Sir Nigel, along with the two peasants and what remained of his men, limped back to Drakelow, to lick their wounds. The very next morning, the two peasants sat down to break their fast. Chillingly and mysteriously, though, within the hour, they both dropped dead, where they sat. The following day, Osmund and Goda’s bodies were taken back to their home village of Stapenhill and buried in the churchyard.
That night, though, grim events began to take place. Around the fields and streets of Drakelow stalked Osmund and Goda, carrying their rude wooden coffins, now risen from the dead! They banged on the walls and doors of the villagers. Calling out for them to join them in death and to follow them into their hellish unlife. Night after night, these vampires continued to terrorise the good people of Drakelow. At times, they would appear as men, as dogs, as bears and many other fearsome creatures. But this was not the worst of it! A few days later, a deadly plague ripped through the village of Drakelow, ravaging the villagers and killing man, woman and child, until only a few sorry individuals remained. But still the vampires haunted the small village.
Horrified to his very soul, Sir Nigel went to the Abbot of Burton, begging forgiveness and claiming that he had fallen under the spell of the vampire serfs. He showed genuine contrition and prayed that the Abbot and St Modwenna would lift the curse of Drakelow. The Abbot agreed and the next day they went to the graves of Osmund and Goda. Digging them up and opening their coffins, they discovered that Osmund’s and Goda’s faces were covered in fresh blood. Sir Nigel ordered that their heads be severed and laid between the corpse’s legs. He then ordered that their hearts be cut out too. As they did, they discovered the hearts to be warm and swollen with blood. There was only one solution! The hearts were carried to a crossroads, by a burial mound, just outside Drakelow - a truly liminal place of ancient magic. There, a great pyre was built and, when the conflagration was at its fiery height, the hearts were cast into the flames. They sizzled and crackled and swelled, until they finally exploded with a great retort. As the hearts burst asunder and a great, evil spirit, in the form of a monstrous crow, emerged and flew away on wings of midnight.
As soon as the crow demon departed, those who still suffered from the plague of Drakelow were miraculously cured and stood up, as if nothing were ever wrong with them. Sir Nigel ordered his man, Drogo, to go and found a new village, which he did, in the nearby settlement of Gresly. Sir Nigel, Drogo and the remaining men and women of Drakelow all left that very day, to settle in the new village. Drakelow was abandoned, cursed and never refounded, to this very day.