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The Lambton Worm is a legend from County Durham in North-East England in the United Kingdom. The story takes place around the River Wear, and is one of the area's pieces of folklore, having been adapted from written and oral tradition into pantomime and song formats.
John Lambton does not catch anything until the church service finishes, at which point he fishes out a small eel- or lamprey-like creature with nine holes on each side of its salamander-like head. Depending on the version of the story, the worm is no bigger than a thumb, or about long. In some renditions it has legs, while in others it is said to more closely resemble a snake.
At this point, the old man returns, although in some versions it is a different character. John declares that he has "catched caught the devil" and decides to dispose of his catch by discarding it down a nearby well. The old man then issues further warnings about the nature of the beast.
John then forgets about the creature and eventually grows up. As a penance for his rebellious early years, he joins the Crusades.
Earlier, and local, versions of the legend associate the hill with Worm Hill, in Fatfield. In most versions of the story, the worm is large enough to wrap itself around the hill seven times. It is said that one can still see the marks of the worm on Worm Hill. However, in the later song the hill is Penshaw Hill on which the Penshaw Monument now stands.
The worm terrorises the nearby villages, eating sheep, preventing cows from producing milk, and snatching away small children. It then heads towards Lambton Castle, where the Lord (John Lambton's aged father) manages to sedate the creature in what becomes a daily ritual of offering the worm the milk of nine good cows – , or a filled trough.
A number of brave villagers try to kill the beast, but are quickly dispatched. When a chunk is cut off the worm, it simply reattaches the missing piece. Visiting knights also try to assault the beast, but none survive. When annoyed, the worm uproots trees by coiling its tail around them, then creates devastation by waving around the uprooted trees like a club.
The witch hardens John's resolve to kill the beast by explaining his responsibility for the worm. She tells him to cover his armour in spearheads and fight the worm in the River Wear, where it now spends its days wrapped around a great rock. The witch also tells John that after killing the worm he must then kill the first living thing he sees, or else his family will be cursed for nine generations and will not die in their beds.
John prepares his armour according to the witch's instructions and arranges with his father that, when he has killed the worm, he will sound his hunting horn three times. On this signal, his father is to release his favourite hound so that it will run to John, who can then kill the dog and thus avoid the curse.
John Lambton then fights the worm by the river. The worm tries to crush him, wrapping him in its coils, but it cuts itself on his armour's spikes; the pieces of the worm fall into the river, and are washed away before they can join up again. Eventually, the worm is dead and John sounds his hunting horn three times.
This curse seems to have held true for at least three generations, possibly helping to contribute to the popularity of the story.
(One of Henry Lambton's brothers, described as "his succeeding brother, the General", is said to have kept a horse whip by his bedside to ward off violent assaults. He died in his bed at an old age.)
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Tune from Tyne Pantomime 1867Melody taken from and reengraved in Lilypond.
| One Sunda morn young Lambton went |
| A-fishing in the Wear; |
| (=caught) (=his hook) |
| (=thought looked very strange) |
| (=what kind of) |
| Young Lambton cudden't tell- |
| (=could not be bothered to carry it home) |
| (=threw it down) |
| (Chorus) |
| (=Hush boys, hold your mouths) |
| (=I'll tell you all an awful) |
| Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs, |
| (=about) |
| (=go) |
| An' fight i' foreign wars. |
| He joined a troop ov Knights that cared |
| (=neither wounds) |
| An' off he went te Palestine |
| Where queer things him befel, |
| (=very soon forgot about) |
| The queer worm i' tha well. |
| (Chorus) |
| 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. |
| (=nights) (=crawled around) |
| Te pick up bits o' news, |
| If he felt dry upon the road, |
| (=cows) |
| (Chorus) |
| (=fearful) |
| On caalves an' lambs an' sheep, |
| (=swallow) (=children) |
| When they laid doon te sleep. |
| (=all he could) |
| An' he'd had he's fill, |
| (=wrapped) |
| (=Penshaw Hill, a local landmark) |
| (Chorus) |
| (=most) |
| (=goings-on) |
| (=soon) (=got to) |
| (=bold) |
| (=home he came and caught) |
| An' that seun stopped hes eatin' bairns |
| An' sheep an' lambs an' caalves. |
| (Chorus) |
| (=now you know how all the folk) |
| (=both) |
| Lost lots o' sheep an' lots o' sleep |
| (=And lived in mortal fear) |
| (=let's drink to brave Sir John) |
| (=from) |
| (=making halves) |
| (=famous) |
| (Final Chorus) |
| (=I'll hold my mouth. Stop speaking) |
| (=All I know about) |
| (=clever) |
| Wi' the aaful Lambton Worm. |
|
|
