« "Tip-off" vs. "Tap-off" | Main | A Tale of Two Cities »
June 10, 2005
Monkey Business
Newsflash:
LONDON (AFP) - A bone found on a north-east beach has sparked renewed interest in one of England's most curious myths -- that a monkey washed ashore during the Napoleonic Wars was executed by suspicious locals for being a French spy.
Police in Hartlepool, on the County Durham coast, confirmed Friday that the one foot (30 centimetre) long bone found on a beach last month was not human, but came instead from a monkey or gorilla.
The discovery has intrigued locals, given the town's curious folklore from the Anglo-French Napoleonic conflict, which lasted from 1793 to 1815.
According to popular legend, a monkey dressed in a French uniform was washed ashore at Hartlepool and tried by local magistrates on suspicion of being a French spy.
Because it did not answer questions they presumed the animal was guilty, and it was hanged from a lamppost.
Thanks to Dave Palmeter for bringing this story to my attention. Of course, for the legend to be true, the townsfolk of Hartlepool would have to never seen a monkey or a frenchman before. Not bloody likely!!
Posted by rickbeyer at June 10, 2005 11:37 AM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)