Dr. Ross believed that the werewolf-like creature that they saw was possibly linked to the notorious Hexham Wolf of 1904 and may even be the exact same wolf! But, along with it, she also believed that the carvings were “ evil” and might even be a part of a death cult of some kind, at one point in the past. However, because his studies strayed into the occult, legend has often held that he was a wizard - a reputation cemented when he appeared in the eighth circle of hell in Dante's Divine Comedy.

A guy called Paul Screeton wrote a book about the stone heads called The Quest for the Hexham Heads (2010), and he described head #1 as “The Boy”. The boy’s hair is carved in stripes running from forehead to crown. Sources: The story of the Hexham Heads has been recounted in most detail by Paul Screeton in his book Quest for the Hexham Heads (Fortean Words 2010) and in Don Robins’s 1988 book The secret language of stone; both books were consulted in the preparation of this post. Stuart Ferrol’s Fortean Times articles (294/295) were also helpful. The newsclipping was sourced from Screeton’s book, while the top picture of the Heads – and the hands holding the ‘fake’ heads – are available widely online. Nelly Dodd once claimed that closely after a paranormal encounter, she saw a “ half-man, half-goat figure” about to leave their house. Craigie’s public statement of ownership for the Hexham Heads came as a particular problem for one archaeologist / historian, Anne Ross, who had made a big show of the stones being almost certainly Celtic / Iron Age in origin. The stage was set for argument and discussion about the materiality and meaning of the heads, whether they really were cursed and if the were-creature was (according to some tales) actually following the Heads around…The problem we have is that all these are eye-witness reports, and as such, we are unable to prove or disprove them categorically.

After a few days, the same entity was seen by her daughter, Berenice, and just like before, it mysteriously disappeared. For now, the current whereabouts of The Hexham Heads remains unknown. Despite this, the legend of The Hexham Heads has become a cornerstone of the local folklore of the area. In 1904, a large wolf escaped from a zoo and terrorised farms in the Hexham area according to press reports. Read More Related Articles

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On the rather bizarre platform of the BBC TV early evening news magazine Nationwide, Anne Ross made some amazing claims about the Hexham Heads that were not fit for academic publication. She recounted that her home in Southampton was being haunted by a huge werewolf that seemed to have followed the Heads all the way from the NE of England; the Heads had been brought south with Ross for analysis at her own institution, Southampton University, and she had taken them home. Big mistake! According to one of the North East's best known ghost stories, the Baron of Hylton - who lived at Hylton Castle in Sunderland - killed a stable boy called Robert Skelton in a fit of rage in the 16th or 17th century. It may well have all been an elaborate hoax and the age of the heads was never conclusively identified but people with an interest in the paranormal are still fascinated by the Hexham heads. Redcaps He then made a couple more to show he could do it, from ‘local stone, sand and water’ although they were even more rubbish looking than the originals. The head on the left was made by Des Craigie to prove he could make little stone heads, the one on the right was made – rather suspiciously – by one of the boys who found the original heads (source: Screeton 2012)

Colin and Leslie were amusing themselves by throwing stones at each other. Apparently, it’s fun. As the lads stooped to find missiles and grubbed in the dirt, they both found a stone head. One each. Here's a crash course in some of the myths and legends that have defined the North East over the years. Giant worms She had heard about Nelly Dodd’s experience, as well as the activity of the Robsons, and decided the heads must be the connecting thread to this strange phenomena. She later removed all the Celtic heads, including the Hexam heads, from her home. It happened like this. We can imagine a break in the rain or a beautiful spring day, but whatever the weather, in May in 1971, two brothers Colin and Leslie Robson, were playing in their garden. We know it was May because their sister later confirmed she was on her honeymoon and away from the house when it happened.Archaeologists and geologists spent quite some time poking and prodding the Heads, taking chunks from the objects and each other. There was a good deal of dispute as to whether they were genuinely ancient or modern fabrications (with most opinion tending towards the latter). And there was the small matter of apparent poltergeist activity and a curse following the little Heads around. Don Robins at the Rollright Stones while working with The Dragon Project Then again, who knows. Perhaps some tall, bipedal creature lurks in the depths of a long forgotten archive in a little museum where staff are too frightened to go. The Hexham Heads represent urban prehistory that might not even be urban prehistory (they may have been made in the 1950s BC or AD), and yet their discovery and subsequent contestation mirrors very well how archaeologists deal with any bit of material culture found during a formal excavation. The methodical and measured contributions by most (but not all) scientists involved ensure this to be the case. But what makes this an especially weird story is that it also draws on other tropes of archaeology – the cursed objects, dealing within things we cannot comprehend, sinister stones, arcane rites. As they retreated to their upstairs bedrooms at night, poltergeist-like encounters started to manifest in the living room — the place where they left the Heads. A countryside scene. The Coquet Valley view of the Cheviot Hills from the ancient fort near Lordenshaw.