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Croglin Vampire
In the 1870s, a woman at Croglin Grange was attacked through her window by a creature with burning eyes and long nails. Her brothers shot it and tracked it to a church vault where they found a desiccated corpse. They burned the body. England's most famous vampire account.
1875
Croglin, Cumbria, England
3+ witnesses
England’s most famous vampire attack.
The Setting
Croglin Grange:
- Cumbria, England
- Rented by Cranswell family
- Two brothers, one sister
- Summer evening 1875
- Isolated location
The Attack
What happened:
- Amelia Cranswell alone
- Saw creature at window
- Scratched through glass
- Long brown fingers
- Bit her throat
The Description
The creature:
- Mummified appearance
- Burning eyes
- Long nails
- Superhuman
- Fled when brothers came
The Hunt
What followed:
- Creature shot in leg
- Tracked to church vault
- Found coffins disturbed
- One corpse with fresh wound
- In its leg
The Resolution
Final action:
- Body removed
- Burned completely
- No more attacks
- Family stayed
- Story told for years
The Skepticism
Doubts raised:
- Augustus Hare’s account
- Details inconsistent
- Church vault questionable
- Possible fiction
- No contemporary sources