Today I happed on a fun piece of ephhemera. An original 1841 copy of the tale of the Shapwick Monster. I had never heard of Shapwick, nor its Monster, and hoped it might be another Dragon of Wantley ...

I soon discovered that the Monster and its story were well known .. the William Barnes Society relates

The Shapwick Monster

On October 12th 1706, in the parish of Shapwick, a travelling fishmonger from Poole bound for Bere Regis dropped a crab on the outskirts of the village (a farm nearby commemorates this event adeptly named "Crab Farm").

The villages, who had never seen a crab before and believed it was some kind of Devil or monster, armed themselves with sticks and pitchforks in attempt to drive away the creature.

The fishmonger eventually returned in search of his lost crab saw the commotion caused by the villagers. Amused by their ignorance he casually picked up the crab, put it back in his basket, and continued on his journey, spreading the word of the dim-witted villagers of Shapwick.

Since then, the villagers of Shapwick were looked upon as a bit simple and daft. That no one from the famed village dare visit a fishmonger stall at the local markets in fear of being ridiculed. Therefore, the stigma remains today - at least that is what some may like to believe.

John Symonds Udal's publication "Dorsetshire Folklore" includes a similar tale, although the monster is identified as a tortoise or lobster. Interestingly he also mentions that, as a proverbial saying, "A Shapwick Monster" is something too extraordinary to be explained.

The story is best remembered in this amusing poem published in 1841, written and illustrated by East Anglian artist Buscall Fox (1818 - 1887), whilst lodging at the home of Mary Harrington and her family at West Street, Sturminster Marshall, Dorset.

So there we are. Yes, the 1841 census shows Fox boarding in Dorset, But who was he? He doesn't seem to have written more of the kind ..

Well, Buscall FOX was born in Merton, Norfolk, and christened there 3 March 1818. He was the son of farmer Edmund George Fox and his wife Susan née Wallman of Watton. In later life father became a post messenger between Watton and Ovington.

I don't know how long Buscall stayed in Dorset, but, in 1855 he married in Norfolk ..

and by 1865, he was living in the Norfolk village of Barton Mills, advertising for pupils and commissions.

'Pupil of the late J. F. Herring, Harry Hall, and B. Haydon (Student and Exhibitor of the Royal Academy), gives Lessons in Drawing, Oils and Water Colors, China, Painting and Drawing from Models and Nature. Attends weekly, Newmarket, Bury ...'

He seems to have done all right. The web has a number of his works ...

I like the country gent best. The posh people seem to be painted from photographs. Ah, I see some are merely copies of old paintings.

Buscall Fox died at Barton Mills 16 February 1887, leaving his widow and a son George James Buscall Fox (1855-1940) who I see collected stone tools 'from UK, Africa and the Middle East' and donated them to the British Museum.

Well, I guess that The Shapwick Monster is out of copyright now ...  but I am glad to have made his aquaintance.