The Black Dog of Newgate The Black Dog of Newgate The Black Dog of Newgate is a legend concerning the haunting of the former Newgate Prison of London, which was located next to the Old Bailey (The Central Criminal Court), close to St. Pauls Cathedral, in London, England. This account of a haunting based at the prison is an example of the English Black Dog category of supernatural manifestation, featuring a spectral hound of ill-omen or malicious intent, which is a notable archetype in British folklore and superstition. The earliest account of the story dates from the publication "The Discovery of a London Monster, called
The Black Dog of Newgate The Blacke Dogg of Newgate: Profitable for all Readers to Take Heed by" Although believed to have long existed in folklore previously, the earliest recorded account of the legend dates from 1596, and is credited to a prison inmate called "Luke Hutton". A notable copy of the book and its woodcut frontispiece is held at the Guildhall Library, London The story recounts that during a famine in the reign of King Henry III of England, a scholar was incarcerated in Newgate prison who had the reputation of being a sorcerer, a warlock who had "Done much hurt to the Kings