In the folklore of Cambridgeshire, the Shug Monkey is a creature that shares features of a dog and monkey, which reportedly haunted Slough Hill Lane (a street that leads from the village of West Wratting to nearby Balsham).[1][2] The creature, believed to have the body of a jet-black shaggy sheepdog and the face of a monkey with staring eyes,[3][4] was believed to be a supernatural ghost or demon.[2][4] Local writer and broadcaster James Wentworth Day, who first related stories of the Shug Monkey in Here Are Ghosts and Witches (1954), described it as a curious variation of Black Shuck,[1] while local folklorist Polly Howat suggests that both share common origins in Norse mythology.[5]
According to Howat, sightings of the Shug Monkey have not been reported since before World War II.[5]
Further reading
Redfern, Nick (2004). "The Final Countdown". Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs, and Ape-Men. Paraview Pocket Books. pp. 227–243. ISBN0-7434-8254-9.