The Legend of the Lambton Worm is a story told about John Lambton , heir of the Lambton Estate, County Durham, and his battle with a giant worm which had been terrorising the local villages. Lambton had fished this worm out of a well one Sunday (instead of going to Church) and then went off to fight in the Crusades, while the worm "growed an' growed". The worm would wrap itself around a local hill to rest, thought by some to be Penshaw Hill, that of Penshaw Monument, but more likely to be the nearby Worm Hill.

The song

The story was made into a song which was originally written in 1867 by C.M. Leumane. The dialect is most effective when sung in a Geordie or Mackem accent.

One Sunday mornin' Lambton went a-fishing in the Wear;
An' catched a fish upon he's heuk
He thowt leuk't vary queer.
But whatt'n a kind ov fish it was young Lambton cuddent tell-
He waddn't fash te carry'd hyem,
So he hoyed it in a well

Chorus Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs, An' aa'll tell ye aall an aaful story,
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs, An' Aa'll tel ye 'boot the worm.

Noo Lambton felt inclined te gan
An' fight i' foreign wars.
He joined a troop ov Knights that cared
For nowther woonds nor scars,
An' 'off he went te Palestine
Where queer things him befel,
An varry seun forgat aboot
The queer worm i' the well.

But the worm got fat an' growed an' growed,
An' growed an aaful suze;
He'd greet big teeth, a greet big gob,
An greet big goggle eyes.
An' when at neets he craaled aboot
Te pick up bits o' news,
If he felt dry upon the road,
He milked a dozen coos.

This feorful worm would often feed
On caalves an' lambs an' sheep,
aN' swally little bairns alive
When they laid doon te sleep.
An when he'd eaten aall he cud
An' he had had he's fill,
He craaled away an' lapped he's tail
Ten times roond Pensher Hill.

The news ov this myest aaful worm
An' his queer gannins on
Seun crossed the seas, gat te the ears
Ov brave an' bowld Sor John.
So hyem he cam an' catched the beast
An' cut 'im in twe haalves,
An' that seun stooped hes eatin' bairns
An' sheep an' lambs an' caalves.

So noo ye knaa hoo aall the foaks
On byeth sides ov the Wear
Lost lots o' sheep an' lots o' sleep
An leeved i' mortal feor.
So let's hev one te brave Sor John
That kept the bairns frae harm,
Saved coos an' calves by myekin' haalves
O' the famis Lambton Worm.

See also

• English folklore

External Links

• North East England History Pages
• Mysterious Britain