Historical accounts report that in 1822, in the region of Southwell, one Henry Standley was found guilty of the murder of a hawker named John Dale. Arrested, he was later found dead in his cell.
A local newspaper report dated Feb. 15, 1822 reveals that Standley was buried near the crossroads and a stake was driven through his body, suggesting that fear of the dead rising from the grave did exist in British society in the 1820s.
Burial at crossroads is quite common for suspected vampires, the theory being if they were to reanimate they would not know the way back to the village. And within folklore, suicides are at great risk of becoming vampires in death because of the influence exercised by the church.
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† Superstitions
† Legends
† Vampire Accounts
