The Black Dog of Bungay Weather Vane - 1933

THE BLACK DOG OF BUNGAY. TOWN REEVE PRESENTS MODEL OF HELLISH MONSTER TO BE PLACED ON A LAMP STANDARD. (November 1933)

Of outstanding interest among a great deal of business at Friday's meeting of the Bungay Urban District Council was the acceptance from The Town Reeve (Dr. L, B. Cane) of a model of the well-known Black Dog of Bungay, some thing of whose story was told by the donor. It is to be placed on top of the new lamp standard in the Market Place.

The Town Reeve sought the permission: to erect the weather-vane, part of which is the reproduction of the Black Dog on the new lamp standard in the Market place. He suggested that on one side of the standard the Council put beneath the old leaden plaque the inscription "Built in 1933 on the site of the old town pump erected by Matthew Kerrison, Town Reeve in 1812."

For the benefit of the policeman who was asked, and others interested, he asked permission to put the following inscription on a metal plate to be fixed on the brickwork on the other side of the pedestal:—
"The Black Dog of Bungay 1577.
All down the Church in midst of fire
The hellish Monster flew;
And passing onwards to the Quire,
He many people slew."

The Town Reeve explained that the verse was part of an old poem about the dog. The animal had been designed for the effort by Daphne Sanders, aged 14, a pupil, at St. Mary's' School, who won a prize for the best Black ' DOG OF BUNGAY drawn by Bungav school children.

On her design, Mr. Hugh de Poix, R.B.A., of Broome, had based his model which had been executed by Mr. H. N. Rumsby, of Bungay. The Chairman congratulated Dr. Cane on the hard work he had put in to get the new standard in place of the pump, and thanked him for the gift.

The new lighting had been a a great asset, and he had received many corn plimentary remarks from motorists and 'others. The necessary permission was granted, Mr R. H. Sprako saying that it put on record for all time the meaning of the legend about the Black Dog, and also 'the record, of their worthy Reeve during a busy year of office.

The Town Reeve's prize offered to scliool children for the best design for a representation of the legendary Black Dog of Bungay, suitable for placing on top of the new electric standard in the Market Place, has been awarded to Daphne Saunders, aged 14, of St. Mary's School, whose three drawings
were particularly good. An extra prize has also been awarded to Alec Marshall, of 29, St John's Road, Bungay. Over 150 drawings were received from the Bungay Grammar School, the Council School. St. Mary's School, the Roman. Catholic School, and All Hallows School, Ditchingham. An exhibition of the best drawings will be held in the Chaucer Institute during Baby Week in March.

Letter dated November 25th 1933 reads

Dear Miss Daphne Sanders
I want to write both to congratulate you and thank you for the very excellent design of the Black Dog of Bungay which you executed for the town.
I am one of those who is very interested in old Bungay and have one of the original card of this.
You have succeeded in producing a most artistic design and ate same time retained its fearsome aspect and I am grateful to you for your help to the town.

Yours sincerely E. H Wightman.

Most Bungayans know by heart the story of The Black Dog. Not so many will know the story of the weather vane in (the town's Market Place which commemorates the event. One of (the men involved in its making was Archie Shipley, a moulder at the Waveney Iron Works of H. N. Rumsby and Sons. Archie left school when he was fourteen and served a seven-year apprenticeship with the firm as a moulder. He learned the art of making moulds for a wide range of tilings from plough parts to kitchen ranges.

He learned how to use and mix correctly (lie moulding mediums of Mansfield Red sand, Kent yellow loam and coal dust. The latter ingredient was used to produce smoothness. During his service with the firm Archie produced the moulds from which (the finished articles were cast using wooden patterns made by Mr H. N. Rumsby (the head of the firm.) Now retired and living in Beccles, Archie tells here the story of Bungay's Black Dog—the weather vane ...

For well over half a century a black dog has been poised over a streak of lightning in the centre of Bungay Market Place. Acting as a weather vane the dog commemorates the terrible thunder storm experienced in the town on a Sunday morning in the August of 1577. Many parishioners were injured and two men lost their lives in the belfry of St. Mary's Priory Church.

During the storm a black dog bounded into the church and was thought by the assembled worshippers to be the devil. It was in 1933 that Bungay Urban District Council decided to commemorate the event with the weather vane. A competition was started by the Council who offered a prize to local schools for a suitable drawing of a Black dog. Most schools in the town took part. The winner was judged to be a girl from St. Mary's School, which was situated in Earsham Street. The drawing was then passed to local artist Hugh De Poix of Broome Place.

He re-drew the dog to full size, the finished artwork being then taken to my employers, H. N. Rumsby and Sons also in Earsham Street. Here, we made a plywood template, from the enlarged drawing, great care being taken to copy the artwork exactly. Once this was complete the template was clamped on to sheet copper and cut out in this metal using a hacksaw. Final filing and cleaning followed. Next to be produced was the ornate compass points and upright on which the dog was to be poised.

First a wooden pattern was made by Mr H. N. Rumsby. This was then< passed to me in the Foundry. It was my task to prepare the moulds ready for casting in brass. The new weather vane was to be erected on the site of the Town Pump. A pump used for decades by local residents -until the advent of a mains water supply. In its latter days the pump was virtually used entirely by thirsty schoolboys! It's removal did not prove such a local stir as did the old Corn Cross which had once stood there.

The base plinth was built by local builders Charles Bedwell and Sons, the Council provided the centre column and Bedwell's and Rumsby's combined to erect the column and the weather vane. The structure was completed in 1933 as a means of commemorating both the site of the old town pump and the storm of August 4th 1577. A plaque on the plinth is inscribed as follows:

All down the Church in midst of fire,
The Hellish Monster flew.
And passing onwards to the Quire,
He many people slew.

Frank Honeywood
Town Recorder