MysteryLegendary
Peter the Wild Boy
Found wild in a German forest; someone still leaves flowers on his grave.
See it clearly
- What's there
- His grave in the churchyard
- Legend from
- 1700s
- Tone
- Curious
In Northchurch churchyard lies Peter the Wild Boy, found living in a German forest, and someone still leaves him flowers that nobody can explain.
In 1725 a naked boy who walked on all fours and could not speak was found in the woods near Hamelin in Hanover. Brought to George I's court and then to London, Peter the Wild Boy became a society sensation, before being sent to live quietly with farmers at Northchurch. He never learned more than a handful of simple words, and after he once strayed as far as Norwich he wore a leather collar bearing his name and address. He died in 1785 and lies by the church. To this day, flowers are left on his grave, and nobody at the church knows who brings them.