I grew up on the Isle of Man, but I first learned about Matthew Hassal’s vampire grave when I visited this summer. Incongruously for such a terrifying legend, the grave lies in the lovely church graveyard of Malew, just outside the old Manx capital of Castletown. I was lucky enough to catch some decent weather while I was there, so the setting of Matthew’s grave looked stunning, with the white church, blue sky and green hills in the background.
Matthew Hassal lived on the Island in the 1800s. His grave is surrounded by iron stakes and chains that cast eerie shadows over the stone slab that lies over his body. Apparently, Matthew committed suicide. In those days, that meant he shouldn’t be buried on consecrated ground, so he was interred by the wall of the graveyard, right on the edge, perhaps to try to save his immortal soul.
But why the chains and iron stakes?
Legend has it that strange, ungodly sounds came from Matthew’s coffin. So it was opened up and an iron stake was driven through Matthew’s heart. Iron, after all, does wonders against supernatural beings like Matthew had become. To make sure he couldn’t rise again, a massive stone slab was laid over his grave and the iron stakes and chains were added as further insurance.
The chains and the stakes remained around the grave through all these long years. Presumably, they work. After all, no one has ever heard from Matthew again…have they?
You can listen to my reading of the Vampire Grave of the Isle of Man on:
Further Reading
Leave a Reply