The remains of an animal being studied nearly 40 years after they were found may belong to England’s last wolf.
According to Cumbrian folklore, the last ever wolf in the country was killed at Humphrey Head, near Grange-over-Sands, in the 14th Century.
Animal bones found in 1987 and kept in a English Heritage storage facility in Yorkshire are being examined to understand how the creature died.
Susan Harrison, from English Heritage, said: “If this is a wolf, it would be the last known wolf in England.”
The legend says after a chase all the way from Humphrey Head to the Coniston Fells and back again, Sir John Harrington of Wraysholme shot the wolf in order to inherit his father’s estate.
But there is some doubt over whether the bones found in 1987 belonged to this wolf – or to any wolf at all.
Scraping of the bones are now due to undergo scientific analysis to determine the diet of the animal.
Ms Harrison said this would help to determine the likelihood of them belonging to a wolf, a dog or a hybrid.
The bones were found at Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire and Ms Harrison said they could be dated to about 1540.
She said skeletons of wolves were “incredibly rare” and the animal had become somewhat of a “mythical creature”, as it was no longer present in Britain.
As for the Cumbria tale, while it is likely rooted in some element of truth, Ms Harrison is unsure about some of the claims.
“I think that it’s very, very likely that John Harrington did kill a wolf, but whether it’s the last wolf – that’s another question,” she said.
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