The Legend of the Lang Pack
Within the hallowed grounds of St. Cuthbert’s churchyard in Bellingham, a peculiar elongated stone marks a grave that is steeped in North Tyne Valley folklore. This flat stone is a tangible reminder of the ‘’The Lang Pack’, a tale that has intrigued for generations.
The story is set around Lee Hall, a grand country house situated on the banks of the North Tyne, just south of Bellingham and close to where the River Rede joins the North Tyne at Redesmouth. The hall is historically home to the Ridley family and at the time of this story, the estate was under the stewardship of Colonel Ridley, who had recently returned to his estate from India having amassed an immense fortune. Upon his return he had instructed extensive renovations to his property and Lee Hall was elegantly furnished and full of valuable items, including a silver plate supposed to be worth over £1000.
Every year the Ridley family would leave their country residence to see out the harsh Northumbrian winter in London. The winter of 1723 was no different and the house was left in the care of three servants - A housekeeper, Alice, and two men, Richard and Edward, who threshed the corn, herded the cattle and looked after the outbuildings. The three servants were left in charge of the estate under strict instructions from Colonel Ridley not to allow any guest or lodger into the house, under any circumstances. It must have been known in the locality that in certain months of the year, the house along with its costly contents, was poorly protected, yet there appeared to be little concern that the hall was an obvious target for thieves.
It was in the deep depths of that winter in 1723, when one afternoon, a pedlar called at the hall, carrying with him an unusually long package and requested if he could have shelter for the night. Remembering her master’s orders, the housekeeper, Alice, refused the pedlar, but when he asked if he could leave his awkwardly long package at the hall, while he sought shelter elsewhere, permission was duly granted by the young maid. As the night grew dark, Alice became increasingly suspicious of the pedlar’s long pack which had been left in the kitchen of the main house. While lighting a candle the maid swore she saw the package move. Terrified, she quickly alerted the other two servants, Richard and Edward. Richard, the older of the two men, scorned young Alice’s suspicion, but the younger Edward, not wishing to take any chances, fetched his blunderbuss gun, which he called ‘Copenhagen’, and shot at the long pedlar’s pack. To his astonishment a cry emanated from the pack and blood oozed from the side of the mysterious package.
The pack was opened, revealing the body of a dead man inside wearing a silver whistle around his neck. It didn't take long for the servants to realise that the dead man had been smuggled inside the hall as part of a larger plot to burgle Lee Hall. The plan was obvious, this man was going to break free from his package, open the doors and sound the alarm for his fellow accomplices to ransack the household. After discussions about what to do with the body and how they would explain this to their master, it dawned upon the servants that this saga was far from over and that they were likely to be visited by the rest of the gang that very night. The servants did their best to summon help from neighbours and many local people came to Lee Hall, bringing with them their guns and pitchforks ready to defend the hall.
Later that night the gang arrived and were given a signal on the same silver whistle that was found hanging on the neck of the dead man in the pack. To their shock, rather than open doors, the gang were greeted with gunfire from a mob waiting for them at the hall. In the manic gunfight that ensued, four of the gang fell dead from their horses and the rest scarpered. At daylight the following morning the bodies of the four dead men had mysteriously disappeared and only the body of the unfortunate man in the long pack remained. The rest of the gang were never caught and the identity of the man from the long pack has remained a mystery for all of time. The body was finally buried at Bellingham churchyard, where it is said to lie beneath the long stone cut in the shape of the pedlar’s pack.
As featured in This Is Northumberland 2025
