The vampire of Melrose

A similar incident to that of the Berwick vampire took place at Melrose and was also told by William of Newburgh. The vampire in this case, had been a 'worldly' priest, enjoying the material pleasures of life, but his great love was hunting and he became known as the 'Hundeprest' or 'Dog Priest'.

After his death, his former mistress complained that he was haunting her bedchamber, terrifying her with his loud moans and groans. She appealed to the church for help and two monks and two young laymen, well armed, kept watch over the grave of the former priest. They paced restlessly at the graveside, as the fallen leaves crackled beneath their feet and a grey mist swirled up around them from the River Tweed.

Expecting the Hundeprest to show himself at midnight, the hour passed without incident, and being chilled to the bone, three of them sought shelter and warmth in a nearby cottage. No sooner had they left, than the Hundeprest, now a terrible monster, rushed at the remaining priest. The monk bravely stood his ground and swung his axe, driving it deep into the vampire. Groaning, the monster fled, the monk in pursuit, until it disappeared back into its own grave.

The other three watchers returned but saw nothing, and at the first light of dawn the four men began to open up the grave. As they dug, blood oozed up through the clay and when the corpse was finally revealed, it was found to be as fresh as when it was originally buried, apart from a gaping wound, bleeding profusely. They bore the terrible remains away from the monastery, the dead monk not fit to be within its sight, and burned the corpse to ashes, the wind sweeping away all final traces.