Black Shuck to feature in new stamp collection

East Anglia's Black Shuck has been included in a new set of stamps celebrating UK folklore and mythology

A demon dog said to have once terrorised churchgoers is to be illustrated on a new set of stamps.

Royal Mail has unveiled eight designs featuring mythical creatures and figures from UK folklore.

One of the stamps features the Black Shuck, a hound that was said to have stalked around Suffolk and Norfolk in the 16th Century.

James Mayhew, a committee member of the Black Shuck Festival held in the Suffolk town of Bungay, said he was "over the moon" the hound had been included.

"It's great that's it being elevated to the same status as the Loch Ness Monster," he said.

"It's really exciting to think that more and more people are going to get to know about Black Shuck and the different variations."

Royal Mail has included Scotland's Loch Ness Monster, Cornish Piskies, Northern Ireland's heroic tale of Fionn mac Cumhail and other folklore figures.

Mr Mayhew said Black Shuck was not commonly known unless you were interested in folklore or were from East Anglia.

The stamps were illustrated by London-based artist Adam Simpson

He explained the legend began in Bungay on 4 August 1577 when Black Shuck, sometimes known as the Black Dog of Bungay, burst into St Mary's Church and killed some of the congregation.

It then ran off to another nearby church at Blythburgh and carried out similar acts.

"It was recorded soon after it happened, written down by Abraham Fleming, a vicar," Mr Mayhew continued.

"It's [still] seen throughout the region, particularly in Bungay - you'll see little images in the town of black dogs everywhere."

Black Shuck was said to have terrorised other parts of the region too including Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

"I think Arthur Conan Doyle stayed somewhere in north Norfolk, heard the legend, and was probably inspired by it for his Hound of the Baskerville book," Mr Mayhew continued.

"So there are other connections to this legend."

The stamps are available to pre-order and will go on general sale from 27 March.

"I'll be buying lots of the stamps, I might paint my walls with them," Mr Mayhew joked.