In the 12th century, two children appeared mysteriously in a sleepy village in England.
There was something very peculiar about the children, they both had green skin!
The Green Children
Our story begins in the village of Woolpit. From documented accounts of the story, we can conclude that the event happened between 1135-1154.
The mysterious arrival of the green children.
The village of Woolpit takes its name from the large pits which farmers dug to protect their livestock from wolves.
One day, local farm workers came across two children, a boy and a girl. The children, who were in distress, were emerging from a wolf pit. There was something quite extraordinary about the children. The clothing worn by the children was described as being made of a strange material and of unusual colours. Furthermore, the pair spoke in a language not known or recognized by any of the villages. But, what stood out most was the green tinge the children had on their skin.
The children, not surprisingly, remained very distressed and refused to eat anything, despite the fact both appeared to be very hungry. This continued until some farm workers brought in some freshly cut beans, which still had their stalks attached.
Both children took an interest in the beans. After being shown how to take them out of the pods, this was all the pair would eat. However, some accounts stated that they would only eat green foods, which the villagers struggled to find. At some point, the children took a liking to bread. Unfortunately, the youngest of the two, the boy, remained very distressed and depressed. Sadly he got very sick and passed away.
A new name and a new life.
The girl took to her new life and flourished. She was baptised and given the name Agnes.
After a while, Agnes learned English and began eating proper meals. Eventually, her skin lost its green colour.
Agnes led a normal life. Accounts of this story state that she married a gentleman named Richard Barre, who was a senior royal official for Henry 11 and Richard 1.
Interestingly, Richard Barre was a real person. it was true he was, a royal official and also a scholar. Despite the claim that Agnes married this man, There are, unfortunately, no documented resources which tell us who he married, or if he had any children.
As Agnes continued to learn English, she was able to explain her strange arrival in the village. Agnes claims that she and her brother were looking after their father’s flock of sheep.
Being curious children, they came across a cave which they decided to enter. They walked deeper through the cave and began to hear the sound of bells. The children followed the sound and found themselves in bright sunlight. No doubt, this would have confused and disorientated them.
When asked where she had come from the girl said the siblings had come from underground land which she called the Land of Saint Martin. Unlike Woolpit there was no sun and it was always twilight. The people who lived in St Martins all had green skin. Agnes, could not tell people where Saint Martins was. However, she did say that she could see another land across the river from hers.
Now we have heard the story can we draw any conclusions and is there any evidedence to back up this strange tale!
Medieval recordings of the story of the Green Children of Woolpit.
The story was recorded in two contemporary chronicles.
The English chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, who died around 1228 AD, was an abbot of a Cistercian monastery at Coggeshall, which lay about 26 miles south of Woolpit. His account of the green children of Woolpit was recorded in the Chronicon Anglicanum (English Chronicle). He stated that he had heard the story from Sir Richard De Caine himself.
The second account comes from the English historian, William of Newburgh (Newbury). He discusses the story in his work, Historia Rerum Anglicarum (A history of English Affairs). Newbury, wrote this around 1189.
Newbury does not mention wittnesses names. However, he did say that the story came from a reilable and trustworth source. He wrote, ‘I was so overwhelmed by the weight of so many and such competent witnesses’. We will have to just take his word on that!
Facts and Theories.
We may as well start with the more ‘out there’ theories.
Extraterrestrials?
Although this theory seemed a little far-fetched, a few researchers and writers came to this conclusion. Let’s take a look:
In his 1621 book The Anatomy of Melancholy, Robert Burton suggested that the children ‘fell from heaven’. This of course leads some people to believe that they did not come from heaven as such they were actually from another world.
Duncan Lunan, a Scottish Author with a focus on astronomy, wrote a book entitled Children from the sky. It seems that Lunan did extensive research and even visited Woolpit.
He stated in an article on the subject that ‘ `It sounds like they were part of some experimental human colony on another planet. Trapped rotation is a term used for a planet which keeps the same face to the sun, and planets like that do exist, but to live there they would need to be in a man-made environment’
How did they end up on earth, more precisely Woolpit? Lunan states `They could have been transported to earth by accident during a magnetic storm. I did some checking, and the second half of the twelfth century was the most violent period for magnetic disturbances since the Bronze Age.’
A more earthly explanation?
‘There is a more earthly explanation. This is that the children were Flemish immigrants. Paul Harris, in Fortean Studies 4 (1998), remarked that the children could have been Flemish orphans. The children had possibly come from a place called, Fornham St. Martin. The River Lark separated Fornham from Woolpit. This does seem to fit with Agnes’s description of seeing another land across the river.
Harris theorized, that the children fled after their parents got killed, perhaps running to a nearby wood for safety. From there they found an underground mine, which led them to Woolpit.
We do know that Flemish immigrants arrived during the 12th century. Sadly, many did not find the happiness that they were looking for. Under the reign of King Henry 11, Flemish immigrants were persecuted. Records show that in 1173 many flemish people lost their lives near, Bury St. Edmunds. Bury st Edmunds is about 10 miles from Woolpit. So this theory could fit.
A traumatic event?
A traumatic event can lead to confusion, which could explain why Agnes told the story as she did. Subconsiously, Agnes may have blocked a horrific event, such as seeing the rest of her family being killed. To further supress the memory, Its possible she focused on happier times or memories, like looking after her father’s sheep.
Villages and farmers in the area would not have understood Flemish. More educated people and landowners may have had deals with Flemish. However, they may not have been able to fully understand what was being said, but they might recognise the language.
Robbery De Caine was a landowner, However, we do not have any evidence to suggest he had any connections with the flemish or understood the language. Of course, there is one thing this theory does not explain and that is their green skin.
Hypochromic anaemia?
One theory for the children’s unusual skin colour is that the children were suffering from Hypochromic anaemia, historically known as chlorosis or green sickness. To strengthen this theory further, one of the symptoms is a lack of appetite., which the children did seem to be suffering from. Poor diet among other things such as disease and infection can lead to Hypochromic Anaemia.
Did it even happen?
Credit where it’s due, Duncan Lunan did spend 6 months going over historical documents. Which, I feel is a must when looking into anything like this. He found that when he looked at medieval chronicles, court records, and land records, things matched up to the story.
In conclusion, the evidence does seem to suggest that two children did arrive inWoolpit. Exactly who they were and how they got there, we may never know.
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