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Mystery "Toad-Lizard" in 17th Century Derbyshire

L'Estrange spent most of his adult life immersed in the politics of the day, leading to experiences ranging from a term in prison to a Restoration propagandist to the dual roles of Surveyor of the Imprimery (printing) and Licenser of the Press. In these latter roles (which span the 1677 publication date cited for the ...Toad pamphlet) he was described as a zealous and effective watchdog patrolling the English press - something which apparently garnered him even more foes than his own political actions and writings had accreted.

I mention this context because ...

A circa 500-page retrospective on L'Estrange by a George Kitchin (Sir Roger L'Estrange; a contribution to the history of the press in the seventeenth century, 1913) is available online (if you can tolerate a 30-some megabyte download in PDF format) at:

https://archive.org/details/sirrogerlestrang00kitcrich

This book ostensibly provides listings for all L'Estrange's publications. It also provides a gruesomely detailed history of the conflicts, intrigues, and outright shenanigans involving L'Estrange and publishing / publications.

There is no mention (in the text, nor in the listings) of any publication with the title you cited. Neither can I find anything from 1677 that seems to be a candidate 'hit'.

However ... I noticed the book mentions L'Estrange was the victim of 'fake pamphleteering' (being accused of authoring questionable publications) during this period.

All this makes me wonder two things:

(1) Was the ...Toad pamphlet not a news item, but rather some sort of veiled / allusive political tract whose metaphorical references are now lost on us?

(2) Was the ...Toad pamphlet one of the pseudo-L'Estrange publications (again, metaphorical / political) against which he had to defend himself?
 
L'Estrange spent most of his adult life immersed in the politics of the day, leading to experiences ranging from a term in prison to a Restoration propagandist to the dual roles of Surveyor of the Imprimery (printing) and Licenser of the Press. In these latter roles (which span the 1677 publication date cited for the ...Toad pamphlet) he was described as a zealous and effective watchdog patrolling the English press - something which apparently garnered him even more foes than his own political actions and writings had accreted.

I mention this context because ...

A circa 500-page retrospective on L'Estrange by a George Kitchin (Sir Roger L'Estrange; a contribution to the history of the press in the seventeenth century, 1913) is available online (if you can tolerate a 30-some megabyte download in PDF format) at:

https://archive.org/details/sirrogerlestrang00kitcrich

This book ostensibly provides listings for all L'Estrange's publications. It also provides a gruesomely detailed history of the conflicts, intrigues, and outright shenanigans involving L'Estrange and publishing / publications.

There is no mention (in the text, nor in the listings) of any publication with the title you cited. Neither can I find anything from 1677 that seems to be a candidate 'hit'.

However ... I noticed the book mentions L'Estrange was the victim of 'fake pamphleteering' (being accused of authoring questionable publications) during this period.

All this makes me wonder two things:

(1) Was the ...Toad pamphlet not a news item, but rather some sort of veiled / allusive political tract whose metaphorical references are now lost on us?

(2) Was the ...Toad pamphlet one of the pseudo-L'Estrange publications (again, metaphorical / political) against which he had to defend himself?
 
Hi Enola

The possibility that `A true narrative of a strange prodigious toad...etc" (1677) was a satire by or towards Roger L`estrange had crossed my mind and I do not rule it out. What strikes me though is that I found a similar "toad-lizard-monster" story via an Oxford University Early English Texts/Letters database a few years ago which I reproduced in my Nov 2012 issue of Flying Snake magazine, very similar in date (17th century) ,location (damp conditions) and appearance, long tail, protuberances near head. If you have not found it already, the text of " A true narrative..." is at https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A...1826;view=fulltext;xc=1;q1=strange+animal#hl1
 
Sorry the other weird "toad" or whatever i found a few years ago was in Suffolk. Apparently the cave in Derbyshire where the cryptid was found really is called Devil`s Arse and according to Wikipedia was the location of Britain`s last troglodytes c. 40-50 years ago
 
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... What strikes me though is that I found a similar "toad-lizard-monster" story via an Oxford University Early English Texts/Letters database a few years ago which I reproduced in my Nov 2012 issue of Flying Snake magazine, very similar in date (17th century) ,location (damp conditions) and appearance, long tail, protuberances near head.

Can you provide any link(s) (copied text, whatever ... ) concerning this second incident?



Yep - been there, read that ... The University of Michigan catalogue entry is where I found the 1677 publication date.
 
Hiya ,
As far as I know there is no online text giving the full information I have read and was sent by the Bodleian Library about 5 years ago about the mystery Suffolk "toad" or whatever it was(as it had wings),but the account is in my `Flying Snake` magazine vol 2 no 1,November 2012, Karl Shuker`s book The Menagerie of Marvels (2014) and last but most significantly the Oxford University`s (Bodleian Library`s) Early Modern (not Early English as I mistakenly said before)Letters Online database.if you Google that, type in MS.Rawl.letters 107,fol.204 into the search bar,or Thomas Flatman September 25th 1662,or "toad" or "strange animal" or / and Mendham , Suffolk then I would be very surprised if you DON`T find the story. If I remember correctly,the Bodleian Library kindly provided me with a free transcript of T.Flatman`s letter to his brother about the "winged toad" or Draco volans as Shuker suggested it was (brought in from abroad?) , after I emailed the Bodleian with the details I have just given you here. Jon Downes of the CFZ UK is publishing details of the Derbyshire and Suffolk cryptids in the next edition of his Animals & Men journal.
 
Thanks for the reply ... The details you provided allowed me to find it straightaway ...

The URL for the catalogue entry is:

http://emlo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/profile/work/c90bffe1-5b27-48ba-aca6-c13b554279bb

(25 Sep 1662: Flatman, Thomas, 1635-1688 (Mendham, Suffolk, England) to Flatman (brother of Thomas), fl. 1662)

The entry presents the following abstract:

An amusing letter about an extraordinary animal said to be seen in his neighbourhood. Head like a large toad, body about a yard and a half long yellowish about the neck with two wings as broad as a man's hand, four yellow short legs like a duck &c.
 
Yes that`s the one, by "amusing" I presume they mean it is fiction,but as far as I am concerned the jury is still out,as they say.
 
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