Peter Stumpp: The Werewolf of Bedburg

In The Knave of Harts , a collection of satirical poems penned by Samuel Rowlands, the English poet makes an allusion to a certain German called Peter Stumpp who was executed for being a werewolf. A German (called Peter Stumpe ) by charme Of an inchanted Girdle, did much harme, Transform'd himselfe into a Wolfeish shape, And in a wood did many yeeres escape The hand of Iustice, till the Hang-man met him, And from a Wolfe, did with an halter fet him: Thus counterfaiting shapes haue had ill lucke, Witnesse Acteon when he plaid the Bucke. In the year this literary work was published, 1612, Peter Stumpp’s story was widely known throughout Europe. However, as the centuries passed, this tale gradually faded into obscurity, and any written accounts about this unfortunate man became lost to the annals of history. Composite woodcut print by Lukas Mayer of the execution of Peter Stumpp. In 1920, an English clergyman and author named Montague Summers espied a long forgotten pamphlet in the British Museum detailing the singular case of Peter Stumpp. The pamphlet goes into detail on Stumpp's life, including his crimes and the trial that ensued after his capture. Almost everything we know about this event comes from these 16 pages. The original broadsheet was published in German, from which an English translation was made, of which only two copies now exist. Aside from the one in the British Museum, there is another one in the Lambeth Library, also in London. No copy of the original German pamphlet survive. Who was Peter Stumpp? Peter Stumpp was a wealthy farmer in the rural community of Bedburg, located in the electorate of Cologne, Germany. It is possible that Peter Stumpp was not his real name, but a nickname earned because he lost his left hand in an accident. Another alias that is associated with his name is Abal Griswold.  Peter Stumpp was born in the mid-1500s, possibly around 1564, in the village of Epprath, near Bedburg.