A Trail In The Snow: Devon's Mysterious Devil's Footprints

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been snowed in, a common occurrence living in the Scottish Highlands, where it usually happens a few times a year. As I gazed out at the snow-covered hills, I was reminded of the famous case of the mysterious devil’s footprints that appeared in the snow-covered countryside of Devon in February 1855.

On the night of February 8th, 1855, a heavy snowfall blanketed the county of Devon on the southwest coast of England. Upon awakening, locals made a startling discovery: a trail of hoof-like footprints stretching between 40 to 100 miles. These prints, measuring 4 inches by 3 inches, were spaced 8 to 16 inches apart. What truly astonished people was not just the vast distance covered, but also the peculiar nature of the trail. The prints seemed to traverse up and over the roofs of houses and barns, across haystacks, and even through rivers and streams.

So, who or what had left this trail of footprints? Given that a large portion of the local population at the time were devout Christians, the most prevalent theory was that the Devil himself had created the trail. This belief was further fuelled by recent changes made to the Church of England's prayer book. Some theorised that these alterations might have inadvertently invited the Devil into the community, linking the supernatural occurrence to the religious reforms.

Another more plausible theory suggests that animals left the trails. The area is home to a variety of hoofed animals, including horses, donkeys, boar, and deer. Additionally, cloven-hoofed animals like sheep, goats, and pigs are also common. While it seems improbable, considering the trail led over house roofs, it is possible that these trails were created by different animals. Hysteria could have led people to believe that a single creature was responsible, when in fact, the trails were left by various animals. This explanation appears most likely, but it conflicts with reports that the trail was made by a bipedal, not quadrupedal, creature. Interestingly, one exception could be a kangaroo. A kangaroo, reported missing from a private collection, was later found and killed in the area.

At Devonport Dockyard, a nearby naval base, there was an experimental balloon that had broken free of its moorings and drifted across the countryside. Reportedly, this incident was kept quiet as the balloon, while loose, caused damage to conservatories and greenhouses. The balloon's descent was periodically interrupted by two shackles at the base of its mooring rope, causing it to momentarily touch down before lifting off again. Could these shackles have created the hoof-like trail? This scenario would account for the marks over roofs and across rivers. However, it raises the question: wouldn't the rope have become entangled in trees or bushes at some point during its journey?

So, who or what left this trail? As is often the case with such tales, we may never know for certain. Everyone has their own theories, myself included, but as I always say, I'll leave it up to you to decide. What was it that left an almost 100-mile trail in the snowy landscape of Devon in early February 1855?