Home > History > Green Children

Green Children

One prominent feature of the village sign is two small children. They depict a story that goes back to the 12th century and tells the legend of 'The Green Children of Woolpit'. This curious tale is recorded as taking place at about the same time as Sampson's journey to Rome. Very briefly, reapers were astonished at the discovery of a boy and a girl in a hole in the ground. The children were green, and spoke no recognisable language. The boy, who was sickly, soon died, but the girl grew up in Woolpit, and is said to have married a man from King's Lynn. This story has been re-enacted on many occasions and has appeared on childrens' television.