Dragon slayer · Devil’s bargain · Hertfordshire
Piers Shonks’ Tomb
St Mary the Virgin · Brent Pelham
Inside a quiet Hertfordshire church, a medieval tomb lies within the wall – said to hold the dragon slayer who found the one burial place the Devil had forgotten to forbid.
Photo: Bikeboy / Geograph / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
A legendary loophole carved into a real church wall
Piers Shonks has everything a local legend deserves: a giant hunter, three impossibly swift hounds, a dragon beneath an ancient yew and a Devil comprehensively outmanoeuvred by wording. Better still, the story ends somewhere you can genuinely visit. Set into the north wall of St Mary’s is an elaborate medieval slab whose dragon, cross, winged symbols and unusual position seem almost designed to keep the tale alive.
Your visit at a glance
Visitor information rechecked 14 August 2026The stone that gave the legend somewhere to live
The tomb recess is not merely scenery added after the story became popular. Its carvings and peculiar position supply many of the ingredients that make the legend so memorable.
St Mary’s, Brent Pelham
The small flint church contains fabric from several medieval periods and later rebuilding. Historic England lists it at Grade II, recognising both the building and the unusual monument within it.
The village setting adds to the discovery: nothing outside announces a dragon slayer on the scale the story deserves.A black-marble slab
Historic England dates the carved slab to the thirteenth century. A foliated cross dominates its surface, accompanied by symbols of the Four Evangelists and imagery that includes a dragon beneath the cross.
Those carvings may have helped later storytellers transform a Christian funerary monument into the resting place of Hertfordshire’s own dragon slayer.Neither in nor out
The monument occupies a deep recess in the north wall of the nave. That physical position is the legend’s perfect final clue: Piers could be buried within the wall without resting either inside the church or outside it.
A later inscription names Shonks and celebrates the two serpents he defeated – one by strength, the other by cunning.Piers Shonks and the Devil’s favourite beast
Piers Shonks was said to be a local lord, a giant and an exceptional hunter. When a dragon made its lair beneath the roots of an ancient yew and terrorised the surrounding countryside, Piers rode out with a servant and three hounds so swift that people claimed they had wings.
The struggle was long, but Piers finally drove his spear into the creature’s mouth and killed it. Then the Devil appeared. Furious at the loss of his favourite beast, he promised that when Piers died he would claim him whether his body were buried inside the church or outside it.
Years later, with death approaching, Piers called for his bow. He loosed one final arrow and declared that he should be buried wherever it landed. The arrow struck the church’s north wall, revealing the gap in the Devil’s bargain: a grave built within the wall was neither inside nor outside.
And there, according to the story, Piers still lies – beyond the Devil’s reach, protected by the cleverest of loopholes.
Every carving offered another clue
The tomb’s imagery almost reads like a set of prompts for the legend. Whether the tale shaped how people viewed the monument or the monument shaped the tale, the two have become inseparable.
The dragon beneath the cross
A dragon appears at the foot of the slab’s large foliated cross. In medieval Christian art it carried its own religious meaning; in Brent Pelham, it became the beast forced to swallow Piers Shonks’ spear.
Winged companions
The Evangelist symbols include winged forms surrounding the cross. Later versions of the tale gave Piers an attendant and three hounds whose extraordinary speed made them seem winged too.
A protector after death
One local story says the ghost of Piers frightened a thief called Jack O’ Pelham into abandoning his stolen goods. Killing the dragon was apparently not enough; village security remained on his eternal rota.
Walk in and find the loophole for yourself
This is a beautifully simple ParaMaps stop: arrive in Brent Pelham, enter the church and look for the monument built into the north wall. Allow extra time only if you want to explore the church and village more slowly.
A quick visit to St Mary’s
The church stands at the heart of the village opposite Brent Pelham Hall and the village hall. The official listing says it is open daily for worship, prayer and visitors.
Arrive in the village
Use the limited spaces near the church when available. The church recommends the larger car park behind the Black Horse pub, around 300 yards away, as the practical alternative.
Find the north wall
Inside, look for the deep tomb recess in the north wall of the nave. Take time to examine the cross, dragon and winged symbols before reading the later inscription.
Read the wall as a story
Stand back and notice exactly where the monument sits. The whole Devil-defeating loophole becomes wonderfully clear once you see the grave occupying the wall itself.
Opening, arrival & parking
A Church Near You currently lists St Mary’s as open daily, 24/7. Exceptional closures or church use can still occur, so check the official page before making a special journey.
Parking: limited by the church; larger car park behind the Black Horse
Entry: free, with donations welcomed
Facilities & considerate visiting
Toilets are available in the adjacent village hall, and the church listing says dogs are welcome. Detailed step-free access information is not currently published, so visitors with particular requirements may wish to contact the church beforehand.
Turn the tomb into a Hertfordshire detour
Brent Pelham is rural and the church visit is brief, so pair it with another historic place rather than expecting the tomb alone to fill an afternoon.
Buntingford Heritage Trail
Continue into the nearby market town for historic streets, local architecture and an easy place to find food or coffee after your dragon-slayer stop.
Check local information ↗Royston Cave
Add another enigmatic historic site: a man-made subterranean chamber covered in medieval carvings whose original purpose remains debated. Check tour dates carefully because access is seasonal and guided.
Check cave tours ↗Find the grave the Devil could not claim
Piers Shonks may never trouble the history books in quite the same way as St George, but he has something far better for an explorer: a quiet village, a real medieval stone and a grave positioned with exquisite supernatural pedantry. Sometimes the smallest detours carry the best stories.