The unsolved medieval mystery of the 'Green Children' of Woolpit

In the twelfth century, a strange and disturbing tale came from the small English village of Woolpit, near the town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.

The story tells of two children, a boy and a girl, who were discovered near the village sometime during the reign of either King Stephen (1135 to 1154) or King Henry II (1154 to 1189).

The villagers were shocked by their strange appearance. Both children had green-tinted skin, wore clothes made from cloth they had never seen before, and spoke in a language that no one could understand.

As a result, their sudden appearance alarmed the locals and attracted wide attention. 

According to the accounts, the children were found beside one of the deep wolf pits for which the village of Woolpit was named.

These pits had originally been dug to trap wolves, which were once a danger in medieval England, though it is unclear if they were still in use at the time.

The children appeared lost and confused. The reapers who discovered them led them into the village, where they were taken in by a local landowner.

When food was offered, the children refused to eat anything that had been prepared by the villagers.

They would not touch bread or meat, and they seemed unfamiliar with how to eat the food.

Eventually, they came across raw beans still in their pods and quickly ate them. For a time, beans were the only food they would accept. 

Over time, the children slowly got used to their new home. They began to eat more types of food, and as their diet changed, their green skin colour gradually faded.

One explanation offered centuries later was that the children may have suffered from a form of hypochromic anaemia, commonly referred to as chlorosis or "green sickness."

This condition, caused by a severe iron deficiency, can result in a pale or greenish skin tone and was often seen in undernourished children and young women during medieval and early modern periods.

Sadly, the boy became ill soon after their arrival and died shortly after their baptism.

The girl, however, survived and eventually adapted fully to English life. She learned to speak English and was said to have lived for many years in the region.

Later accounts claimed that she worked in service in the household of the man who had first taken them in and that she eventually married, possibly to a man from King’s Lynn, though this detail appears in later retellings without firm confirmation from the original sources. 

Once she could speak English well, the girl explained how she and her brother had come from a place she called “St Martin’s Land.”

She described it as a land where the sun never shone, and twilight was constant.

The people who lived there, she said, all had green skin like theirs. She explained that they were tending their father’s flock when they heard a loud noise, and then they followed the sound into a cave.

After they had walked in darkness for some time, they suddenly emerged into the bright sunlight near Woolpit, where they were found by the villagers.

Her account confused everyone who heard it and raised more questions than it answered.

Some later scholars suggested that "St Martin's Land" might have referred to a nearby real-world location associated with the saint, such as a religious community or a town bearing his name, while others believed the girl may have been recalling her journey through dense woods or across unfamiliar terrain. 

Historians have discussed the truth of the story for centuries. Some see it as a strange folk story or a simple story about outsiders.

Others have attempted to find clear reasons for the children’s appearance and origin.

The green skin, as mentioned, may have been caused by malnutrition and went away after a proper diet.

The language barrier and unusual clothing might be explained by the children coming from a nearby Flemish-speaking community.

During the 12th century, Flemish immigrants had settled in eastern England under royal invitation, particularly during the reign of Henry I (1100–1135), but some were later displaced by local unrest and expulsion orders, including in 1154.

If the children had come from such a group, it would explain their strange speech and customs that gave them an unfamiliar appearance. 

The girl’s reference to an underground passage or cave may have been a confused memory that they had fled through a forest or had crossed into unfamiliar territory after they were separated from their family.

The idea that children from a disoriented or displaced refugee community might have wandered into Woolpit is a plausible explanation.

Nevertheless, the elements of the story, the strange land under twilight alongside their green skin, continue to invite fantastical interpretations. 

The earliest known accounts of the story come from two medieval recorders: Ralph of Coggeshall and William of Newburgh.

Ralph was the abbot of a nearby monastery and wrote about the event in his Chronicon Anglicanum, put together between around 1189 and 1224.

He claimed that he had heard the story directly from the man who took the children in, which suggests he believed it to be true.

William of Newburgh, a Yorkshire-based historian who wrote in the 1190s, also included the tale in his Historia rerum Anglicarum.

He expressed some doubt but still thought it important enough to include. 

Both chroniclers included slightly different versions of the tale, which has led to debate over which parts might be original and which may have been later additions.

Ralph included more detail about the beans the children ate and the girl’s later life, while William focused more on the strange green colour and the mysterious origins.

Neither author provided an exact date for the incident, which has made checking the story through other records more difficult.

No parish records or legal documents mention the children directly, so the entire account rests on these two sources.

Later writers, such as Thomas Keightley in his 1828 work The Fairy Mythology, revived interest in the story and further blurred the line between historical report and folk story tradition. 

The tale of the Green Children of Woolpit continues to be one of the most unusual and talked-about puzzles in medieval English history.

It contains features typical of folk stories, such as supernatural settings and moral lessons about kindness and curiosity combined with unexplained appearances.

Yet, the specific names, locations, and personal details suggest that the story may be based on real events, misunderstood or stretched over time.

It is possible that the children were orphans of displaced migrants who suffered from illness and confusion and whose strange story grew into legend. 

Whether fact or folklore, the story shows how people in medieval England saw outsiders and the differences that made them unfamiliar.

The villagers of Woolpit reacted with suspicion and wonder, but they still chose to care for the children and tried to understand them.

That the girl was eventually accepted into society and married into the local community suggests they were accepted.

Today, the legend is still remembered in Woolpit, where signs and local heritage trails reference the tale, which ensures that the mystery continues to interest those who are curious about the unclear difference between history and myth.