BARGUEST
Folklore of England
Evil Spirit
A bogie or fiend known also as BARGHEST and BOGUEST in the northern English counties of Northumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire. It is possibly derived from the German Bahrgeis, meaning SPIRIT of the Bier. The BARGUEST is variously described as having the shape of a black dog the size of a Mastiff, with horns, fangs, and fiery eyes, or of a large shaggy-haired dog or even a bear, with huge claws and eyes like glowing coals. Sometimes it drags a chain; sometimes it is wrapped in chains. At other times it has been described as a headless man, a headless woman, a white rabbit, cat or dog that disappears in flames. The Barguest is a fiend attached to a particular locality and is known as a portent of disaster or death for those who see it, or one of their family. If anyone tries to approach it or pass in front of it, then it is said to inflict a terrible wound on the person that never heals. Around the area of Leeds in Yorkshire, a Barguest would appear and set all other dogs in the city howling when anyone of importance would die.
Source: Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins Encyclopedia