One day around 1204, some Orford fishermen caught something unusually heavy in their nets. As they pulled and pulled on the nets in an attempt to get them back on board their boats, and saw what they thought was a large creature tangled up with the rest of their catch. They were extremely surprised when they finally managed to get their catch aboard because there, in the bottom of their boat was a man staring angrily at them. He was described as being naked but with a hairy body; having a long straggly beard and the top of his head being completely bald. Attempts to speak to him failed so the fishermen restrained him and took him back to the town. The ‘merman’ was taken to Orford castle where the castle custodian, Bartholomew de Gladville, kept him prisoner. He and the jailers tried time and time again to question this ‘merman’ but the creature only uttered grunts and strange noises. They noted that when he was fed raw fish he would squeeze the water out of them into his hands and then drink it. Bartholomew de Gladville became frustrated at the creature’s silence and he had the merman tortured by hanging him upside down by his ankles. Despite this ill treatment the merman still did not (or could not?) talk and eventually his jailers gave up. Bartholomew de Gladville then took him to the nearby church but it was obvious that the creature had never seen a church service before either. One day sometime after he was first captured, the merman was taken down to the harbor. Nets had been strung across the entrance and he was set free so that he could enjoy a swim but without escaping. He made straight for the nets and easily escaped under them and headed out to sea, leaping out of the water with joy. Although he spent a little time that day in sight of the harbor, he was never seen again.
Source: 'Humanoid Encounters' by Albert Rosales & http://www.visit-orford.co.uk/articles/the-merman-of-orford
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