John Sage is most famous for being the Castle Torturer of Chillingham Castle circa 1200 AD. Sage, a minor celebrity of his time, was formerly a soldier of King Edward 'Longshanks' and was said to have succeeded in reaching the rank of Lieutenant before being injured by a spear to his leg. Subsequently, he earned the nickname 'Dragfoot' and was awarded the infamous torturer position for which he became known. Chillingham Castle is a privately owned medieval castle in the village of Chillingham, Northumberland, close to the border between England and Scotland. ... Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), popularly known as Longshanks[1], also as Edward the Lawgiver or the English Justinian because of his legal reforms, and as Hammer of the Scots,[2] achieved fame as the monarch who conquered Wales and tried to do the same to Scotland. ... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ...

Notable Facts

Sage worked for Longshanks as the castle's torturer for three years, within which he was rumored to torture upwards of 50 people a week. His favorite torture device was said to be the cage, inside which he would enclose a victim and place over a fire. Other torture methods included boiling alive, the iron maiden and the use of an oubliette. Various torture instruments. ... An oubliette was a form of dungeon which was accessible only from a hatch in a high ceiling. ...

In the torture room, which still exists today, fully equipped, there is also a torture rack. It was upon this rack (This is not true) that Sage strangled his girlfriend, Elizabeth Charlton, during sex in order to heighten her sexual pleasure, which consequently killed her. The father of Elizabeth was a Border Reiver, one of many clan leaders and local outlaws, who threatened Edward Longshanks with an allied attack with the Scots against the castle if Sage was not put to death. There are no records of this at all. If one of the Charlton family was killed in suck a way then a record would be very easy to find. A torture rack in the Tower of London The rack is a term for certain physical punishment devices. ... See also Border Reivers (Rugby) and Border Reivers (game); or Reavers for other varieties of brigand. ...

Due to the tense political climate of the time, the Scots would be strong when rallied with the Reivers, and coupled with the fact that Longshanks had little money after fighting the Scottish, he called for Sage to be hanged.

The torture chamber in the castle is not the original torture chamber (the location is elsewhere in the castle) and the equipment and weaponry such as the axe that killed the children (an unproven unlikely event) are also nothing to do with the original castle.

The most important fact to recognise about Sage is that he did not exist. He is a fictional character from the mind of late night radio dj and author Alan Robson

Death

He was hanged from a tree along the Devil's Mile (also known as the Devil's Walk) within the grounds of Chillingham Castle in front of a large crowd. As was common at public hangings, the crowd cut off souvenirs from Sage's body, including his toes, fingers, testicles, and nose, as he died. Chillingham Castle is a privately owned medieval castle in the village of Chillingham, Northumberland, close to the border between England and Scotland. ...

According to American television show 'Scariest Places on Earth': "his body was dismembered and buried at a crossroad so his ghost wouldn't know the way to heaven, and would therefore choose the road to hell." Scariest Places On Earth is a United States/American paranormal television show produced by Triage Entertainment for Fox Family Channel, and now ABC Family, which now owns the rights to the show. ...

External links and Sources

Further Chillingham/Sage Information

Morbid Fact Du Jour

Portrait of John Sage