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The Tomb of Sarah: A Classic Vampire Story
"The Tomb of Sarah" gained acclaim as a classic vampire story after it appeared in the Pall Mall magazine in December 1910. It tells what happens when the tomb of the evil Countess Sarah, murdered in 1630, is disturbed during the restoration of a church. Along with Hume Nisbet's "The Vampire Maid" and E. F. Benson's "Mrs. Amworth," it is among the foremost early 20th-century stories to feature a female vampire. Frederick George Loring (1869-1951) was an English naval officer, wireless expert, and writer.
24 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1910
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About the author
F.G. Loring
26 books3 followersFrederick George Loring (1869–1951) was an English naval officer and writer, and an early expert in wireless telegraphy.
Loring's writing abilities appeared first as a technical journalist and as naval correspondent for the Western Morning News.
Loring also wrote poetry and short stories, of which "The Tomb of Sarah" gained acclaim as a classic vampire story after it appeared in volume XXII of Pall Mall Magazine in 1900. It tells what happens when the tomb of the evil Countess Sarah, murdered in 1630, is disturbed during the restoration of a church. Along with Hume Nisbet's "The Vampire Maid" and E. F. Benson's "Mrs. Amworth", it is among the foremost early 20th-century stories to feature a female vampire.
The story soon began to be anthologized. Later it was included in the 1939 Everyman Ghost Stories, the 1977 Citadel Press Dracula Book of Great Vampire Stories, and the Oxford University Press anthologies Victorian Ghost Stories (1991) and The Young Oxford Book of Supernatural Stories (1997). Ray Danton's 1972 film Crypt of the Living Dead was an uncredited adaptation of this.
Loring's writing abilities appeared first as a technical journalist and as naval correspondent for the Western Morning News.
Loring also wrote poetry and short stories, of which "The Tomb of Sarah" gained acclaim as a classic vampire story after it appeared in volume XXII of Pall Mall Magazine in 1900. It tells what happens when the tomb of the evil Countess Sarah, murdered in 1630, is disturbed during the restoration of a church. Along with Hume Nisbet's "The Vampire Maid" and E. F. Benson's "Mrs. Amworth", it is among the foremost early 20th-century stories to feature a female vampire.
The story soon began to be anthologized. Later it was included in the 1939 Everyman Ghost Stories, the 1977 Citadel Press Dracula Book of Great Vampire Stories, and the Oxford University Press anthologies Victorian Ghost Stories (1991) and The Young Oxford Book of Supernatural Stories (1997). Ray Danton's 1972 film Crypt of the Living Dead was an uncredited adaptation of this.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 11, 2022
Short and sweet novella, a traditional vampire story in the classic lit style.
October 12, 2016
The Tomb of Sarah 1910 by F. G. Loring 1869–1951
In 1910, F. G. Loring wrote the horror classic "A Tomb For Sarah" appearing in the Pall Mall Magazine, December 1910. This tale for Christmas, is written in the form of diary entries, written by the man who is in charge of renovating a church. One of the changes he is to execute is moving a tomb that has sunk into the ground. This tomb bears this inscription:
SARAH 1630
FOR THE SAKE OF THE DEAD AND THE
WELFARE OF THE LIVING, LET THIS
SEPULCHRE REMAIN UNTOUCHED AND
ITS OCCUPANT UNDISTURBED TILL THE
COMING OF CHRIST.
There is a legend in the neighbourhood that it is the tomb of the last of the Kenyons, the evil Countess Sarah, who was murdered in 1630. She lived alone in the old castle, whose ruins still stand three miles away on the road to Bristol. Her reputation was an evil one even for those days.She was a witch or were-woman, the only companion she had was a familiar in the shape of a huge Asiatic wolf. It was said that this creature would take children, or sometimes, sheep and other small animals, and convey them to the castle, where the Countess used to suck their blood, It was supposed that she could never be killed.
When the builders open the tomb they find a shriveled old woman, not a skeleton, with a rope around her throat, the same rope that she was hanged with for witchcraft in 1630. From here the story follows the architect and a local priest as they attempt to drive the vampire back into her tomb and be rid of her forever.
This is a classic and anyone interested in this genre should give this short story a read.
In 1910, F. G. Loring wrote the horror classic "A Tomb For Sarah" appearing in the Pall Mall Magazine, December 1910. This tale for Christmas, is written in the form of diary entries, written by the man who is in charge of renovating a church. One of the changes he is to execute is moving a tomb that has sunk into the ground. This tomb bears this inscription:
SARAH 1630
FOR THE SAKE OF THE DEAD AND THE
WELFARE OF THE LIVING, LET THIS
SEPULCHRE REMAIN UNTOUCHED AND
ITS OCCUPANT UNDISTURBED TILL THE
COMING OF CHRIST.
There is a legend in the neighbourhood that it is the tomb of the last of the Kenyons, the evil Countess Sarah, who was murdered in 1630. She lived alone in the old castle, whose ruins still stand three miles away on the road to Bristol. Her reputation was an evil one even for those days.She was a witch or were-woman, the only companion she had was a familiar in the shape of a huge Asiatic wolf. It was said that this creature would take children, or sometimes, sheep and other small animals, and convey them to the castle, where the Countess used to suck their blood, It was supposed that she could never be killed.
When the builders open the tomb they find a shriveled old woman, not a skeleton, with a rope around her throat, the same rope that she was hanged with for witchcraft in 1630. From here the story follows the architect and a local priest as they attempt to drive the vampire back into her tomb and be rid of her forever.
This is a classic and anyone interested in this genre should give this short story a read.
October 14, 2023
Read this out loud for Friday the 13th. Love to see them vanquishing the evil vampire countess through the powers of God and homosexuality lmao
December 23, 2022
This was honestly probably just a 4-star read, but I'm giving it five because I enjoyed it so. A horrific depiction of a vampire, a gripping tale of hunter and prey, and a disturbing tone, of course. This story reminded me a great deal of Bram Stoker's Dracula: both are told in diary format, both describe some men working together to hunt a vampire, and both treat of disturbing subject matter. This story lacks the characters' nuance that Stoker portrayed so well, but this short tale is also nowhere near as long. For what it is—a quick read about a vampire who wakes from death to prey on children—this story is excellent. Fans of Dracula will likely enjoy this shorter tale that follows in the same line. Recommended for fans of horror and vampire stories.
June 6, 2021
Look, dude, if there is a warning that dire on the wall, don't open the tomb!
This one didn't work for me. I think it was that he spent a lot of time talking about dire warnings, seeing the evil spirit emerge, hearing the eerie howl of the wolf... and then deciding that he'd do something maybe tomorrow. And the next day, the same thing.
It made no sense to wait for her to be fully restored before they break out the garlic and the flowers, you know?
Pity, as she sounded pretty awesome with her dire wolf companion.
[that, too was confusing. She was hung as a witch in 1630 but then acted like a vampire. And the wolf brought bodies of sheep to her castle for her to feed on, but then in her grave she can turn into a wolf and go get her own. And she feeds on sheep and people.]
It amuses me that these truly awful people are always aristocrats and well to do families; vampirism is clearly a privilege. No peasant vampires?
2 stars
This one didn't work for me. I think it was that he spent a lot of time talking about dire warnings, seeing the evil spirit emerge, hearing the eerie howl of the wolf... and then deciding that he'd do something maybe tomorrow. And the next day, the same thing.
It made no sense to wait for her to be fully restored before they break out the garlic and the flowers, you know?
Pity, as she sounded pretty awesome with her dire wolf companion.
[that, too was confusing. She was hung as a witch in 1630 but then acted like a vampire. And the wolf brought bodies of sheep to her castle for her to feed on, but then in her grave she can turn into a wolf and go get her own. And she feeds on sheep and people.]
It amuses me that these truly awful people are always aristocrats and well to do families; vampirism is clearly a privilege. No peasant vampires?
2 stars
December 10, 2022
Sarah’s tomb is disturbed when renovations to a church requires it to be moved. In life, she was an evil Countess, and now, she is a vampire, seeking sustenance. It’s quite the horrific story, as the author describes her nightly escapades, the animals and children she has killed, her ghastly appearance, and what now must be done to subdue her and end her existence on earth. It’s somewhat unusual to have a female vampire at the time this was written, and that makes the tale all the more interesting.
September 9, 2023
I thought this story was dreadfully boring, and I’m not usually bored by literature from this era, especially not vampire stories. In its favor, the vampire lore was very detailed. But I thought the characters were flat, and the story had an annoying habit of reassuring the readers that everything turned out ok before telling us what happened. Instead of this one read Ken’s Mystery, The Death of Halpin Frayser, or my favorite, Carmilla.
September 19, 2020
This classic vampire tale is a bit of a ho-hum. It doesn't really bring a lot to the genre. During the restoration of a church a warning is found not to disturb the remains, but the rotting floor requires repair. The rest is rather standard stuff. First published in Pall Mall Magazine in 1900.
March 19, 2025
I admit, I really don’t see why this has been considered a particularly classic vampire tale. It really lacks any of the originality for the period, not to mention the humour and characterisation of Dracula, or the viscerality of Carmilla, let alone the well-drawn and well-told Benson tales.
October 5, 2020
A classic English vampire story. Even being buried inside a church does not prevent the evil Countess Sarah from getting out of her tomb and causing mischief!
February 9, 2021
Amazing and fabulous story!
June 29, 2021
A first-rate gothic tale.
October 6, 2023
Nice, quick easy read. Vampires are always fun!
November 9, 2023
The classic vampire story, the foundation for many hammer horror stories. Very simple but cinematic.
August 25, 2024
Very straightforward; we did a thing we weren't supposed to, so now we have to deal with the consequences. Some classic vampire tropes in a diary style horror story.
July 23, 2021
The quintessential vampire story.
June 17, 2025
Entertaining classic vampire story.
On latest re-reading/listening: I come back to this one regularly. Quite well done.
On latest re-reading/listening: I come back to this one regularly. Quite well done.
April 27, 2024
Vampirism is simply the result of a bite from an avid brat. Grow up!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews