Britain’s first aliens? Mystery of the Children of Woolpit who were discovered in the 12th century, had GREEN skin, spoke an unknown language and ate nothing but raw beans

THE legend of the Children of Woolpit concerns two siblings with green-tinged skin who mysteriously appeared in Suffolk in the early 12th century.

Stunned villagers allegedly discovered the youngsters standing on the edge of a field. Their clothes were made from unfamiliar materials and their language was undecipherable.

The children, whose names have not been recorded, appeared to be starving but would not eat any food presented to them.

They were taken to Woolpit – named after the devices used to trap wolves – where they were eventually accepted into the home of local landowner, Sir Richard de Caine.

Kind-hearted villagers brought them raw broad beans, which they devoured. The children survived only on beans for many months until they acquired a taste for bread.

The boy became sick and died, while the girl remained in good health. Carers considered her to be “rather loose and wanton in her conduct”.

Over time she lost her green skin and learned how to speak English.

Two writers, Ralph of Coggeshall and William of Newburgh, reported on the sudden and unexplained arrival in the village.

Relaying the story of her puzzling origins, the girl said she and her brother came from the ‘Land of Saint Martin’. She claimed there was no sun and all of the inhabitants were green like them.

She and her brother were looking after their father’s flock one day when they came across a cave.

They entered the cave and wandered through darkness until they came out the other side and were found by the villagers.

Over the centuries, many theories have been put forward to explain this strange account.

In regards to their green skin, some experts believe the children were suffering from Hypochromic Anaemia, which is caused by a very poor diet and results in a noticeably green shade of the skin.

Others believe they were the lost children of Flemish immigrants who settled in a nearby place known as Fornham St. Martin, which was separated from Woolpit by the River Lark.

But other commentators have suggested a more ‘other-worldly’ origin for the children.

Robert Burton suggested in his 1621 book ‘The Anatomy of Melancholy’ that the green children “fell from Heaven”, leading others to speculate that the children may have been aliens.

Meanwhile, astronomer Duncan Lunan hypothesised in 1996 that the children were accidentally transported to Woolpit from their home planet, which may be trapped in synchronous orbit around its sun.