Monkey Hanger – H’Angus Is A Hartlepool Mascot Legend
H’Angus the monkey is a North East England folklore legend and the extremely unlikely mascot of the Hartlepool United Football Club (soccer).
The H’Angus Legend – During the Napoleonic wars, a French ship was wrecked near Hartlepool. The sole survivor, a monkey, was found wearing a French military uniform and had likely provided entertainment for the crew. After finding the monkey and believing it to be a spy some local residents held a trial on the beach to decide what to do with it. The monkey couldn’t answer the questions and so it was found to be a French spy. The monkey was then reportedly hanged by Hartlepudlians, a fitting end to spies during those times. Bizarre!
Monkey Hanger may sound like a harsh nickname but it’s grown to become a term of endearment to many Old Hartlepool soccer fans (and foes) despite the unsavory origins of the monkey hanger legend. Is the legend Real or Fantasy?