Wolverhampton

[BIAD]

I would think, in the 1850s, even townsmen had some feel for what kinds of animal spoor could be found in winter.  As @"Ninurta" mentioned, some of the 'explanations' offered seem absurd.

The claim of the quarrymen that they had seen similar tracks pressed into stone is of note.  But the Wolverhampton tracks at the pub may have been nothing more than people who were tired of alcoholics in their village.

I've only browsed the "academic" link.  There is a lot to read in that document.

I've no doubt the press of the era played this up.  The various incidents may be linked ... or not.

Cheers

I have to agree that the entire situation is so outlandish that at first glance, should've been dismissed by a serious
news-outlet. But it wasn't and whatever spin may have been added, whatever duplication from other regions may
have taken place, the small communities around the River Exe and its estuary saw something that their everyday
lives couldn't account for.

Now in regards of what they assumed made the tracks, then that's different.
Strict Christian dogma still resided in the out-of-the-way places in Britain and its simple binary aspect could always
assure that something deemed good was the work of God and anything confusing, came from the Devil.

Dawlish, one of the towns in the hoof-print legend, had another tale called 'The Parson and Clerk' that again, involved
religion. I'd guess there's more!

But regardless of who or what made the tracks, the fact was that something unusual and confusing happened and the
villages involved couldn't provide an answer.