In Sussex folklore, what dragon was said to live in a pond near Lyminster?

In Sussex folklore, the dragon said to live in a pond near Lyminster was the Knucker Dragon.

The creature is associated with Knucker holes, deep ponds found in parts of Sussex. The best-known story places a dragon at Lyminster, near what is now called Knuckerhole. Local tradition says the monster terrorized the area until a man named Jim Puttock devised a plan to poison it.

In one version, Puttock covered himself in poison and allowed the dragon to eat him, killing the creature. Another version connects the dragon’s defeat with a poisoned pie or other bait. These variations are typical of oral folklore, so details differ between retellings.

“Knucker” is a regional term rather than the name of one universal European dragon species. The legend is also distinct from stories of the Lambton Worm and Saint George.