Varney the Vampire

Varney the Vampire or The Feast of Blood was a mid-Victorian gothic horror story by Thomas Preskett Prest, first published in 1847.

The story is set in the reign of King George II, and concerns the persecution of the Bannesworth family by Sir Francis Varney, a vampire. Varney is presented sympathetically, a victim of circumstances. He tries to save himself but is unable and ultimately commits suicide by throwing himself into Mount Vesuvius.