The beautiful county of Yorkshire is a melting pot of many different cultures throughout history, as well as a brilliant combination of the old and new. Ancient buildings provide places for modern businesses like this web design Yorkshire company Etempa to operate, and the many historical people who have influenced this part of the country at various times, from the Romans to the Vikings can still be felt all over the county.
It is then, little wonder that Yorkshire is one of the most haunted parts of the UK – here are just three spooky stories from this fascinating historic county…
At Scarborough castle, one of the areas most loved and photographed landmarks it is said that a headless ghost can be seen. The castle is 3000 years old, so it is of course a place that has seen many historical events happening, including many tragedies. Piers Gaveston is the most famous ghost of this castle, who despite being executed by beheading many miles south of the castle, has returned to it in spirit. He spent time at the castle when the civil war broke out, and was captured, taken to London and then beheaded in Warwick. One of the most disturbing stories of this particular ghost is that he is said to jump out at unsuspecting visitors from the castle in an attempt to make them jump and fall to their death below!
A small Yorkshire village like many others, Richmond has a strange story that sets it apart. The story goes that in the late 1700s, a group of soldiers at Richmond castle found a tunnel, which they thought might lead them directly to the abbey. However, the tunnels were small and filled with rubble and none of the soldiers could fit, so they sent a small boy in there with a drum which they would then be able to hear above ground and follow the route. However, when they got to the woods the sound of the drumming stopped. The soldiers fled, believing the boy to have been killed by falling rubble, and it is said that to this day, the sounds of the boys’ drums can be heard in the area, and some have reported seeing his ghost.
In the centre of York there are many old buildings, but one in particular is part of a particularly sad tale. It is that of a young lad called Marmaduke Buckle who lived here in the 1600s. Sadly, not only was he physically handicapped, but he also was accused of witchcraft due to his deformities, so he hid away in his home. At the age of just eighteen, he couldn’t cope with his isolation anymore, and after carving his name and date of birth on a beam in the house he hanged himself. Today, his ghost still haunts the building and doors are said to slam with no wind, and lights turn on and off by themselves.
