Yorkshire is famous for its paranormal happenings, so if spooky tales are your thing, this will be right up your street.
Rich with history, it comes as no surprise that Yorkshire is famous for its links with the supernatural world. From the headless ghost who haunts Scarborough Castle to the monk who wanders the ruins of Bolton Abbey, these are Yorkshire’s spookiest ghost stories that will have you on the edge of your seat. Are you brave enough to read on?
The Grey Lady
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A stunning National Trust property, the 17th century East Riddlesden Hall stands proud in Keighley. Aside from its obvious beauty, it’s also claimed that many a ghost roams its corridors, from ghoulish children to spirit animals. The most frequent visitor of all, though, is The Grey Lady.
Perhaps one of Yorkshire’s most famous ghost stories, it’s said that The Grey Lady was the wife to the lord of the manor, who one day returned home to find out she was having an affair. In a fit of rage, he murdered her lover and sealed The Grey Lady behind a brick wall.
Legend has it that she still roams the corridors to this day looking for her lost love. In the chamber, now referred to as The Grey Lady’s chamber, apparitions have been seen of a woman by the window and in the rocking chair.
Visit the ghost: East Riddlesden Hall, Bradford Road, Riddlesden, Keighley, BD20 5EL – find it on Google Maps.
The Lost Drummer Boy
The small village of Richmond has one of Yorkshire’s most tragic ghost stories. In the 18th century, a rumour grew that there was a tunnel stretching from Richmond Castle to Easby Abbey. A possible security breach, the hunt was on for the passage – but it was too big for a grown soldier to fit into.
And so the boy, who was the perfect size for the narrow passageway, was to drum as he proceeded along the tunnel with the soldiers following above ground. The plan was a seeming success, until the drumming stopped at Easby Woods. Unsettled by the silence, the soldiers abandoned the boy and decided to never explore the tunnel again.
The question of whether the roof collapsed on him or if he was devoured by a beast is still debated to this day – the story goes, though, that if you listen closely, you can still hear him drumming.
Visit the ghost: Easby Abbey, Richmond, DL10 7EU – find it on Google Maps.
The Headless Ghost of Piers Gaveston
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Overlooking the North Sea, the awe-inspiring Scarborough Castle dates back to the 12th century – but did you know that it also remains home to a headless spectre? The story goes that it’s the ghost of Piers Galveston, Earl of Cornwall, whose spirit has haunted the grounds for over 700 years.
Under the threat of Civil War, Piers and his close friend Edward II sought refuge within the walls of Scarborough Castle, only to be quickly captured. Sentenced to death, he was swiftly beheaded in Warwickshire in June 1312.
Interestingly, despite his execution taking place nearly 200 miles away, it’s said that Piers still lingers in the Scarborough Castle area. Allegedly, his headless ghost lures tourists up to the battlements – occasionally he lunges at them, hoping one of them will fall to their death.
Visit the ghost: Scarborough Castle, Castle Road, Scarborough, YO11 1HY – find it on Google Maps.
The Headless Drunk
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One of Yorkshire’s more gruesome ghost stories is the tale of Bert Marshall, who haunts the railway track atop Robin Hood’s Bay on moonless nights. Legend has it, his ghost clutches a pair of dentures – the very ones he stole from a corpse to replace his teeth.
As it’s told, every Friday night Bert would wander down the railway line towards his favourite pub. On this particular dark and stormy night, however, something knocked him over and knocked out his dentures. Tragically, he toppled over and landed on the railway line.
As he lay unconscious, Bert was decapitated by an oncoming train, and his head was never recovered. His headless ghost is said to still be seen on moonless nights, wandering along the train tracks searching for his head.
Visit the ghost: Old Coastguards Station, The Dock, Robin Hood’s Bay, Whitby, YO22 4SJ – find it on Google Maps.
The Half Ghost of Spofforth Castle
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Dating back to the Norman Conquest, Spofforth Castle was home to the Percy family, one of the most important families to live in northern England during that time. Nowadays, however, the only inhabitant remaining is the resident ghost, who first made themselves known in the 1960s.
It’s been said that a group of picnickers were startled by a female entity of a bluish white hue that appeared on top of the tower – only for her to hurtle towards the ground, disappearing upon impact.
A group of schoolchildren experienced the same thing a few years later, and their horror increased tenfold when they realised the bottom half of her body was missing. Who this woman is, or why she felt the need to kill herself, is still unknown to this day.
Visit the ghost: Spofforth Castle, Castle Street, Spofforth, Harrogate, HG3 1ND – find it on Google Maps.
The Screaming Skull
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When Sir Henry Griffith built Burton Agnes Hall in 1598, he had no idea that its legacy would become tainted with one of Yorkshire’s most famed ghost stories, The Screaming Skull. The spirit of Henry’s daughter Anne Griffiths, the ghost has troubled the building for over 400 years.
The story goes that Anne was attacked and killed by ruffians in 1620. Before she died, she claimed her soul would never rest unless a part of her could remain in the house she was so enamoured by. Upon her death, she was buried in the churchyard, and so her ghost returned to haunt her family.
Traumatised, they opened her grave to bring her skull inside the house – various attempts have been made to get rid of the skull, only causing her spirit to make tremendous noise and upheaval.
Visit the ghost: Burton Agnes Hall, Rudston Road, Burton Agnes, Driffield, YO25 4NB – find it on Google Maps.
The Blue Lady
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The tale of The Blue Lady who roams Temple Newsam is one of the best-known ghost stories in Yorkshire. The sobbing spirit is said to be 14-year-old Mary Ingham, daughter of Arthur Ingham, who rebuilt Temple Newsam House in the 17th century.
Mary’s prized possession were her pearls, given to her by her grandfather on the day of her christening. One day, Mary was travelling home from a party, only to be ambushed by highwaymen who stole her necklace. Traumatised, she collapsed and awoke the next day with no memory of the theft, instead convinced she’d simply lost her pearls.
She searched the house and refused to eat until she eventually starved to death. Since then, there have been sightings of The Blue Lady, still in search of her lost pearls.
Visit the ghost: Temple Newsam, Temple Newsam Road, Leeds, LS15 0AE – find it on Google Maps.
Roaming Wraith
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The saddest Yorkshire ghost story of all goes to the tale of Marmaduke Buckle, whose wandering spectre can be found in the Snickleway Inn and La Piazza on Goodramgate in York. Living with a severe disability in the 18th century meant Marmaduke was hounded by accusations of witchcraft.
Beaten down and defeated, Marmaduke found himself unable to carry on with his life as an object of scorn. He carved his birth date, 1697, and his death date, 1715, into a beam before hanging himself at just 18 years old. You can still see the carvings to this day, but that’s not the only part of Marmaduke to remain on Goodramgate.
It’s said his ghost still haunts the building to this day, whether it be slamming doors or flicking light switches – he’s even thought to have attempted to push someone down the stairs.
Visit the ghost: The Snickleway Inn, 47 Goodramgate, York, YO1 7LS – find it on Google Maps.
Constance De Beverley
As well as being the inspiration and location of Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel, the town of Whitby is home to many ghostly apparitions, but this tale takes us to the famous cliff-top abbey, eternal home of Constance de Beverley. Although the exact dates are unknown, she was thought to be a nun at the abbey before making the fatal mistake of falling in love.
That’s right, Constance developed feelings for Marmion, a handsome and heroic knight. To the outrage of her fellow nuns, it transpired that she broke her vows of chastity, which meant that they had to teach her a lesson.
According to legend, they bricked her up alive, with poor Constance begging to be freed – until one day, the screaming stopped. Since then, there have been numerous sightings of her ghost wandering the ruins of Whitby Abbey, haunting the buildings in which her sister-nuns lived.
Visit the ghost: Whitby Abbey, Abbey Lane, Whitby, YO22 4JT – find it on Google Maps.
The Grassington Ghost
Although it’s a quiet, quaint village, one of Yorkshire’s most gruesome ghost stories comes straight out of Grassington in the Dales. The unlikely location of a grisly murder in the 18th century, the heinous crime supposedly still haunts the area to this very day.
Back in 1766, local blacksmith Tom Lee shot and killed Dr Richard Petty after a cock fight where the doctor won a substantial amount of money. In a hurry, Lee ran away, only to be arrested two years later and subsequently hanged.
It’s been said that his body was left suspended at Grass Wood until it decomposed and the bones fell to the ground. Because of this, Lee’s ghost is said to roam Grass Wood to this very day. If you ever visit, keep an eye out for Lee’s blacksmith workshop, today marked by a plaque in the village.
Visit the ghost: Grass Wood Lane, Grassington, Skipton, BD23 5FA – find it on Google Maps.
The Ghostly Monk of Bolton Abbey
One of the only surviving examples of an Augustinian monastery in the country, Bolton Abbey has crumbled to the spectacular ruins we know today – but were you aware that the existing structures are haunted by the ghost of a monk?
Better known as the Black Canon, the monk was said to have died shortly after the Dissolution of Monasteries by Henry VIII and his soul has never been able to rest. He’s been described as a man in his late sixties, with a heavily lined and wrinkled face, wearing a black cassock and a dark cloak.
Over the years, various people have reported the sounds of his sandalled feet tip-toeing around the ruins, and they’ve even reported the smell of his incense in the summer.
Visit the ghost: Bolton Abbey, Skipton, BD23 6EX – find it on Google Maps.
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