National Trust: Treasurer’s House, Minster Yard

Nestling in the shadows of the gothic York Minster on Chapterhouse Street, this elegant and beautiful house was the former residence of the Treasurers of York Minster – a post second in status, power and wealth only to that of the Dean.

If you like to live dangerously it’s also possible to take tours of the cellar where the full story is revealed.

The Treasurer’s house reflected the affluence of the post of Treasurer, who was responsible for managing the Minster and had to entertain and accommodate many important guests, and continued in their successive hands until the Reformation in 1547: this put paid to the riches of the Church after much of its wealth was confiscated by Henry Vlll; the house continued to be used by two post Reformation archbishops before being bought by the Youngs, a powerful and affluent family who rebuilt the main part of the house in the 16th and 17th centuries including the current facade.

An ulterior motive was also to provide a suitable backdrop for his collection of antiques, paintings and ornaments.

This led him to refurbish all thirteen rooms in various architectural styles from differing periods in time: his main project took place in the hall which he was determined to recreate in the style of a medieval Great Hall, despite the fact that it had never actually been one; Green took out a room above to double the ceiling height and had the fireplace raised up to what he believed was the original floor level, with the result that it now sits at least a foot above the present storey.  

Notoriously fussy and meticulous, Frank Green was also a bit of a dapper dresser and had his clothes sent from York to London to be cleaned. He also left out instructions for builders which can still be seen today, including a directive for them to wear slippers indoors. Always one to keep a tight check on things, Frank used to wander around the house at night to vet the work and used metal floor studs to indicate the exact position he wanted furniture to be.

Whatever the visitor may think to the hotchpotch of decorative styles inside the house, Frank Green’s ‘improvements’ have become a part of its history. It is certainly true that he was well before his time in his penchant for antiques, as at that time they were looked on simply as being old and were certainly not the valuable and collectible items that they are today.  

Frank Green retired in 1930 and left his house and collection of antiques to the National Trust, making it the very first dwelling to be bequeathed in this manner.

In the 1960s and 70s much of Frank’s efforts were painted over in neutral colours, but after the original paintwork was revealed in the 1990s it was decided to recreate the colours in his inimitable style, and the rooms were restored to their original state – probably a good job since Frank had previously threatened to return to haunt the house if any of the furniture was moved after his death!

Tours and Facilities at Treasurer’s House:

Admission and Opening Times:

 
Admission prices vary per tour as well as access to the house or cellar and so on. 

How To Find Treasurer’s House York:

A Short History of Barley Hall

The oldest parts of Barley Hall date back to 1360, when it was constructed as a townhouse for the Augustinian Priory of St Oswald at Nostell near Wakefield, so that priors could attend important ceremonies and services.

When the Priory fell on hard times, the canons were forced to make money by renting out properties.

A new wing was added to the house in 1430, and it subsequently passed into the ownership of William Snawsell, who was a goldsmith to the Minster canons and owned considerable property in the surrounding area. You can view William’s workshop in The Gallery of the townhouse where at least three craftsmen, known as journeymen because they were paid by the day, would have been employed. On three year apprenticeships, most of their trade would have been in silver or silver gilt.

As you wander around Barley Hall, there is a sense of history coming to life starting from the moment you stumble across the structure: accessed from Stonegate at the point where the cast iron Red Devil sits, just before you come across the banner for the Olde Starre Inn, you enter a snickleway into Coffee Yard; as the building is dissected by this thoroughfare, a large pane of glass has been placed at the end of the Great Hall so that you are suddenly transported from the dark alleyway through a looking glass, as it were, into the heart of medieval life.

Inside you will discover the room, dating from 1430, where meals took place as the family sat at the raised high table at the end flanked by the common people at either side and feasted on banquets of such delicacies as beef and herb pottage, brawn in mustard sauce, thrushes in salt and cinnamon or curlew in a sauce of salt, sugar and river water, washed down with sweet wine or spiced hippocras (wine) and figs with cheese. Fine linen wall hangings adorn the hall made using natural dyes and woad and there is a smoke hole above the fireplace.

Elsewhere the house contains fascinating glimpses of the past – in the Store Room, now the admissions area and shop, which also served as a sleeping place for servants, the timber dates back to 1360. It is still possible to see the original carpenter’s mark in the main beam where it joins the wall – four straight lines and a diagonal etched into the surface – a coded instruction to builders to place the timber in the fourth main bay from the east on the north side of the building.

All furniture and utensils have been authentically recreated with reproduction pieces based on items seen in Flemish paintings, owing to the fact that many medieval dwellings contained objects connected to the Low Countries, and include brass chandeliers, metal trenchers and 20 different types of pottery based on originals found around York featuring purple Humberware and local Hambleton Greenware.

In The Gallery added to the back of Barley Hall during the late 1500s, there is a window made of horn strips: this was commonly used in medieval times, as horn was cheaper than glass and involved soaking cows’ horns in water, cutting and rolling them into strips; only the semi transparent central section of the horn could be used.

Alderman Snawsell retired in 1492 and died at the grand old age of 80 when Barley Hall began its decline and was divided into smaller and smaller units.
Although the York Archaeological Society has successfully completed the restoration work, the building is still one of York’s lesser known assets and additional revenue is required to complete its furnishing.

Supported by a number of enthusiastic volunteers and societies, Barley Hall has become an important part of York’s heritage and is set to be one of the city’s major tourist attractions.


Opening Times:
Open throughout the year from 4 days to all week during school holidays.
From 10.00am till 4.00pm or 5.00pm
Last admission an hour before closing.

Address:
Barley Hall
2 Coffee Yard
Off Stonegate
York
YO1 8AR

Tel: 01904 610275 
Barley Hall Website

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Bedern Hall of York: A History

A fine example of a 13th century hall, Bedern Hall has a fascinating history since its original inception as a refectory in the College of Vicars Choral, having been over the years a school, a baker’s, butcher’s, slum tenement buildings and latterly since restoration, the venue of weddings, conferences and celebrations.

It lies hidden just south east of York Minster within easy walking distance from the railway station and car parks, and can be approached via an archway opposite the National Trust shop on the corner of Deangate and Goodramgate to the right of the disused Bedern Chapel built in the 1340s.

The present Bedern Hall was probably completed in 1399, being the second building on the site, and was originally part of the College of Vicars Choral – the junior clergy who sang the daily services in York Minster in place of the Canons.

The College was squeezed into the area between Goodramgate, St Andrewgate and Aldward and by 1300 there were 36 Vicars Choral, one for each member of the chapter (the governing body of York Minster). The hall was used as a refectory, or communal dining room from the end of the 14th century up to the mid 17th century and archways can still be seen in part of the building which used to lead to the pantry and buttery. Outside there was once a walled garden with a vineyard and orchard and individual houses for the vicars who often demanded payment for praying for the dead in the form of property.

The fan vaulted roof which was discovered during renovation is similar to designs found in the eastern part of the Minster created by the masons William Hoton and Robert de Patryngton, and medieval tracery still exists in one of the windows on the north east front.

The vicars themselves appear to have been an unruly lot and managed to accumulate a great deal of wealth. By 1400 the vicars rented out some 240 properties and had two mills, two tile works and a brewery. In 1362, reports of them “walking round the streets dressed like laymen and wearing knives and daggers,” appeared in a comperta and in 1408 there was an order made forbidding the service of wine to vicars at or after meals.

After the Reformation in the 16th century when the church in England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, vicars were permitted to get married. This meant that many moved away and their numbers at the College declined. The houses were let to lay people and the tradition of communal dining ended even though the Hall was still used for meetings and feasts for another half century.

During the Civil War, extensive damage was incurred by St Peter’s School – one of the oldest schools in England founded in 627 – and the students were accommodated in Bedern. Later, attempts were made to establish a university there without success. In fact York didn’t acquire its present university until the 1960s.  

As the Hall passed into private ownership it was divided into tenements in the 1790s and populated by Irish immigrants who had fled the Irish potato famine. The whole area became a slum and a “sad spectacle of poverty and wretchedness.”

In the 1870s, the Bedern National School was built on the site and though many of the remaining buildings of the College of Vicars’ Choral were demolished, Bedern Hall survived as a local bakery called Bartons. The bakery occupied the premises up until the 1950s when the Hall was purchased by Wright’s pork butchers and became part of the curing department used for storing hams, bacon sides and curing tanks.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that the area was cited in the Esher report as a site for redevelopment and restoration began in 1979. Every effort was made to retain features and ensure that modern improvements reflected the integrity of the original building. New additions have been made from materials selected to emphasise their modern provenance like softwood and York Stone.

The Bedern Hall Company, formed from members of Guilds including the Company of Cordwainers (workers in leather), the Guild of Freemen (a guild dating from medieval times) and the York Guild of Building (including masons, glaziers, plumbers, carpenters, joiners and carvers), was charged with overseeing the building to ensure that it was put to good use and of value in the community. A modern stained glass window was also commissioned commemorating Guild members.

Nowadays the Hall can be hired for weddings, dining, family occasions, birthday celebrations, christenings, afternoon teas, receptions, promotions and Christmas parties with seasonal menus available. Resident caterers can customise menus to suit individual occasions taking into account factors like season and budget. Ingredients are sourced from small local producers and herbs, garnishes and flowers come from the Hall’s own gardens.

With current sumptuous menus including dishes like Oak Roast Salmon, Pan Fried Fillet Steak with Red Plums, Grilled Goats’ Cheese with Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Walnut Oil Dressing and a Chocolate and Hazelnut Roulade, it’s guaranteed that any dining experience at Bedern Hall will be a truly historic occasion.

Address:
Bedern Hall
Bartle Garth
St Andrewgate
York YO1 7AL

 For further details telephone 01904 653698 or visit www.bedernhall.co.uk

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HAUNTED WALKS OF YORK

The Haunted Walk of York

The Haunted Walk of York starts 8pm at exhibition square in front of the art gallery without “silly theatrics” costing from £2-£4.
 
Probably the oldest family-run ghost tour in the world, it was set up 25 years ago and boasts a family heritage in York spanning ten generations.
 
Spine-chilling tales, murders and mysteries will be revealed as you tiptoe around the haunted streets.
 

The Ghost Trail

For something a bit less strenuous but seriously creepy, try Haunted – a genuine haunted house over located at 35 Stonegate and the venue of TV’s Most Haunted Programme when ghost hunter Derek Acorah had a very close encounter with a spectre on the premises.
 
Restless spirits are still said to wander the rooms. Prices range from £9 for an adult and one kid to £18 for 2 adults and 4 kids, with lots of variations in-between.
 

York Boat Cruise

Or on the other hand the York Boat cruise has a special Halloween Cruise on 31^st October with optional fancy dress.
 
Setting off from Lendal Bridge Landing at 8pm and returning at 11.15pm, tickets are £28.50 per person to include a boarding drink, disco and barbeque style supper to keep the ghouls at bay.
 
As mentioned in our previous post, all the mentioned ghost tours last for one to one and half hours, don’t be LATE!

External Links:
The Haunted Walk of York
The Ghost Trail

HauntedYork Boat Cruise

York Ghost Festival: ‘Orribly Original

A host of ghostly goings on are manifesting in York over Halloween from Saturday 24th October to Sunday 1st November, when the sixth York Ghost Festival takes place in a spirited celebration of the paranormal.  

Since 2004, the York-based Paranormal and Spectral Investigations (PSI) group in conjunction with Haunted has been organising a feast of supernatural activities in England’s most haunted city, and this year there will be eerie events galore with Haunted Treasure Hunts taking place every night throughout the festival from 7pm until 10pm.

Spooky characters will be around to recount free ghost stories, presided over by celebrity astrologer Jonathan Cainer, with history tours, plenty of thrills and chills and audience participation broadcast live by Minster FM. Ghost vigils will be held at venues throughout York with live feeds to a giant screen from haunted locations including the Golden Fleece Pub in Pavement and the Treasurer’s House in Minster Yard.

At Haunted itself there’ll be ghost tours taking place until 10pm every night. Over the years, the house has been the scene of ghoulish materialisations when visitors have reported feeling the icy touch of invisible fingers or heard spine-chilling screeches emanating from the attic. Recently, the professional phantom hunter, Derek Acorah had a very spooky experience at the house on TV’s Most Haunted programme when he was held in a ghostly stranglehold whilst the entire film crew bolted the premises screaming.

On the night of Halloween on 31st October in a grand climax to the festival, you can become part of an attempt to stage the World’s Biggest Ghost vigil. Everyone is invited to assemble beneath The Eye of York at the foot of Clifford’s Tower to listen out for signs of paranormal activity and devilish disturbances.

Mr Cainer is hoping that some ghoulish participants will make an appearance to swell the numbers: “It will be a celebration of Samhain – the ancient pagan festival of the ancestors,” he told The Press, “and we’ll be inviting the ghosts and spirits of York to join us.
“The Eye of York is famously nasty. They did hangings there and it’s also a place where witches were persecuted.”

Last year, although the attempt to stage the World’s Biggest Ghost Vigil at York didn’t break the record, a staggering total of 700 people looked and listened for signs of spectral activity at Haunted on Stonegate and across various locations. This year it’s hoped to smash all previous records by signing up a total of more than 900 people. Once the vigil ends, there’ll be an overnight investigation at Haunted by brave and intrepid members of PSI.

The York Ghost Festival has become so successful that several other cities including Edinburgh, London and Stratford-upon-Avon have followed suit and organised their own Ghost Festivals based on the same ideas.

The concept was first spawned back in 2004 when, after a lifetime interest in ghost stories and several years of attending paranormal investigations, founder Rachel Lacy decided it was time to set up her own group in her hometown of York.  PSI –Chicks was formed with the name reflecting the predominantly female membership of the group.

Since that time, PSI, under the leadership of Ghost Master General Rachel has carried out many investigations at a host of spooky venues including York Brewery, Lendal Water Tower and St Nicholas’ Fields.

With regular ghost detectives headed by the celebrity medium Diana Jarvis, the entourage have encountered more than their fair share of spectres; at haunted locations like the York Brewery and the York Castle Museum, that have included a tall, thin shadowy figure who left an overwhelming sense of evil, a phantom dressed in 1940’s attire and mysterious lines that materialised in flour traps at the brewery during the night.

Previous ghost vigils have unearthed some strange goings on too including THAT photograph taken at The Ebor Inn in Bishopthorpe that revealed hidden properties when displayed on computer. Who was the mysterious, bespectacled lady reflected in a mirror on the wall of the pub, who was not present at the investigation? What were the strange orbs that appeared to follow the landlord around the premises?

You might think that these experiences would be enough to send the PSI into quiet retirement but this year, undaunted, members intend to kick off the festival on October 24th with a one person/one room investigation.

“Despite doing investigations now for nearly ten years, it’s still scary contemplating spending a night alone in a haunted location!” says the intrepid general Rachel Lacy, “I last did it in 2003 when I spent Hallowe’en in the roman bathhouse in York alone, so I know I can do it, but the venues have a very different feel to them and last time it wasn’t on camera.”

You can watch Rachel and other group members’ vigils via the Haunted website www.hauntedhouseyork.co.uk where events will be streamed live throughout the night.  If you intend to host a ghost vigil yourself and would like it to be broadcast live on the public screen, contact Lucy on 07855 444069.

For anyone wanting to spend a few days ghost hunting, good value overnight accommodation is available throughout the festival at York University where B&B for a single room costs from £35 and a twin room £46 – it is, as far as we know, not haunted.

These treasure hunts are in the form of an East Walk from Haunted – a genuine haunted house, over 700 years old, located at 35, Stonegate – and a West Walk (a shorter option) from Micklegate Bar. The trails take intrepid participants on an enthralling hunt around the city, picking up pieces of information and clues along the way. At the end you can enter your answers in a prize draw for a chance to win a special Hallowe’en prize.

The attempt to break the record will be followed by séances and investigations at Haunted. The official vigil takes place at 9.30pm but the event will run from 7.30pm to 10pm. Entry is free but donations will go to the Inspiration Foundation’s Stables Project which helps young people who have difficulty fitting into mainstream education to achieve their potential.

Whether they will still be there in the morning or not, only remains to be seen.

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External Links:
York Ghost Festival 2009
Haunted: York’s Most Haunted House
PSI-Chicks

Directory of Chester    Directory of Liverpool    Directory of York    

Directory of Leeds   Directory of Newcastle upon Tyne

FAMOUS GHOSTS OF YORK

We continue our run-through of the City of York’s more famous – or infamous – hauntings with another selection of spirits, ghouls and ghosts. 

Remember, many of the spooky individuals and occurences that we have unearthed are part of one or another of the many Ghost Tours that run throughout York all year long. With two millenia of early deaths and unhappy victims, there’s a creepy tale around each and every corner, behind the next gate, nexy door in that adjoining room…

The most haunted city in Europe has an unholy host for every visitor, and over 500 ghosts beckoning you to return and feel the chills!
 
After the restess spirit of the Grey Lady, the pleasant prayers of the late Dean Gale and the Roman troops still marching on, here are another three apparitions from the area: sweet dreams and happy (ghost) hunting!

THE HEADLESS GHOST

One of the more dashing ghosts about town is Thomas Percy, 7^th

Earl of Northumberland or the “Headless Earl” as he has become known.
 
Rebelling against Queen Elizabeth I, he was captured and publicly beheaded in 1572 and his severed cranium mounted on a spike at Micklegate Bar, probably parboiled and seasoned with cumin to deter birds, as was the custom.
 
Although Percy’s body was buried in the nearby church of St Crux, his head was interred two years later in Holy Trinity.
 
Sightings of a headless corpse staggering around Goodramgate in search of his misplaced head have been occurring ever since.

HORROR AT THE TOWER

Strange manifestations take place at Clifford’s Tower where in 1190 horrendous anti-Semitism led to a number of Jews being besieged within the tower, who were then driven to commit mass suicide rather than face the angry mob outside.
 
To this day people have reported seeing blood pouring down the walls of the castle with red stains visible on the gatehouse.

MASSACRE AT THE WORKHOUSE

Worst of all is the spine chilling tale of the incomparably evil master of the workhouse for orphans in the area of Bedern, known as the York Industrial Ragged School.
 
Many of the orphans died through exhaustion and starvation as a result of his neglect when, being too lazy to dispose of their bodies, he locked them in a large cupboard in the workhouse.
 
As the bodies piled up, the stench became so dreadful that the master started to imagine that he heard terrified screams issuing from the cupboard until he eventually went mad and grabbing a long knife, massacred the remaining children as they slept.
 
Many locals avoid Bedern late at night to this day. Others unfortunate to venture there in the small hours may hear voices or whimperings of the restless spirits of the children as they roam the dark streets.

 

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Haunted Pubs of York

 
York is famous for its ancient hostelries, many of which are set in the winding Snickleways and dark alleyways of the city – the former haunts of highwaymen, bodysnatchers and scenes of bloody executions and foul deeds, so perhaps it’s not surprising that the pubs have more than their fair share of ghostly apparitions and devilish goings on.
 
In medieval York there was a church for every week of the year and a pub for every day of the year.
  
Consequently the pubs have a window on much of York’s history, which is probably why many of the city’s most famous ghosts still hang around.

Fun with Dick and George

From Dick Turpin’s spectral horseman galloping through the cobbled streets to the ‘groping’ ghost inhabiting  the snug in The Cock and Bottle, reputed to be the lecherous George Villiers 2^nd Duke of Buckingham, or the ghostly Papists whose meetings reportedly still take place in the rooms of The Old White Swan when muffled voices are heard and chairs are mysteriously re-arranged in circles during the night.

The Golden Fleece in Pavement claims to be the most haunted of coaching inns with a total of five spectral visitors, but the oldest continuously licensed pub in York is The Olde Starre on Stonegate where the cellars were once used to shelter wounded Royalist soldiers.
 
It’s said that on dark nights, one can sometimes still hear their dying screams.
 
Strangely, the pub has a strange effect on canine visitors who appear to see something lurking in the corners of the bar invisible to the human eye.
 

Two Girls One Chap

The Black Swan on Peaseholme Green, boasts two ghosts who regularly stalk the premises.
 
The first is an enigmatic, flaxen haired girl wearing – surprise, surprise – a long white dress, who stares pensively into the fireplace.
 
The second, less intimidating spectre is a diminutive workman dressed in Victorian attire, complete with bowler hat who glances anxiously at his stopwatch every now and then as if waiting for someone to arrive (or for last orders), before gradually fading away.
 
Landlords have a hard time at The York Arms on High Petergate where a mischievous female spirit, so annoyed one incumbent who was decorating the toilets that he threw a paintbrush at her – needless to say, it went straight through her.
 

Grim Scary Tales

One of the saddest stories however is of Marmaduke Buckle born in 1697; a young crippled boy who was viciously persecuted.
 
He retreated to his upstairs bedroom at The Anglers’ Arms on Goodramgate where he spent his days gazing down into the busy streets below before hanging himself from a beam.
 
But first he scratched his name into the wall with the dates of his birth and imminent death.
 
The room is still imbued with an unbearable feeling of sadness and a feeling of being watched. Sometimes a lamp mysteriously lights in an empty room, or a door is softly open and shut.
 
A grim secret lies at The Punch Bowl in Stonegate, a former house of ill-repute, where a flower girl was ruthlessly pursued by a male customer who strangled her to death in an upstairs room.
 
It’s said that her spirit still flees from room to room in a futile attempt to escape.
 

Roman and a Groanin’

But York’s oldest pub ghosts surely reside in the Roman Bath in St Sampson’s Square which contains just that – a 1,999-year-old stone built bath complete with Fridgearium.  
 
Footsteps are often heard as well as splashing water, presumably as the ghostly Ancient Romans frolic in the tub. Many terrified customers have fled the premises having felt something brush past them.
 
One unfortunate landlord was so stunned after he saw a blinding light and ghostly figure fading into the Fridgearium that he left, never to return to York again.
 
These are just a few of the restless spirits that haunt the pubs of York –maybe someone should tell them that it’s closing time.

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HAUNTED WALKS OF YORK

 
If you want to become more closely acquainted with the burgeoning population of ghosts in Europe’s most haunted city, there are many guided ghost walks that take place throughout the year on most nights – especially dark and sinister ones.

Usually led by equity-trained, local guides, the spooky atmosphere of York’s snickle and alleyways reputedly stalked by over 500 ghosts, only adds to the terror.
 
Here are a just few of the haunted walks that the city of York has to offer the bravest visitor!

The Ghost Hunt of York

 
The Ghost Hunt of York, winner of the City Tour of the Year York Tourism Award, uses drama to great effect as creator Andy Dextrous, dressed like a macabre Sherlock Holmes and tolling his death bell, leads the way starting from the medieval jumble of streets around the Shambles.
 
Complete with props, audience participation and illusion, the tour departs at half past seven with the proud boast that it is never cancelled.
 
Described as a “walk on the dark side” it is predominantly for adults, but children and students – or “Boils and Ghouls” - are welcome if they dare, with tickets from £3-£5.
 

The Original Ghost Walk of York

Back in 1973, The Original Ghost Walk of York began its nightly prowl through the streets and is believed to be the first exclusive Ghost Walk in the world, offering a night of “history and mystery to capture the imagination and inspire the mind.”.
 
Leaving at 8pm from The King’s Arms Pub on Ouse Bridge notorious for its flooding, the tour costs from £3-£4.50. Exploring a world of folklore, legend and dreams the operators state that they don’t stage manage tricks or gimmicks but prefer to rely on the art of storytelling.
 

The Ghost Detective

Fear and fun are combined when The Ghost Detective tour hosted by Gary Goldthorpe sallies forth nightly at 7.30pm from July to October or Fri, Sat and Sun from Nov to June.
 
Embarking from the Jorvik Centre – built over the old Viking settlement where apparently shopkeepers report strange goings on at night – the tour continues with sinister stories “of the absurd and unnatural” delivered with an element of humour.
 
All the ghost tours above last for one to one and half hours – if you ever return that is.

External Links:
The Ghost Hunt of York
The Original Ghost Walk of York
The Ghost Detective

FAMOUS GHOSTS OF YORK

York’s living population share the city with the dead – in fact the city of York is one huge burial ground spanning 2,000 years of history and rarely does any road excavation take place without unearthing human bones from one era or another.

With over 500 phantoms roaming the town centre and its environs it’s not surprising that York has the reputation of being the most haunted city in Europe.

LEGLESS ROMANS

Perhaps the most celebrated sightings of York’s ghouls ever to take place occurred in 1953 in the cellar of the 17^th century Treasurer’s House. 

 
A 17-year-old plumber, Harry Martindale, was working in the cellar when he heard a distant trumpet blast and was only able to watch in terrified disbelief as a horse carrying a rider emerged through the wall followed by a dejected band of what appeared to be Roman soldiers, legless below the knees, who moved across the cellar and disappeared at the other side.
 
On recounting the tale to historians however, Harry’s detailed description of the men’s uniforms did not tally with existing evidence of Roman costumes.
 
Only later was it discovered that an auxiliary troops wearing similar uniforms and carrying identical shields had been stationed in York at the end of the Roman Empire. As for the lack of legs, archaeologists revealed that a Roman road lay about a foot beneath the cellar floor.
 
If the phantom soldiers had been marching along this road, their legs would have been only visible from the knee down.

THE GREY LADY

Perhaps the most ubiquitous ghost in York is the restless spirit of The Grey Lady, a robed figure who has been spotted on numerous occasions around Petergate Bar and often inside the Theatre Royal.
 
Legend has it that she was a nun who was bricked up in a cellar by religious authorities after becoming pregnant by a townsman.
 
Others say that she had a vision of an angel and was expelled from her order to later die of a broken heart.

GHOSTLY DEAN GALE

The best known ghost of York Minster is the gentle spirit of Dean Gale, who was responsible for the upkeep of the cathedral in the late 16^th century and was known for his devotion to duty and religion, attending services regularly and always occupying the same pew.
 
On his death in 1702 and after he was laid to rest, a minister was rendered trembling and incoherent during a sermon when he saw Dean in his customary pew below.
 
Ever since then the devout spectre has been spotted from time to time, listening intently to services.

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 Snickleways – EyesforGhosts
Eyes for Ghosts
Jim Richardson – Fear Amongst the Roman Ghosts
Patrick Stewart and the Grey Lady?
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