The Paranormal Database

Relocation

Location: Easingwold - Church
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The church was due to be built in the middle of this small market town, but the construction materials and tools were moved overnight to the place the church now stands.

Boy or Cat

Location: Easingwold - Old manor house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Nineteenth century (or before)
Further Comments: Local folklore said that the strange sounds reported in one room were created by the phantom of a boy flogged to death nearby. However, years later, the remains of a cat were discovered within the walls, and the sounds attributed to the frantic scrabbling of the creature before it died. Some will say that the poor cat was an apotropaic object; we'll never know for sure.

Thomas Fletcher

Location: Easingwold - Road between village and Thirsk
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Fletcher was murdered by three men and buried just off this road - his ghost hounded one of his killers to such a degree that the murderer told his sister of the crime, and she reported it to the authorities. All three men were executed. Still not content that justice was done, Fletcher continued to haunt the scene of the crime, upsetting horses travelling along the road at night.

Floating Light

Location: East Scrafton - Main road through village
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A light is said to float down the middle of this road at night, causing motorists to swerve.

Black Figure

Location: Eccup - New Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: May 2011
Further Comments: A witness reported seeing a black figure walk across his field of vision and enter the kitchen. He followed, but the figure had vanished. Another worker on the site spotted two phantom elderly people sitting by the fireplace.

Barguest

Location: Egton - Area around the Esk Valley
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Prior to local death
Further Comments: This northern variant of the shuck is seen just prior to the death of a local man or woman.

Butter Flingers

Location: Egton Bridge - Egton Grange
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Early nineteenth century
Further Comments: The local elves were said to create mischief by throwing their freshly made butter at doors and gates.

Top Half of Victorian Lady

Location: Escrick - Parsonage Country House Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1998
Further Comments: This female ghost only makes itself known to male guests and staff at the hotel, and even then, only the upper part of her body is visible.

Awfshots

Location: Esk Valley - General area, including Goathland and Danby
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: Awfshots, flint arrowheads used by ancient people, were traditionally believed to have been used by fairies. Farmers would touch their cattle with the arrowheads for protection. Emily Bronte refers to the objects in her work.

Poverty Warning

Location: Everingham - Streams known as Gipsies (or Gypsey) in the area
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Normally winter or spring
Further Comments: An old folk song or poem says of these streams, which follow no defined path: 'My Prophetick Spring at Veipsey, I may show, That some years is dry'd up, some years again doth flow; But when it breaketh out with an immoderate birth, It tells the following year of a penurious dearth.'

Bogle Home

Location: Farndale West - Obtrush Tumulus hill
Type: Other
Date / Time: Nineteenth century?
Further Comments: A hostile bogle was reported to have set up home here sometime during the nineteenth century, though it is not known why he moved on. It may be the same entity which was said to have driven a local farmer from his home.

The Returned

Location: Filey - Churchyard
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre-twentieth century
Further Comments: The churchyard was supposed to be a place which sensible people avoided after dark, as sometimes the dead came back. It was not all bad, as in one case, a dead sailor returned and cleared his son of any involvement regarding his death.

Fishy Devil

Location: Filey - Filey Brigg
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: While changing the landscape to make it more hazardous for sailors, the Devil dropped his hammer into the sea. Reaching in to retrieve the tool, the Devil pulled out a haddock, creating marks on the fish which can still be seen today.

Girl

Location: Filey - Filey holiday camp (no longer operational)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1960s, 1970s
Further Comments: A particular chalet in this once popular holiday camp was said to be haunted by a sad looking young girl who sat at the foot of a bed.

Strange Environment

Location: Filey - Martins Ravine
Type: Other
Date / Time: August 1996, August 2018
Further Comments: A couple out walking here in 1996 reported that the 'air became heavy and deathly still with no sounds at all. No birds, leaves stirring in the breeze, no waves hitting the shore, not even our shoes striking the tarmac as we walked. The temperature dropped markedly so that we saw our breath.' The witnesses had walked the area hundreds of times previous, but had never felt those sensations before, although felt something similar but not as intense in 2018.

Sea Beast

Location: Filey - Off Filey Brigg
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Sea monster seen in 1934
Further Comments: A coastguard reported a large sea monster with large glowing eyes off the coast here, its neck reaching 250cm from the water, its body a further 10 metres in length. A local legend tells how a dragon was killed by locals close to the location where the monster was seen.

Knocking

Location: Filey - Providence Place
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2005
Further Comments: Cold spots, knocking, self-opening and closing doors and bed covers which are pulled off during the night have all been reported in this building.

2004 Hotspot

Location: Filey - Skies over town
Type: UFO
Date / Time: 2004
Further Comments: Filey was named as UFO hotspot of the year, after local UFO groups received 48 reports of unidentified flying objects over a twelve month period.

Little Charlie

Location: Filey - Yorkshire Rose public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: A twelve year old boy murdered in this building in the early 1900s is blamed whenever ashtrays jump off tables or when pictures fall off walls.

A headless ghost.

Headless Woman and Friends

Location: Fimber - Site once known as Fimber Cross Road, where railway station once stood
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Likely to be pre twentieth century
Further Comments: Locals once believed this area to be haunted by a headless woman, a woman on horseback and a couple of cats (one black, the other white).

Family Visiting

Location: Fulford - Old church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A phantom woman and a nurse are said to travel to this churchyard from York. Here they pick up the ghost of the woman's daughter and return to the city from which they came to pay respects at the grave of the husband/father.

Devil's Stone

Location: Gatherley Moor - Northern area
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Unknown is stone is still present
Further Comments: The Devil became vexed with the occupants of Gilling village and lobbed a stone at them. As is tradition, he missed, and the stone, complete with his finger marks, landed and remained on the moor.

Waiting Arthur

Location: Gerrick - Freebrough Hill
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: One of the many places scattered across the UK which may be where Arthur and his knights await the day they are needed to come to Britain's aid.

Kitty Garthwaite

Location: Gillamoor - River Dove
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Kitty drowned herself after being jilted by her lover, having told him that she was pregnant. She now hates men to such a degree, that she has been seen naked, luring men into the water to kill them.

Young Girl

Location: Gilling - Gilling Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Killed by a nurse after being submerged in scolding water, this ghostly young girl is said to be quite horrific when seen.