Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Country and County: Yorkshire

Apparitions / Black Dogs / Hauntings

Kettleness Black Dog

A phantom Black Dog is said to haunt Kettleness near Whitby. In Marc Alexander’s ‘To Anger the Devil’ which is a biography of the exorcist Reverend Dr Donald Omand, he describes how in the 1950s Rev Omand received letter from a schoolmaster detailing his experience with the dog and requesting an exorcism.

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales / Hauntings

Leeds Town Hall

Beneath the front steps of Leeds Town Hall is the old Central Charge Office or Bridewell (a general term for a small prison), the reputed haunt of the ghost of the notorious burglar and murderer Charles Peace.

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English Fairies / Fairies / Folklore

Boggart

The Boggart is most commonly found in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, its name appears in places such as Boggart’s Clough and Boggart’s Hole in Lancashire. Boggarts were mischievous spirits responsible for mishaps and poltergeist activity within the home and in the countryside.

UFO Abductions / UFOs

Todmordon UFO Abduction (1980)

At around 5.00am on 28th November 1980 in Todmordon, PC Alan Godfrey, who was checking out a routine call on a local estate, was driving up Burnley Road, when he saw what he thought was a bus across the road further ahead of him. He drove towards it, and realised that it wasn’t actually a bus at all but a hovering dome like object, 20 feet wide, topped with a row of windows.

UFO Abductions / UFOs

Ilkley Moor UFO Abduction (1987)

On 1st December 1987 a former Police Officer, who has not been named, set off from his home early in the morning to visit a relative who lived in nearby East Morton. He decided to travel over Ilkley Moor and took with him a camera.

Folklore / Legends

Hairy Bob’s Cave

On the seafront at the foot of the cliffs around Scarborough Castle, a hole in the cliff, about a metre deep can be found – this is known as Hairy Bob’s Cave. It is clearly man-made and little more than a hole in the rock but, the origins and reasons behind its existence have been the source of legend and folklore in the town for over a century.

Apparitions / Folklore / Hauntings / Legends

Whitby

Whitby is associated with a wealth of traditions and legends. The abbey, now a guant ruin, was built in 651AD and destroyed in a Danish raid in 870AD, it was reconstructed by the Benedictines in the 11th Century. At one time crowds used to gather at the West side of Whitby churchyard, where there was clear view of the North side of the abbey and the highest window.

Folklore

Stokesley

The Wise man of a stokesley a man called Wrightson is reputed to have been a great seer and healer. The 7th son of a 7th daughter he was especially famed for healing cattle and his far sight. He died in the 1900s. Many villages had such wise men and women famed for their powers.

Buried Treasure / Legends

Middleham Castle

The castle is reputed to be the site of a buried hoard of treasure, to find it you must run a round the castle three times, and where you stop the treasure will be found. Unfortunately there is no indication of where you should start.

Directions: Off the A6108 to the South of Leyburn.

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