Village Focus: Ghost stories from underneath the market place that Kirkbymoorside is famous for

However, what lies beneath the historic buildings and market stalls are tales of visitors who have stuck around for a little longer than they might have expected.

This autumn Kirkbymoorside History Group released its latest book, entitled, “Hiding in the Dark” which are tales of haunted Kirkbymoorside and other local legends.

The spooky accounts have been collated by the history group with contributions of ghosts and encounters that have been relayed to them by local residents.

Copies of the book have been flying out with several repeat requests for more and the secretary of Kirkbymoorside History Group, Louise Mudd, has shared some snippets with Country Post which may reveal more about local life.

She said: “Much of Kirkbymoorside’s history is hidden from view and the oldest parts of the town are actually hidden underground. Only a few of the older properties have kept their cellars and even less are still accessible.“Whilst researching stories for the book I got to see several amazing yet unnerving cellars and hidden corners. The most unsettling one is to be found under a very ordinary cottage on Dale End.”

The story she tells goes like this…

"Beneath a wooden hatch in the kitchen floor is a whole other subterranean level with weathered steps leading down into two forgotten rooms, one of which still contained a rocking chair and an old paraffin lantern hanging from the beams. For the first twenty minutes down there, all was good - I took several photos after clearing away cobwebs and discarded storage boxes.“Suddenly I felt an overwhelming sense of being drenched in an icy cold cloud with an irresistible urge to leave immediately, a feeling I had never felt before, and despite taking several minutes to calm myself I simply couldn’t force myself back down the stone steps to try again. There is said to be the presence of a large man down there with a black dog by his side, protective of that area, and after my experience down there I would not argue.“Research into the property showed it had been used by servants who worked at the neighbouring large hall, and it was once home to a groom by the name of Lumsden who had worked in stables as well as coaching inns, a character who would fit the description said to be down there.”

Now, the town centre’s two pubs, The Black Swann and The King’s Head, are the perfect place to pop in for a pint of real ale for a winter warmer. They are as traditional as country pubs get, dating back to the 1600s and 1700s respectively.

But, you can’t be that old without a tale to tell from over the years can you and there will have been several thousand visitors to them both over the years gone by.

As the book goes on to say, some visitors weren’t always seen.

Ms Mudd tells us: “In the King’s Head several figures have been seen walking along the corridors, not surprising given the age of the building. Cleaners have felt as though they are being watched and one room was a particular challenge as electrical items would turn on and off randomly including the vacuum cleaner.

"Underneath is a series of narrow tunnels forming the cellars, and it is said it once joined up with the cellars beneath Buckingham House, where the George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham died after a hunting accident and suffering trauma which led to his death in that very house.

"Owners of Buckingham House report hearing footsteps walking across the top floor when there is no one up there. Guests sleeping up there have also seen a figure walk through the wall to the adjacent house which was once all one building. When I explored the next door’s attic, I discovered there is a door long seen boarded up and not visible to anyone other than perhaps this ghost.“The landlords and staff of the Black Swan pub have had equally unusual experiences. The first floor corridor is a very long and dark space and former landlords have seen a man walk into rooms at the bottom before disappearing, another heard a man’s voice ask him what he was doing there when there was no one around. Staff setting out the dining tables with lunch returned from the kitchen to find every single serviette taken from all the tables and placed in a heap on the floor.“And interestingly customers late at night have heard the sound of horses hooves in the alley which leads to the back yard, which is where once upon a time the horses bringing the coaches to town were led by hand to rest up before heading back out on the next stage of their journey.”

The origins of Kirkbymoorside go back well before the days of coaching inns and indeed the town is steeped in history.

It is mentioned in The Domesday Book 1096 but referred to as Chirchebi and has been trading as a market town since around 1254.

It is reported that Ancient British, Viking and Anglo-Saxon remains have been found locally and Norman baron, Robert de Stuteville, had built a wooden moated castle on Vivers Hill but the town was wiped out by the Black Death of the mid-14th century.

Kirkbymoorside regained itself over the years with development of schools, a toll and market halls and has a population of around 3,000 people.

It is more widely associated with Ryedale Show, which has been going since 1855, and the very popular television series, The Yorkshire Vet after Peter Wright moved to Grace Lane.