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admin sinfulldude · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 1:06 pm Post subject: Marston Moor Hauntings

History of Hauntings at Marston Moor
Its quite difficult to envisage the expanse of neatly defined fields between Long Marston and Tockwith that we see today, as a “moor”. But this moor, as it was then, some seven miles from York, was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles ever fought on British soil. Estimates vary between totals of 4,000 and 6,000 dead from a ferocious battle that lasted just three hours. Little wonder then that stories of ghost sightings continue to crop up in this strangely remote part of Yorkshire.

The Battle
The battle took place on 2nd July 1644. Prince Rupert’s Royalist cavaliers were dispatched north from Shrewsbury to assist in the relief of the siege of York and on 30th June they reached Knaresborough. The Roundheads who were besieging York marched the relatively short distance to Marston Moor to confront them. However Rupert swung his forces north via Boroughbridge and approached the moor from that direction. So it was that on the evening of 1st July the Royalist forces were arranged to the north of the moor’s ditch, and the Roundheads to the south.

The Roundheads outnumbered the Royalists in every department, and Rupert was forced to await reinforcements from Newcastle’s Whitecoats before contemplating any attack.

Towards the evening of 2nd July the now reinforced Royalists numbered roughly 11,000 foot, 6,500 horse and 16 artillery pieces. The Roundheads, under the command of Oliver Cromwell and Sir Thomas Fairfax had roughly 14,000 foot, 7,000 horse and 25 guns. As the sultry afternoon wore on, and thunder clouds began to gather, Rupert believed that the battle would take place early next morning and retired from the field. The Roundheads seeing the Royalists seeming to stand down seized the initiative and began the engagement. It was now 7pm and the thundery rain had started to fall.

The Roundheads soon began to get bogged down in marshy land around the ditch, and chaos then ensued as the Royalists got the upper hand and several Roundhead officers actually fled the field. Poised on the brink of victory, the Royalist commanders failed to notice Cromwell’s cavalry circling them, and the attack from the rear scattered the Royalist forces, taking the centre of the field. Cromwell then turned to the Newcastle’s force of Whitecoats who were based in the area of White Syke Close towards the rear of the field. Despite being vastly outnumbered the Whitecoats refused all offers of mercy and fought almost to the last man. Estimates put the number of Royalist deaths in this final phase of battle at around 3,000. Prince Rupert himself fled the field and was reported to have hid in a beanfield to evade capture.

Contemporary reports put the number of Royalist dead at between 4,000 and 5,000 and the number of Roundhead casualties between 300 and 1,000. Certainly it seems that by midnight the field was clear.

Hauntings
Most of the reported hauntings around the battlefield come from people travelling along Marston Lane, the road which runs through the middle of the moor and near which an obelisk serves as a monument to those who died in battle there.

The only haunted building that I have been able to find is the Old Hall in Long Marston. Cromwell is said to have slept here before the battle and it is his ghost that some say haunts there now. The Old Hall is just outside the village towards the battlefield but I have been unable to find out any more about it.

The earliest modern report of a haunting dates from November 1932. Tom Horner, a commercial traveller, was driving from York to Harrogate across the moor with his friend Arthur Wright. Having just passed Marston Moor station Mr Horner pulled over to the side of the road to let a bus past, at which point both men saw three men with shoulder length hair walking ahead of them dressed in long cloaks, wide brimmed hats and long-top boots. The men were no more than 20 yards away and seemed to be wearily trudging along. Throughout the encounter the men appeared solid and real and at no time did either Mr Horner or Mr Wright believe that they were looking at ghosts. The men were visible for around ten minutes before they turned right on to the moor, and vanished.

The next report dates from 1968, when some tourists travelling by car got lost in the area and ended up on Marston Lane. Unfortunately this report is very sketchy as there are no names available. However they saw a group of possibly six “tramps” stumbling along in the ditch at the side of the road. They realised that the “tramps” were actually dressed in 17th-century costume and that rather than being drunk as they first thought, they appeared tired and weary. After passing the figures and looking back the “tramps” had disappeared. A similar incident was reported in 1973 but details on that one are almost impossible to find.

Coming more up to date, the next major report is from June 1991. Once again travellers passing over the moor, this time Dennis and Margaret Howarth from Hull on their way to Cumbria to visit relatives. Mrs Howarth was driving along Marston Lane when her husband suddenly grabbed her arm and shouted for her to stop. On this bright sunny day both the Howarths saw a man in a round helmet crossing the road in front of their car. The figure did not react in any way, his head was bowed, and he appeared completely oblivious as he crossed the road. Mr Howarth got out of the car at this point to remonstrate with the man, because once again the figure appeared solid and real, but by the time he had done so the man had disappeared. At this side of the road there were no ditches, however, and the hedges were short so there was nowhere for the man to have gone.

Our last and most recent report major report dates from June 1995. Derek Ainsley, a businessman, was driving from Lincoln to York on a “perfect summer afternoon” and had taken a detour towards Long Marston to stop for something to eat at a local pub. As Mr Ainsley approached the moor the sky was growing appreciably darker and suddenly he was in semi-darkness. Through his side window Mr Ainsley saw a lone figure ahead of him walking along the side of the road, heading away from him. By now it was starting to rain heavily and against his usual nature, Mr Ainsley decided to offer the man a lift. However, when he stopped the car and wound down his window the man had disappeared. Understandably puzzled Mr Ainsley paused for a few seconds and then set off again towards Long Marston. Less than a minute later, he saw what he took to be the same figure standing at the opposite side of the road further ahead of him. It was next to impossible for the man to have travelled the distance that Mr Ainsley had and get ahead of him in this way. The witness described the figure as being a man dressed in a long brownish cloak, black knee length boots and wearing some sort of hat. Once again he was facing away from Mr Ainsley. Pulling up by the figure Mr Ainsley wound down his window but by the time he had done so the man had disappeared for a second time.

Summing Up
All the major reports above are made by travellers from out of the immediate area traversing the moor for varying reasons, and (as far as we know) during the day. One reason for this may be because locals are so used to seeing figures or hearing sounds from the time of the battle that they just ignore them. Or perhaps because this is a small rural community the locals keep such things to themselves. There is little habitation in the vicinity of the actual battlefield, it is mainly fields as was said earlier, so perhaps this does not bode well for night time sightings or any audible hauntings which may occur on some of the remote lanes and paths which cross the area. After all, who in their right mind would be out in a field in the middle of nowhere at the dead of night? APART FROM ME

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admin sinfulldude · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 1:18 pm Post subject: The anniversary

The anniversary date of Marston Moor battle is the 2nd of July. Its reported that many people flock to the area in hope of seeing a ghostly
battle re- acted ?

Ghostly Troops seen
Location: Marston Moor - General area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time First Reported: November 1932
Further Comments: Seen crossing the road in front of a car, these figures looked ragged and battle weary, dressed in clothing that matched that of the 1644 Battle of Marston Moor. Local reports say the battle is sometimes replayed in full, normally on foggy nights.
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admin sinfulldude

Marston Moor
North Yorkshire
A group of tourists lost in their search for the road to Hessay had found themselves on an unidentified road between the A59 and B1224. Comment among the friends was made regarding a number of tramps stumbling silently along the ditch. The driver of the car slowed down to take a closer look and he and his passengers were puzzled by the clothing of the `five or six men` that they could see, for they appeared to be dressed in a seventeenth century style. Having passed the staggering troupe the tourists turned round to watch their progress only to be astonished to realise that the road was empty. This incident occurred in 1968 but a similar experience was reported by two other travellers on the same road five years later. The site of the famous Battle of Marston Moor is a short walk away from where the ghosts were witnessed.
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Long Marston: Marston moor

In 1644, Oliver Cromwell defeated a Royalist Army at the Battle of Marston Moor, about a mile north of Long Marston village. The ghosts of the Royalist soldiers have frequently been seen in the area, including three phantoms in Cavalier costume; they were recently reported by two motorists traveling on the A59 York – Harrogate road. The Old Hall in the village, used by Cromwell during the battle, is said to be haunted by his ghost.
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