York's Haunted Hotspot: Five College Street, the Plague House, and its Poltergeist
On a quiet York street, dwarfed by the towering York Minster, stands 5 College Street. Unremarkable to most passersby, this small house carries a dark nickname: The Plague House. Local whispers speak of a tragedy etched into its very walls, a chilling tale from a time when death stalked the streets.
The Black Death, a monstrous wave of plague that swept across Europe in the Middle Ages, arrived in York in 1349, claiming an estimated 10,000 lives. Legend tells of a young girl who resided at 5 College Street with her parents, gripped by a paralyzing fear of the disease. Confined to the house, they sent their daughter on errands, a desperate attempt to avoid contact with the infected.
One fateful night, the mother noticed bubonic swellings on her daughter – a horrifying sign of the plague's touch. Consumed by terror, they locked the girl within her room, marking the door with a stark red X and the plea "LORD HAVE MERCY UPON US." Then, in a night shrouded in infamy, the parents fled York, abandoning their daughter to a horrifying fate.
Stories claim that the young girl's cries of despair echoed through the streets, her desperate attempts to escape – clawing and scratching at the window – met only with fearful silence. Left alone and terrified, she succumbed to the plague's grasp.
The Plague House is said to be haunted by her restless spirit. There are even whispers of poltergeist activity – claims the church has consistently denied. Some claim to have witnessed a young girl's form at the window. Some have been so concerned that they knocked on the door of the house to ask the occupants if their daughter was alright. Their response remains the same: "We do not have a daughter."
For more on this check out episode 14 of Wyrd Wessex which includes an interview with Ghost Tour operator Dorian Deathly of ‘The Deathly Dark Tours of York’ here
or watch on YouTube here
