St Mary's Church

 

After our fish & chips we walked off the calories (much to Yogi's disgust) and checked out Whitby's main area. Lauren was gifted her very own piece of Whitby Jet as a birthday present by Jamie and we spent a few hours just taking in the scenery among the crowds. We tried to get into the Dracula Experience for a laugh but were told it was not dog friendly unlike what was stated on trip advisor. Abandoning this, we realised that we had neglected to see St Mary's Church which was on the itinerary while we were at the Abbey.

Foregoing the 199 Steps as both Lauren & Yogi were in no condition to walk these, we drove back up the hill and disembarked for a short spell around the closed church. Interesting fact about the Church Steps (199 Steps), you'll find that there are benches helpfully placed in intervals up the trail. These are not for you to have a little rest, but were in fact for the coffins to be placed upon during the journey towards the churchyard. Understandably pallbearers need a rest too, especially up 199 steps on an incline!

St Mary's Church is an Anglican Parish Church (still in use so be respectful!) that was founded around 1110 although aspects of its interior dates back to the 18th century. In modern day it is most famously known for its graveyard which is one of the settings in Bram Stoker's infamous novel Dracula. 

Originally, this was a Norman Church, much like the ground of Whitby Abbey, however it had been added to and changed during the last hundreds of years and here we are today. Due to this, the Church itself has many different dated aspects and it is hard to tell how different it is from its conception, but one of the oldest aspects is the quire which houses three round headed windows. 

This is of course a protected building and is Grade I listed, but the Church is still active today and services are held. It is at risk due to being on the very edge of the cliff top and there has been some noticeable crumbling and even sadly some human remains exposed and lost during the landslide. We did notice when visiting that the cliff edge had been cordoned off and did not look safe, but that this was again getting dangerously close to some other graves.

In terms of the graves, again be respectful as these are still family members who are mourned by the townsfolk below and NOT a tourist attraction, these are the most interesting examples of weather erosion we have seen to date. Of course being exposed to the elements and drastic weather coming in from the sea, the headstones here catch most of the wrath from the gods. While most are still standing, you are pushed to read them due to names having been worn away by the winds and bitter rain. Small tunnels have been eroded through the stone leaving unusual patterns and crumbling. Some headstones have a bumpy look to them, wavy, or are discoloured beyond recognition. It is both sad and amazing, sad because the last memorial to this person is being erased over time, but amazing to see such a natural force being displayed and not hindered by constant repair.

A grand misconception, and a reason that many people flock to this graveyard, is that Dracula is buried here. Dracula is a fictional character and is NOT buried here, if you want Vlad the Impaler's grave go to Romania.  

Another interesting fact about the headstones here is that many of them are 'in remembrance of' and not 'here lies' as the graves below are empty. These are markers for those lost at sea and bodies not recovered. A popular ghost story comes from this, that of the Barguest Coach. Legend has it that on the third night of burial, the lost souls who died at sea would have their final resting place here in the church visited by the Barguest Coach. The Coach is pulled by headless horses and carries the skeletal remains of sailors who wish to pay their respects to a fellow seaman. This is quite sweet in a macabre way. 

There are however two/three graves of note here, Humpty Dumpty and the Pirate's grave/s. The reasoning behind the uncertainty behind the number of pirates is because it is said there are two such graves, we could only find one. However, there are two stones placed together so it is possibly a double grave. 

We were on the hunt for Humpty Dumpty's grave and the Pirate's grave, the latter we eventually found through detective work by matching the outline of the wall and Abbey to a certain point in the cemetery.

The Pirate grave is again, like Dracula, subjected to scrutiny and this time possible misconception. No one is sure if the Skull marker is because of the Pirate's buried below, or if this was just simply an epitaph of death common in this time to mark those who had died. Our issue with this is that this is the only grave here, even with the erosion, with this marker. So it seems unlikely to us that this is the case. It is also rumoured that these were victims of the Black Death, but the plague killed a lot of people so it is again unlikely that only one or two people were laid to rest in this particular graveyard. There are a few Churchyards in Whitby of course so the main population would not have been buried here, and not that its relevant but this graveyard doesnt take on new burials, but even still its unusual for more not to have been laid to rest here. If of course the land was not already filled by this time or the plague predated burials here. Plague pits are of course a thing, so many didnt even get actual burials.

For the Pirate theory, which is most popular and what we would like to believe, the doubt is that why would Pirates be buried within hallowed ground? It's our understanding that these men (and women!) were treated much like those dear outcasted witches and not buried within sanctified earth. To throw a further spanner in the works, the book 'Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths on the Yorkshire Coast' notes that the graves belong to two men who were shot by French Privateers. No evidence supports this either.

Humpty Dumpty is not he of the infamous folklore tale, but the canon of the same name. This grave is located close to the Church itself. Legend also says that Tom Thumb is buried here but with names worn away nobody knows for sure. 

Arctic explorer William Scoresby is also buried here somewhere, responsible for the Crows Nest on ships, he is a notable grave to pay respect to, but we didnt know he was here so will endeavour to pay ours next time.

The Churchyard is also a beautiful spot in itself, its calm, weather-beaten, and hauntingly serine. There is of course an atmosphere that only the dead can bring, and during our visit the day was rapidly ending and the darkness was creeping in, so it was safe to say that our hearts were racing during our attempt to pay our respect to those sleeping here indefinitely. The wind was also vicious and the rain had begun which added to the stereotypical vibe these places are famous for. Haunted? Most definitely. You'd be a fool to think that any graveyard wasn't, did we see any ghosts? Thankfully no. The heavy feeling in the air made us think that any ghostly visitors on that occasion would not have been kind to our health. We zipped round and got out of there I am not ashamed to tell you.

On a nicer day, and in full daylight, we'd like to go back here to have a proper visit and also see inside of the Church itself. We'd like to learn more of its history from its custodians as well as Whitby insights into St Hilda and other history. Regardless of this though, its a magnificent view of the Abbey from these grounds, and worth a stop if you make sure you arent disrespectful!

    

Haunted: 10/10
Worth the visit: 9/10
Giftshop: N/A
Ghost count: 0
Dog friendly: Yes (be respectful!)

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