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York "roman ghosts"

mikado

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For some obscure reason something made me recall reading this as a kid, where a tradesman claimed to see roman ghosts marching through the cellar of the treasurers house in York,
Now obviously and disappointingly he didn't see ghosts, but does anyone have any sceptical background on this?

Thread moved from Forum Community.
Posted By: zooterkin
 
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Shouldn't this be in General Scepticism and the Paranormal?

So many people have told this Roman soldier ghost story so many times, including my friend's dad, who doesn't believe in ghosts, but claims he saw them, waist-high, walking through a cellar in a hospital he was working in.

Now, along with this one, I've heard several stories that all revolve around some Roman soldiers wandering waist-high through cellars and basements.

It seems to be a popular story in terms of ghostly goings-on, I think that has a lot to do with it. Without any actual evidence, it's merely a cool story, bro kind of thing.

The Romans were such an interesting bunch of lads, and they did a lot for Britain, and I think the stories left behind went a long way to influencing our folklore. You'll find a lot of Roman ghost stories in many towns and cities in the UK.

I don't believe in ghosts, but I believe people see things sometimes. I once saw a man and woman cuddling outside a chip-shop late one night, and as I got closer, I realized the man and woman were actually a bin, and the chip-shop was a late-night launderette, and I was just high as a *********** kite.
 
Apparently I posted it in the wrong thread, despite the fact that I actually CHOSE to put it in the community thinking that it's far more likely to be seen and replied.

I wondered, even as a kid, just how much of the sighting was caused by the sheer romance of the romans?..
 
mikado said:
For some obscure reason something made me recall reading this as a kid, where a tradesman claimed to see roman ghosts marching through the cellar of the treasurers house in York,
Now obviously and disappointingly he didn't see ghosts, but does anyone have any sceptical background on this?

Thread moved from Forum Community.
Posted By: zooterkin
Click to expand...

I think I have memories of this being featured on “It’s A Mystery with Neil Buchanan and Sophie Aldred? No idea if there was a sceptical explanation or not.
 
The Don said:
Where I grew up, there were stories of people seeing the ghosts of the "lost ninth legion" on the moors...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12752497

People see all kinds of things late at night in remote spots
Click to expand...

We used to live very close to The Fosse Way - an old Roman road - in England's west country, and stories about ghostly legionnaires wandering along that road were, er, legion.
 
The "waist-high" bit is a nice touch. The centre of York has been built on over and over again for centuries, so the ground level is considerably higher today than it was in Roman times.

Oh, and I walked past the Treasurer's House late last night. No ghosts were in evidence, waist-high or otherwise.
 
It's easy to forget just how much legend and folklore was brought into the UK via the Romans. It's no surprise that there are so many similar ghost stories surrounding them.

In reality, there aren't any truly unique ghost stories, anyway. They all generally echo other stories, to the point where you have to basically assume that it's due to story-telling itself, which is how folklore and myth is even developed and spread.

People hear stories and then they're ingrained into their memory, and a good case in point is the "Old Hag" story. So many people claim of seeing the same thing, and it's basically down to having such a story in their brain in the first place. Sleep paralysis is a real occurrence, and I suffered from it for years, but I never saw any hags, but it's easy to see how someone with that story in their mind may see it during a period of stress between sleep and waking.

People see what they expect to see in many cases. It's almost like when you have hypochondriacs/anxiety sufferers who believe they're having a heart attack; the more they have that in their mind, the more their body and brain trick them into thinking they're having a problem.

The brain is a ********** up piece of random ****. Ghosts are nothing more than brain farts due to one too many large meals consisting of imaginative stories.
 
Alice Shortcake said:
The "waist-high" bit is a nice touch. The centre of York has been built on over and over again for centuries, so the ground level is considerably higher today than it was in Roman times.

Oh, and I walked past the Treasurer's House late last night. No ghosts were in evidence, waist-high or otherwise.
Click to expand...

I have heard the "waist-high detail" in many Roman soldier ghost stories, so I'm not sure if it can be credited solely to York.

I think the "waist-high" trope, if you will, is due to the fact that we're aware of old Roman roads being found beneath many old buildings in this country. This particular ghost story is apparently one that is rife in this country, so for me, that tells me it's mere folklore, more than an actual occurrence.

I think there's at least one or two Roman ghost stories in every town and city in the UK, and there's always a woman in black, a woman in white, a headless horseman, an old hag, etc, etc.

Ghosts are the same or very similar in every country on the map.
 
I have a very vague memory of an Arthur C Clarke book of "strange mysteries" and this being mentioned; some credulous person propounded the theory of a stone tape like a magnetic tape. I will have sent the book to the charity shop years ago, though.
 
Yeah, I get this story not infrequently. I just smile and think Rome is my enemy; the response that Romans seems to like.
 
Alice Shortcake said:
The "waist-high" bit is a nice touch. The centre of York has been built on over and over again for centuries, so the ground level is considerably higher today than it was in Roman times.

Oh, and I walked past the Treasurer's House late last night. No ghosts were in evidence, waist-high or otherwise.
Click to expand...

I am so jealous, I am over your side of the planet late February and plan a two day visit to York. My family are from Sheffield, and I was raised in a household speaking dialect so strongly have that Yorkshire culture.

I am thinking Jorvik, which was closed last time we were there, the minister and the shambles. Are there any other museums/historical things that I really must do? Suggestions?
 
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