A ‘ghost’ has been caught cycling through the Shambles in a creepy video circulating online

A “ghost” has been caught cycling through The Shambles in a creepy video circulating online. The video, originally shared by @Shambles_Market on X (formally Twitter),  shows a bike drift through an empty Shambles Market before crashing into a bit of pavement and falling over.

The caption read: “Yesterday, something very strange was spotted on CCTV… and this clip gives us the chills. Theories welcome… Has anyone else noticed peculiar paranormal activity around town?”

Yesterday, something very strange was spotted on CCTV… and this clip gives us the chills. Theories welcome… Has anyone else noticed peculiar paranormal activity around town? #hauntedyork@yorkpress @theyorkmix @york_pry @doriandeathly pic.twitter.com/bBQP2nWZBS

— Shambles Market (@Shambles_Market) September 13, 2023

Some users jumped to debunk the video, with one commenting “Someone pushed it out… pedals not moving…”, and other saying “that’s the shakiest CCTV I’ve ever seen”.

Local tour guide and content creator, Dorian Deathly, retweeted the video responding to some of the nay-sayers: “The amount of “CCTV DOESN’T SHAKE LIKE THIS” comments has me screaming. Have these people not seen a phone video before? What device are they tweeting from? I need a holiday”.

Another user joked under the spooky footage, asking if the ghost was “heading to York Ghost Merchants to get an early dart on the queues” or shopping for “scream cheese” and “boo-berry muffins”.

So, is the Shambles haunted?

If you didn’t already know, the city of York has made a bit of a name for itself as a haunted hot-spot, having been named the most haunted place to visit in Europe in 2022. The Uni of York campus itself was also recently named the third most haunted uni in the UK, with 49 reports of paranormal activity on-site.

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The Shambles itself has a long history, with some of its’ buildings dating back to the 14th century. Back then, the street was mainly occupied by butchers who could use the shade of the narrow street to keep their meat fresh and on display for longer.

A ghost said to haunt the Shambles is that of Margaret Clitherow, the wife of a butcher who lived on the street in the late 1500’s. She was pressed to death in 1586 for harbouring Catholic priests in York, with her home having become one of the most important hiding places for fugitive priests in the North of England. It is said that Margaret haunts the Shambles, searching for her earthly remains. I’m freaking out just thinking about it.

In 2019,  a “ghost” was caught on camera flinging boxes and glasses across the bar in the Shambles Tavern. The bar supervisor on staff at the time told YorkMix that he believed a poltergeist could have been behind the incident, saying it couldn’t have been a gust of wind since “the doors were all shut” and he was the only one in the building. He said: “There was a butcher’s family here that went in the early 1900s that we have always thought were still here”.

So what do you think? Do you believe the Shambles is haunted or are you more sceptical?

Next time you’re wondering through the Shambles, keep an eye out just incase you come across some ghostly butchers, Margaret, or the mystery market cyclist.

Featured image via @Shambles_Market

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• The University of York is officially the third most haunted uni in the UK

• Do you believe in ghosts? Here are 10 of York’s spookiest spots

• I took my mum to some of York’s most loved drinking spots