Defaming the Dead: A Contested Ghost Story from Fifteenth-Century Yorkshire

2010/06/01 by R. N. Swanson · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies #Gothic Literature and Media Analysis #Medieval Literature and History

paper · doi:10.1179/yaj.2010.82.1.263

openalex publication_date 2010/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

The doctrine of Purgatory made ghosts a credible phenomenon in pre-Reformation England, with Yorkshire providing a notable clutch of ghost stories from the early fifteenth century. A case brought in the consistory court at York in 1424 nevertheless shows that ghost stories were not always believed, and might be challenged and rebutted through disciplinary processes. However, whether such processes are actually evidence for blanket denial of the existence of ghosts remains an open question.

Cited by

• Byland Abbey [wikipedia]

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