York owes its existence to ancient Rome’s legendary “lost” Ninth Legion, which some say still marches through the city in one of York’s most famous ghost stories.
The Roman Bath pub and museum
The Ninth Hispanic Legion was created by Julius Caesar and originally served in Gaul (modern-day France) and Spain before taking part in the Roman invasion of Britain in AD43.
The Ninth Legion suffered terribly in Boudicca’s revolt of 60 BC, suffering up to 80 per cent casualties. The battle was recorded by Tacitus as “the Massacre of the Ninth”. The unit’s pride evidently remained intact, however: the legion’s commander, Quintas Petillius Cerialis, wasn’t removed from his post.
Restored to strength with reinforcements and regrouped at Lincoln in 65 AD, the legion was next sent to guard the northern fringes of the Roman Empire at the confluence of the Foss and Ouse rivers, where it helped build the imperial fortress Eboracum, in its last recorded and datable action on the basis of legionary stamps.
Legend has it that the Ninth Legion later embarked on its fateful march against the Picts, a confederation of tribes located in modern day eastern and northern Scotland, and was annihilated, prompting Emperor Hadrian to cut his losses in the north of Britain and build his famous wall from coast to coast.
The ghosts of the “lost” Ninth Legion
People say a column of Roman soldiers is regularly seen marching down Chapter House street from the direction of the Minster and ‘disappearing’ at the junction with Ogleforth.
The reason for this occurrence can be found by visiting the Treasurer’s House, but the story goes that Harry Martindale, an apprentice plumber, was installing a new central heating system in the cellars in 1953 when he heard the sound of a horn.
He continued to hear the horn but carried on working up his ladder. Suddenly and without warning a cart horse ridden by a dishevelled Roman soldier, appeared through the wall. The horse was followed by several weary and miserable Roman soldiers carrying short swords and spears. Harry couldn’t see the soldiers from below the knee – the explanation usually given is that the soldiers were walking on the old Roman road buried 15 inches below the modern surface.
The ghostly troop had been seen several times in the past but is given extra resonance by the unknown fate of the “lost” Ninth Legion.
For many years scholars believed the Ninth had been wiped out during its conflicts with the Scots, and the implication was that Harry Martindale saw the ghosts of the dead soldiers, dishevelled, weary and miserable after the bitter campaign against the Picts.
Modern historical research has shown that part of the legion fought later against tribes elsewhere in Europe and in the Middle East, but that hasn’t diminished the legend of the ghostly Lost Ninth stalking the streets of York after dark.