The Ghosts of the Busby Stoop Inn: Cursed Chair and a Condemned Spirit



Along a quiet stretch of road in North Yorkshire once stood a pub with a reputation so dark, locals feared even walking past it at night. The Busby Stoop Inn, near the town of Thirsk, was no ordinary country tavern, it was infamous for its cursed furniture, restless spirits, and a tragic tale of murder and execution that continues to haunt the region to this day.

At the heart of the legend lies a single, unassuming wooden chair, an object tied to so many deaths that it was eventually sealed away by museum staff, never to be sat upon again.

A Deal Gone Deadly

The story begins in the early 1700s with a man named Thomas Busby, a petty criminal and drunkard who lived near the inn. He reportedly had a fierce temper and an even fiercer obsession with a wooden chair that sat by the fireplace inside the pub. Busby’s father-in-law, Daniel Auty, was a local man with money and land. The two often argued, especially over Auty's disapproval of Busby’s lifestyle. One evening, their feud came to a head. Busby returned to the inn to find Auty sitting in his chair. Enraged, he dragged the older man from the seat, chased him back to his home, and murdered him, allegedly with a hammer.

Busby was quickly arrested, tried, and condemned to death. He was executed by hanging on a gallows erected near the inn. Some versions of the tale say he was hanged at the stoop itself, a roadside post near the pub, giving it its name. Before his execution, Busby supposedly placed a curse on his beloved chair, declaring that anyone who sat in it would soon meet a violent death.

The Chair of Death

What followed is the stuff of legend. Over the centuries, countless individuals are said to have sat in Busby’s chair and died shortly afterward. Some perished in freak accidents. Others in car crashes or strange medical emergencies. The stories vary, but the pattern remains chillingly consistent. During World War II, Canadian airmen stationed nearby would visit the pub. According to staff, those who sat in the chair never returned from their missions. In the 1970s, a delivery man reportedly sat in the chair while taking a break. Hours later, he crashed his van and died. Another visitor, a roofer, sat in the chair on a dare and fell to his death the same day after the roof gave way.

The final straw came when a young man sat in the chair during a visit to the pub’s cellar. He died in a car accident shortly afterward. That incident prompted the then-landlord to donate the chair to the Thirsk Museum, but only under one condition: it must never be sat on again. Today, the chair hangs high on a wall in the museum, suspended out of reach. It remains a solemn and eerie exhibit, a silent witness to the power of belief and the possibility that some curses are more than just stories.

Hauntings at the Inn

The Busby Stoop Inn itself, before its closure, was long believed to be haunted. Patrons and staff reported strange occurrences: footsteps in empty hallways, cold spots near the fireplace, and the feeling of being watched. Some claim to have seen a shadowy figure lingering near the bar, or looking out the window toward the stoop where Busby was hanged. Was it Busby himself, tethered to the place of his death? Or perhaps one of the many who fell victim to his cursed chair?

Though the inn closed its doors in the early 2000s and now serves a different purpose as a restaurant , the legends persist. Travelers still pass the stoop, and many locals speak of the tale with a mix of fear and fascination.

Final Thoughts

The story of the Busby Stoop Inn is a chilling blend of murder, folklore, and alleged paranormal activity. Whether you believe the chair was truly cursed or simply the victim of coincidence, one thing is certain: the legend endures. And if you ever find yourself in Thirsk, visiting the museum, look up. The chair is still there. Waiting. But whatever you do… don’t sit in it.