Markyate

Contents -- Click to go to item

General
A5
B4540
Buckwood Road
Hicks Road
High Street
Markyate Bypass
Markyate Cell

A brief note about the area
A horse, rider and pedestrian who disappear in a strange way
A hooded figure that vanishes
A possible sighting of Katherine Ferrers' ghost
An encounter with a ghost?
Another mysterious encounter
A ghost with cold hands
The ghost of Katherine Ferrers
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General

Markyate is derived from two Old English words mearc and geat and literally means the gate at the boundary (Hertfordshire to Bedfordshire). From the sixteenth century onwards the name ‘Street’ was added but has now been dropped.

Markyate straddles the Roman road Watling Street and was once a major stopping off point for coaches between London and the Midlands.

A community of Benedictine nuns was founded in Markyate and Markyate Cell now stands on the ruins of the original priory. Markyate’s most famous resident was Katherine Ferrers, the Wicked Lady.

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A5

On a rainy night in autumn traffic had ground to a halt on the A5 near Markyate Cell. Stuck in the jam were a lady from St Albans and her passenger. As the traffic edged forward Marion and her passenger were rather surprised when a horse and rider galloped across the road in front of the car. Accompanying the horse and rider was someone on foot who, as they passed the car, stumbled and put their hand onto the car bonnet to steady their self. Marion reported that ‘The whole image of horse, rider and person on foot just shattered in front of my eyes. It was like a huge crystal shattering into thousands of pieces and then they were gone.’

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B4540

Two local people were walking along the B4540 early in the 1990s heading in the direction of Pepperstock and Slip End. As they walked along the unlit section alongside Markyate Cell they became aware of a hooded figure walking beside the fence in front of them. The figure suddenly vanished before their eyes.

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Buckwood Road

At the beginning of the twentieth century George Wood was walking along the road from Markyate to Kensworth after visiting his wife-to-be. ‘It was a clear moonlight night when I saw the ghost clearly. She was about half a mile away. I noticed the clothes she was wearing and saw her disappear into a ditch at the side of the road.’ When George reached the spot where the woman had vanished she was no where to be seen. Later when George told a woman in Markyate what he had seen she said that it was the ghost of The Wicked Lady, Katherine Ferrers.

For a detailed account of The Wicked Lady see our article on Katherine Ferrers.

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Hicks Road

During the 1930s the water main in Hicks Road was being extended and a night watchman was left to look after the site during the night. In the early hours of Saturday morning he saw a man walking along the line of red lamps set out along Hicks Road. The man looked neither to right nor left and continued right past the workman’s hut. When the night watchmen told his colleagues what he had seen they were full of scorn but all that changed on Monday when they unearthed two skeletons lying head to toe. Were these skeletons associated with the apparition that the night watchman had seen? And is this the same apparition that appeared in 1912 in the High Street nearby when the sewer was being extended and another seen on the A5 bypass.

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See also - Hertfordshire - Markyate - High Street

See also - Hertfordshire - Markyate - Markyate Bypass

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High Street

In 1912 work was being done to extend the sewer from the High Street into Hicks Lane (later Hicks Road). A night watchman had been left in charge and had just set himself up for the night when he saw a young man staring down into the trench. He called to the man but got no reply so he called again but still there was no reply and the figure did not stir. Alarmed by the man’s response he ran down the High Street to fetch the local policeman. When they got to the night watchman’s hut there was no sign of the man even though they searched the area.

Is this the same ghost that appeared in Hicks Road during the 1930s, again during the time the road was being worked on and also on the A5 bypass?

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See also - Hertfordshire - Markyate - Hicks Road

See also - Hertfordshire - Markyate - Markyate Bypass

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Markyate Bypass

In 1957 the bypass around Markyate was being built. A night watchman was sitting by his brazier one night when he looked up and saw someone warming their hands by the fire. The figure was that of a young man who promptly vanished as the night watchman was looking at him. Was this an appearance of Markyate’s legendary Phantom who may also haunt Hicks Road and the High Street?

To view a map of the area click on the button below



See also - Hertfordshire - Markyate - Hicks Road

See also - Hertfordshire - Markyate - High Street

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Markyate Cell

Markyate Cell was the home of Markyate’s most famous, and notorious, resident Katherine Ferrers, the Wicked Lady, a murderous highwaywoman. It was there she died after being mortally wounded when trying to rob a waggon on Nomansland.

Her ghost has been seen fully clad in her highwayman clothes riding her horse at full speed and even swinging through the branches of the old trees near the Cell. This latter sighting was from the gang of workmen who had come up from London to break into Katherine’s secret chamber that had remained sealed for a hundred years. The men reported seeing her swinging through a giant sycamore tree standing near the house. In 1840 part of Markyate Cell was destroyed by fire which was blamed on Katherine. Whilst helping to put out the fire several of the locals said that they were being watched, by Katherine.

In his Journal of November 1894 August Hare said that the ghost of Katherine Ferrers constantly haunted Markyate Cell and that Mr. Adey who lived there kept meeting her on the stairs and wishing her ‘goodnight’. Once he saw the ghost with arms outstretched standing in a doorway. Knowing his wife was on the other side of the door he called to her and both ran towards each other to trap Katherine but there was nothing there. Katherine even appeared during a parish tea party that was being held in the grounds of Markyate Cell.

Katherine is not the only ghost that haunts the cell. In the late 1850s builders were repairing a wall at Markyate Cell when they saw the figure of a nun. She walked up to a gate in the wall then disappeared. The workmen knew that the gate had not been used for years and when they checked they found no evidence that it had been recently opened. The nun was seen several times after this incident both at the Cell and walking in an avenue near St John’s Church. It appears that the Cell stands on the site of a Priory built for Benedictine nuns and founded in 1145. It was dissolved in 1537.

A baronet who was staying at Markyate Cell was awoken by the feeling of hands on his shoulders. He tried to move but the hands kept forcing him into the chair. He swung his arm around to remove the hands and was surprised when he encountered nothing. The grip then released and he was able to stand up only to find that there was no one there.

For a detailed account of The Wicked Lady see our article on Katherine Ferrers.

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