In this episode, Michael Clegg is on a pub-crawl: he visits the Black Swan in York, Londesborough Arms in Market Weighton, Saltergate Inn on North Yorkshire Moors, the Dotterel in Reighton near Filey, the Black Bull in Birstall near Batley, the Hermit in Burley Woodhead and the Busby Stoop near Thirsk, known for its infamous cursed chair.  All of these pubs are well known, and all have their own stories to tell.  Title – Pub Crawl The film begins at the Black Swan in York.  Clegg, standing...

In this episode, Michael Clegg is on a pub-crawl: he visits the Black Swan in York, Londesborough Arms in Market Weighton, Saltergate Inn on North Yorkshire Moors, the Dotterel in Reighton near Filey, the Black Bull in Birstall near Batley, the Hermit in Burley Woodhead and the Busby Stoop near Thirsk, known for its infamous cursed chair.  All of these pubs are well known, and all have their own stories to tell.  Title – Pub Crawl The film begins at the Black Swan in York.  Clegg, standing outside the pub, gives an overview of its history and, “famous spirits” before heading inside to speak with Landlord Robert Atkinson.  Inside the pub is decorated with dark wood, and the two talk about the ghost stories associated with the pub.  There is footage of the winding staircase and one of the bedrooms where different ghost sightings have been reported.  In the dining room, Clegg eats a meal, and with a trick of the camera, disappears just like one of the ghosts alleged to haunt the pub. At the Londesborough Arms in Market Weighton, Clegg is eating a very large mixed grill.  He explains William Bradley, the Yorkshire Giant, was from Market Weighton, and the seat in which he’s sitting belonged to Bradley.  Clegg gives more backstory on Bradley as his meal slowly disappears.  After which, he heads across the street to the village church.  When Bradley died, the village had a secret funeral and buried Bradley in an unmarked grave in hopes of deterring body snatchers.  The body was then moved and buried in the church with a proper headstone.  There is footage inside the church.  At the Saltersgate Inn, Clegg explains the pub’s connection to the salt trade and packhorse route.  The pub is famous for its fire which is said to have been kept burning for 183 years to keep the body warm buried underneath.    The fire has been kept burning, either to prevent discovery, or to prevent his spirit from escaping.  Clegg is seated next to the fire as he tells the story.   From inside the Dotterel in at Reighton, Filey, Clegg explains the pub was built to accommodate gamekeepers who were hunting Dotterel.  The feathers were used to make trout flies, and were so heavily hunted, they are now protected wildlife.  The Black Bull in Birstall, near Batley, is a unique pub as it has a courtroom on the first floor.  Clegg tells his story of the small claims court from the judge’s bench.  A painting of Lady Justice still hangs at the bench.  The pub also has reputation for pies and pasties, and Clegg sits with the pub landlord to sample a pie.  The landlord explains some of the historical pictures which hang on the pub’s walls. Clegg approaches The Hermit on the outskirts of Ilkley Moor, and once inside, orders a pint and a packet of crisps.  Seated near a large window, Clegg recounts the story of Job Senior, the recluse for which the pub is named.     Onto the Busby Stoop Inn, near Thirsk, which is known for its famously cursed chair.  Busby, who had been accused of killing his father-in-law who also had a connection to counterfeiting coins, was hanged at the crossroads near the pub.  It’s said he cursed whoever sat in his chair, and as such, the chair now hangs on the wall for safe keeping.  Clegg comments that he is not superstitious, discounting the cursed chair, and the programme comes to an end with a sound effect of a devilish laugh before the film abruptly cuts to black.            End Credits: Clegg’s People Introduced by Michael Clegg Cameraman Allan Pyrah Sound Don Atkinson, Alan Bedward  Film editor Chris Sutton Director David St. David Smith Producer John Wilford Copyright Yorkshire Television Ltd. 1983 Yorkshire Television Production