Thomas Busby’s Stoop Chair

Welcome back, fellow humans 🙂

Have you heard about the Dead Man’s Chair?

The Busby’s stoop chair is an oak chair that took the lives of approximately 63 people. The ghost of Thomas Busby haunts the inn taking the form of a dark figure. During the 17th century, Daniel Awety bought a farm nearby Kirby Wiske to conduct his illegal trade of coin-forging along with Thomas Busby and renamed it Danotty Hall.

Thomas fell in love with Daniel’s daughter, Elizabeth. Daniel did not want Elizabeth to marry a drunkard. One night, Busby finds Daniel sitting on his beloved chair. Daniel threatened to take Elizabeth away from Busby. In the heat of the moment, Busby murdered him to death with a hammer and hid the body in the woods. Busby was found guilty. His final request was to drink ale at his favourite pub and said, “May sudden death comes to anyone who dares sit in my chair.” He was hanged, tarred and disposed in the gibbet. Afterwards, the inn was renamed the Busby Stoop Inn.

Busby Stoop Inn

The first reported death associated with the chair is that of a chimney sweep in 1894. In 1914, the friend of the chimney sweep, confessed on his deathbed about robbing and murdering him.

During the World War II, the inn became a popular drinking spot. The airmen would dare each other to sit in the chair and those who took up the challenge died. In 1968, Tony Earnshaw became the owner of the pub. Death pursued anyone who dared to come in contact with the condemned chair.

Few builders were having a drink at the inn dared the youngest to sit in the chair. Few hours after he fell through the roof to his death. Earnshaw hid the chair in the cellar. In 1978, the delivery man sat on the chair and shortly, met his end after the van went off the road.

Thirsk Museum

In 1978, Earnshaw donated the chair to the Thirsk Museum. Till this day, the chair is placed high up on the wall. Dr Adam Bowett, a well-known furniture historian, stated that the chair was crafted 138 years after Thomas’s execution.

In episode 26 of Hetalia: Axis Powers, England exploits the Busby’s Chair to get revenge on America, instead, Russia sits on the chair causing it to explode.

Is the chair really haunted? Would you take a seat in this cursed chair?

Thank you for reading, fellow humans 🙂