Currently leased to the University of York, King’s Manor was built in 1270 as a residence for the Abbot of St Mary’s abbey. Some of the original stonework remains, but the redbrick building dates from the late 1400s. Following the Dissolution, it became the headquarters of the Council of the North, a body set up by King Edward IV and maintained into Henry VIII’s reign and beyond. An impressive royal coat of arms was added above the entrance by Charles I, just before the outbreak of civil war.
King’s Manor Folklore:
A phantom monk has been seen wandering what would have once been part of the precinct of St Mary’s Abbey. Various folk, including a number of teachers, have also witnessed a second ghost, arguably of Thomas Wentworth. He was charged with treason against Charles I and beheaded. A female ghost haunts the Principal’s House. Thought to be either Anne Boleyn or Catherine Howard, the figure is dressed in a green dress and carrying roses. The sounds of wounded men can sometimes be heard here. Like The Olde Starre Inne, the building was used as a makeshift hospital during the Civil War.
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Anne Boleyn never stayed in York so I doubt would be haunting the King’s Manor! Catherine Howard is said to haunt the Long Gallery at Hampton. Just because she stayed in York doesn’t mean she now haunts it. Could be any of a number of people.