A MEDIEVAL GHOST STORY
This particular story does not strictly come from the East Yorkshire region but from a collection of twelve spooky  tales made at Byland Abbey, Yorks. NR (c.1400). This said, though, I think it is well worth including on the site anyway.The Byland Abbey ghost stories were originally copied by a fifteenth century Cistercian monk onto the blank pages of an old book of philosophical tracts now kept in he British Library. The ghost stories themselves all refer directly to people and places close to Byland.In this case, ghost story number three, is concerned with the ghost of Robert, son of Robert Boltby of Kilbrun, near Ambleforth, captured in a churchyard...

Note that the younger Robert died and was buried in a churchyard, but made a habit of leaving his grave at night, frightening and disturbing the villagers. The village dogs ran after him barking madly. Finally the young men of the village got together , planning to trap him if there was any way that they could, and arranging to meet at the graveyard. But when they saw Robert they ran away, except for two of them. One of them, whose name was Robert Foxton, grabbed the thing as it was leaving the churchyard and forced it down on to the stile. When the other one shouted out loudly: 'You hold onto it until I get to you!' he replied: 'Get to the parish priest as quick as you can and bring him here. With God's help I will hold on grimly to what I've got till the priest gets here'.
    The parish priest ran like the wind and commanded the apparition in the name of the HolyTrinity and in the power of Jesus Christ that he should answer his questions. At his command, the thing spoke as if replying from deep within its body, and not with its tongue - its voice echoing as if from an empty barrel - and it confessed to various sins. When he had heard it out, the priest gave it absolution but enjoined his two helpers not to reveal the thing's confession in any way whatsoever. From then on, God willing, it rested in peace.
    It is said that before he died, Robert of Boltby liked to loiter at the doors and windows of houses, and under walls and behind fences as if he were listening out for something. Perhaps he was hoping that someone might come out and ask him how he might be helped in his needs. Others suggest that he was planning and conspiring to kill a certain man and that he did other wickednesses that no one should talk about at this time.

Translated from 'Twelve medieval ghost stories', ed. M.R.James in English Historical Review , 47, (1992), 418

My thanks go to Professor D. Crouch for this early example of 'teenage vampire slayers'.