The Ghostly cries of the orphans can still be heard

posted by Dean Terry
 
Bedern, York. Mid-19th century – The run-down area of Bedern, just off Goodramgate, was occupied with slums and warehouses. An orphanage workhouse was established in the area, which was known the York Industrial Ragged School.

It was opened by the parish beadle George Pimm, who was employed by the church. His job, as schoolmaster, was to keep the streets of the parish clear of orphans, waifs and strays. They were rounded up and placed in institutions like the Ragged School.

Pimm was well-paid by the church for each child he housed at the school, but he was a greedy man. He rented the children out to work on farms, market stalls and as chimney sweeps.

The living conditions from within the school were filthy and cold, many children died of starvation or disease.

When a child died, the church would give them a Christian burial and cross the name of the school list. Hence, George Pimm would lose an allowance for the dead child. So to ensure he lost no further subsidies, Pimm began to hide the dead children within the grounds and walls of the school.

Over the eight years that the school was open, Pimm hid at least 13 children in and around the school.

For months Pimm got away with the heedless disposal of the bodies. But as the months passed, Pimm himself could not stand the stench of decay of all the corpses around in his building.

George Pimm began to suffer from paranoia and reported a strange atmosphere around the school. He claimed he could hear noises – wailing, tapping and scratching, and turned to alcohol for comfort.

Soon he started to tell others of the noises he had heard at the school, but, of course, no-one believed him. They blamed the drink.

Before long his ramblings reached the church and they decided to investigate. They were horrified by the state of the school and closed it down.

George Pimm was believed to be mad and taken to the lunatic asylum, where he stayed for the rest of his life, which wasn’t long. After four months of incarceration, he hung himself. In a suicide note he complained of the wailings and screams of the dead children that tortured him in his cell.

Visitors to the Bedern area have spoken of feeling their clothing or bags being tugged as they walk through the Bedern Arch.

Some people claimed to hear childrens’ laughter, while others heard screams of terror.

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