St Mary's Church, Whitby. Is Dracula buried in the graveyard of this quaint and quirky church?

St Mary's Church, Whitby, dates back to 1110 AD, making it Norman. Its interior, however, dates from the 18th century. It's a Grade I listed building and a real cosy community place, with many personal touches. Think of it as the old marrying the new, as people clearly still worship here, yet there are things such as locking box pews and an upper tier to the church; both of which I'd never encountered before.

I was in Whitby for Goth Weekend, so climbed the 199 steps to visit Whitby Abbey and just had to pop into the church as well. The graves are very old and faded, the view from the headland spectacular, and the church is definitely quirky, with features such as external stairs, so that important local family, the Cholmleys, could enter their upper, private pew.

In Bram Stoker's Gothic horror story, Dracula, Dracula's ship, the Demeter, runs aground in Whitby Harbour. Then Dracula takes on the form of a dog and runs up the steps, claiming a victim.

The questions remain:
Was Bram Stoker inspired to name his characters after names on the gravestones here?
Why is a church built in such an inaccessible place anyway?
And most importantly, is Dracula buried in the graveyard?

Come and take a walk in my shoes and I'll try and answer these.

General blog link:-
https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/

Whitby Abbey blog link:-
https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/20...

Whitby Museum link:-
https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/20...

Captain Cook Memorial Museum, link:-
https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/20...

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