The Merchant Adventurers' Hall, York

Can you guess what the mystery plays were?

From the name you might think that they were murder mysteries, or maybe plays about ghosts or other mysterious creatures.

The mystery plays were actually religious plays that were based on Bible stories. The name ‘Mystery Play’ came from the fact that they were performed by the guilds, or ‘mysteries’ of the City.

The mystery plays were performed on the festival of Corpus Christi, which was between 21 May and 24 June – it depended on the date of Easter, which changes every year.