This inn dates back to 1644. The cellar may date back to the 10th Century. The Starre was mentioned in an account by William Foster, landlord, annoyed at having to serve a bunch of Roundheads at the bar (he himself was a Royalist). The English Civil War's Battle of Marston Moor was fought near York, and 3,500 Royalists met their end here. The Star's cellar was used as an operating room for the wounded, and it is said that their screams can sometimes be heard throughout the inn. Stonegate was the centre of York's printing industry, which is perhaps why it is mentioned in many accounts, and the sign that traverses Stonegate was first erected in 1793. Many ghost stories are attached to the Old Starre, but there is an unusual one in that two cats were said to be bricked up in the pillar between the door and the bar. It is said that they can be heard scampering through the pub, and that dogs will bark and bang their heads against the pillar trying to reach the cats.

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