| 28 August 2000 | BGS Newsletter | Issue 25 |
Welcome to the twenty-fifth edition of the Borley Ghost Society Newsletter.
Me and two friends visited Borley on the 28 July and managed to take some photos of
the
back of Borley church. Which when I got them developed show some very large orbs and some
small orbs. I was wondering if you would like me to send you reprints of these photos for you
website. If you would like a print I can forward you it with my order of the Borley church tape recording
which I recently ordered. I am sure you will find them very interesting
like we did. I have taken many photos in my time but never have I
had any thing like this turn out. Two of them are quite large and one small one. The time was
about 11pm. I only managed to take five picture because we were very intimidated by local
youths from near by Sudbury who happened to show up and spoiled our night so we drove the
two hours back home. When I read the local people are fed up with youths and vandalism I can
understand what they must be going through, because I have had dealings with these idiots and
vandals.
gary cooke
[One photo has been
posted on the web site.
[In response to the question's in the last newsletter.]
1) Why on earth would 'couples' "charge around the churchyard......."?
I'm afraid it is part of the courtship ritual of the youths who take part. The expression that best
describes their objectives is 'to scare the pants off' their date. the lads go there and set up staged
'hauntings' to impress their girlfriends. The 'Nun' is achieved simply by placing a jacket over the
head. Groans, strange scents, and the sound of horses do not tax the ingenuity of the local
population. I have spoken to octogenarians who admitted to doing similar things as children and
adolescents (and we know that these pranks were going on all the way back to the Bull
residency). Many a lark involved hiding in the hedge by the side of the road leading up to the
church, and leaping out at the victim with a jacket over the head (to general hilarity, except for
the victim).
2)Why, if these people are causing(criminal) damage, are the police unwilling to take action?
We have suffered a great reduction in local policing in the past five years. The local bobbies are
now spending more time filling in forms and doing traffic work. The have closed several local
police stations, in favour of centrallising at Braintree, half an hour's drive away. Unfortunately,
crimes against property are now very low in their priorities, and there has been a great upsurge in
crime, particularly in East Anglia. Our houses are, sadly, becoming like forts.
3)Why would the publication of a new article about the haunting always cause such mayhem to
follow?
Because any such stories are taken up on radio and the local papers, and as the story gets copied
round, it becomes more credulous and uncritical. In other words, it makes a better story.
4)Do you know what this new uncritical publication is, and what it says?
There have been several, I understand in the UK national press based on the '100th anniversary of
the Nun's sighting'.. I'm afraid I cannot quote you chapter and verse as I cannot spend much time
monitoring the press for them. They do not 'add value' to the study of the Borley Rectory
phenomenon.
5)Why is this 'Essex resident' so certain about the alleged haunting being a result of 'gullibility and
credulity'? Why is he/she so anti Harry Price?
I've lived close by for thirty years and I've lived in Essex and the borders for 51 years. I've spoken
to many local people over the years, including several vicars of Borley, the residents of the
coach-house from the early 60s, and several people who served in the choir, or worked at the
rectory. I was friendly with Trevor Hall, and spoke at length with him about the details of his
research. I have all the published books. I've followed several lines of research myself, and every
time, the closer one looks at the facts, the more the alleged hauntings crumble into nothing. There
is a strong tradition in the local area that Harry Price exploited the situation in order to make his
books into best-sellers. One can understand why Harry Price injected sensationalism into his
books, used suggestive language like 'as if by an unseen hand', and surpressed uncomfortable
facts. It made a very readable and enjoyable book, but it was 'Faction', not 'Fact'. Ironically, both
the Smiths and the Foysters hoped to get out of their financial difficulties by publishing books on
the hauntings, but neither of them had the necessary journalistic skills or ruthlessness. Both were
preempted by Harry Price. Trevor Hall's researches into Harry Price were eventually published,
and speak for themselves. No, there is not much love lost for Harry Price in the area.
Andrew Clarke
Many thanks for BGS Newsletter 24 - most interesting as always. Re Michael Moatti's
letter: Years ago, in the 60's I think, I contributed extensively to a
French Pathe Television film on haunted houses with emphasis on Borley, including a visit to the
area. I still have a copy of the film somewhere, I'll try and dig it out."
PETER UNDERWOOD
Glad to see that you are still maintaining the Web Site. It's too
bad that so many uncouth visitors to the church area are causing so
much distress to the village residents. We certainly had a kinder reception there in what was
most likely Aug-Sep 1953 (vs the Apr-May that I'd thought for so long). If they've
kept the guest books from that era then an exact date could be easily
determined! I am especially glad that you are getting more images. The ones of
the Waldegrave monument have the columns more massive than I recall, and
I've no memory of so huge a decorated canopy over it. Could that have
possibly been a more-recent addition to it? The area to the immediate
right of it then didn't appear to be lit by any window(s) and had some
memorial plaque(s) (well up) on the opposite wall. The exterior 1947 views come closest to
what it seemed to be like in 1953. That is, less-ornately sculpted trees and somewhat overgrown
with denser, unkempt lower-lying foliage. We made no attempt to go around to
the "back" of the church - the front area seemed to have more than
enough tombstones! Too bad that we didn't bring our 127 snapshot Brownie camera along
with us that day!
Pat Dyer
I have recently [written] a book on Borley Rectory and am looking for a publisher. Do
you recommend any publishers who would print this book? Thank you for your time.
Philip Lickley (Aged:14)
Having now also listened to AN
INVESTIGATION INTO THE HAUNTING OF BORLEY CHURCH
, it is very interesting. Some of the sounds
are very similar to those we recorded the same
year, and
the phantom door is very similar to the noise we recorded of my Father
opening and closing the main entrance door. S'funny - had we not witnessed
the exact same phenomenon, I would be very skeptical!
Adrian Butcher
I have sent you some E-mail previously to this, and I said I would forward some strange
photos which I had taken at Borley, over visits spanning the last 5 years. However, I am new to
my computer, and have yet to work out how to send these to you. On my last visit, in May of this
year, I set up a tape recorder in the church yard, fastening the microphone to the window, and
basically left it taping, I returned later to turn the tape over, and then had another walk around the
church grounds. This particular night, all the weather did was rain, and to be honest, although I
hoped the taping idea would work, it seemed a long shot due to the weather. On the tape you can
hear rain the whole way through, but I had a few sounds which I can't explain, bangs which sound
to be inside the church, and then in at least three places some sounds which really shocked me.
There is someone breathing very deeply and drawn out on it, and the noise is very loud on the
tape at the side of the rain. I have to say, although I was hoping for something on the tape, this
has scared me to death. I know there was no sign of any people anywhere near by, as I kept
walking around, and then sat outside the church yard waiting for the tape to finish. You can also
hear what sounds like whispering, and something being dragged about inside the church. I would
really like you to listen to this tape, and tell me what you make of it. I have played the tape to a
couple of friends, and it's really scared them!! Although I'm a bit more scared now, I strongly
believed before that this place was weird, after numerous visits, but now I know for sure, there is
something there!! Without a doubt! Is it possible to send the tape to you at all??? I do appreciate
that you are busy, but I think this would surprise you as well. I am going again in September, and
intend to do some more taping, and take some more photos, considering the fact that every time
I've been something has happened, I hope it continues to do so (especially in September)!! I will
try to get some help to get the photo's to you, I have a friend who knows a little bit more about
computers so I will ask if she will help me do it, although all in all, there are about 10 strange
pictures. I do hope to hear from you, and can't wait for you to listen to my tape!!
Kind Regards
Claire Louise Young
I was moved by your Internet description of searching for signs of your
mother's survival ... a process I went through myself. Have you heard of a new medium
named John Edward? I'm a retired psychologist/parapsychologist, and did extensive research on
archive material from many of the best mediums ... Mrs. Leonard, Mrs. Piper, Rudi
Schneider, etc. I'm working on a book about Eileen Garrett. John Edward is better than any of
them at their best. I'm connected with him in no way, but am just astonished at the evidence he
gets through. Have you had any experience with psychics? If so, I'd be very interested in your
opinion of him. He's on the scifi channel Sun.-Thurs. at 11 PM [NYC time] and it repeats the
next day at 4PM. Many thanks for your fabulous Borley web site! I've cited it as one of my
favorite web sites in the Compuserve Toshiba forum, where I'm a sysop.
Best wishes,
Joan Healy
[There are a great many claimed psychics available, and I would not be able to visit them all on
my very restricted retirement income. My work with Borley research takes up all of my time. I
am not familiar with Mr. Edward.]
We've talked in the past about Borley Rectory. I am thinking about organising a 75 year
later [from 1929] event about the rectory and it's continuing appeal to people from all over the
world. Perhaps a get together of believers and un-believers for a forum and events around April
2004 at a nearby location to Borley - perhaps Sudbury? What do you think about this idea?
jeremy ainsworth
[Interested associates are encouraged to contact Mr. Ainsworth directly. As always, I ask that
any such venture keep in mind the comfort of the current residents of Borley.]
I stumbled upon your website, and was totally amazed by it. It is obviously a work of
love
for you, and you are to be commended for our outstanding work. Could you please send me the
'smailmail' address so I can become a member. Again, thank you so much for your wonderful
work. Bravo!
Susan Munsey
[In reference to ley lines and the flint of Borley acting like a radio receiver], Borley is
built on Clay, like much of Essex and Suffolk. This was laid down on top of a thick deposit of
chalk. There are gravel seams in the valleys, and many of the towns are built on these seams.
(Clay is not the best substance to build a house on as it shrinks when it dries, and is almost
impervious to water.) The houses and church are built so that the surface water drains away,
though you will notice that the elaborate drains in the cellar of the original Borley Rectory give
testament to the problems of the site. There is no natural stone anywhere near the surface, just
flints, so the megalithic cultures left no megalithic monuments. The ice-ages left a few erratics.
The bronze-age monuments were made of wood (See architectural reports of Flag Fen etc). There
are no traces that we know about in Borley. Ley lines in East Anglia are by no means firmly
established. There has been considerable occupation from the stone-age onwards, particularly in
the valleys. The nearby Stour Valley has a lot of evidence of bronze age occupation. The
pre-Roman roads were sometimes straight, particularly those laid down by the Belgic cultures, but
most frequently followed the valleys where the seams of gravel were exposed so as to give a
well-draining road surface. It is possible that there was an ancient track going northwards through
Borley towards Foxearth , past the church and rectory site, and now indicated by rights of way.
This may be Roman, as the area was a Colonia in roman times and intensively occupied by small
holders. There are no other alignments of any significance in the area. There is no need to
hypothesize any energy forces at Borley. Most local churches are made of flint and none are
haunted, and to my knowledge, no regular churchgoers, choir-members, cleaners, grave diggers
or undertakers at Borley have ever reported any strange phenomena there. In fact they report that
they definitely have not!
p.s. your mothers' account pretty well destroys Harry Price's claim to responsible scientific
method.
A resident.
Hello! I stumbled upon your wonderful website, and you are to be
commended. It is truly a work of love. You have done a wonderful job
of collection, and presented it is a clear concise manner.
Please send me the "snailmail" address so I can become a member. I am
really intrigued. I have had a few "encounters" and I am very
interested in the subject.
Thanks again for such a wonderful website. Bravo!
Susan Munsey
First of all I would like to take a moment to tell you just how impressive
your web site is. This is quite probably the most information that I have
read on the Borley Rectory. Great job!
My question for you is in regards to the picture [of the] Rectory
before the fire.
In the down stairs window (right side of the picture) there are two people
that are in the window. It
looks perhaps like a woman with her arm around a
child. Who are these people?
I look forward to a response and again, great web site!
Julie Heifner
[Thank you. The people are unidentified. It could be any one of over a dozen children with a
choice of several adults, including Henry Bull, his wife, a servant, a guest, or a visiting relative. It
could also be leaves of the nearby bush.]
Jamas Enright has come through once again with another mention by Terrance Dicks. The youth mystery writer mentions Borley briefly in The Transylvanian Incident.
Sir Simon Marsden has a fascinating new book, Beyond the Wall.
Composed after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, this unique photographic effort, "is a collection of
outstanding
photographs of palaces, castles, abbeys, statues,
effigies and follies in these confiscated lands." Duncan McLaren contributes to
the text.
Thanks to Kathy Rageur for the tip!
I've been busy on putting together material for a
book on the folklore and hauntings of the Twin Territories (Oklahoma/Indian)
and Oklahoma (after statehood). The going is slow, but well worth the time
and effort. Thanks for the original email you sent me telling to "Go for
it!" when I asked if you thought I could write a book on the paranormal.
Evelynne Ritter
If you would like a profile page made especially for you, just tell me a little about yourself and attach a JPG photo to an e-mail.