23 January 2002 BGS Newsletter Issue 42

Welcome to the forty second edition of the Borley Ghost Society Newsletter. Today marks the 103rd anniversary of my mother's birth.

Perspective - think outside of the box

Please check out a new essay on perspective. It pretty well sums up the way my mother thought. There is also an experiment with "Anti-entropy."

Verger and sexton the same?

I am researching my family history. My grandfather and great grandfather were vergers at Liston church. I notice that in the book "The ghosts of Borley" its mentioned that the Rev Guy Smith's wife found a skull and this was buried by the Rev and his sexton. This seems to be somewhere around 1928-30. My Grandfather William Smith, (no relation to the Rev.) mentions digging graves so I guess verger and sexton duties were carried out by the same person. I wonder if there was a seperate verger/sexton for Borley or could the sexton mentioned be my Grandad? Would any kind person know anymore about this?
Thank you
Heather Saxby
[Excellent question. I shall inquire about.]
Yes. The graves are generally dug by the undertaker, and a sexton would have little work nowadays. Several people would have undertaken this work, and in the early 1900s they still took a remarkably casual attitude to their work. Hence the presence of the skull in the first place. (in a long-established and crowded graveyard such as Borley, there are a lot of graves and the maps are not always completely correct. It is quite common to accidentally disturb an old burial). One person would probably have taken on the role of verger, sexton, cleaner, bellringer etc. in a country church like Borley. curiously, the work was often done by the local builder, as building work was then seasonal, and the majority of deaths were in the winter months.
Andrew Clarke

Additions to Things My Mother Tried to Teach Me

"Mother's piece of pie always tastes best." She was always generous, and always ordered pecan pie when we could afford it (and sometimes when we couldn't!) "This too, shall pass." Although we had many heartbreaks, she was indomitable to the last. More: "Don't kick away the ladder that helps you up. A trouble shared is a trouble halved. Background is something you make for yourself. Don't worry so much about being perfect. . . . . . .nobody wants to be around perfect folk. Don't look down on people, even if they seem 'stupid' - even donkeys have beautiful, brown eyes. When the going gets rough, I put on my 'fightin' boots,' and keep trying. Don't be over anxious - the worst never happens. Try to cultivate a friendly smile, and the breathless, 'Hi!' That which is easily accomplished is worth nothing. I shall have memories that will be a warm fire to shelter me from the cold."

Letters to the Editor

I visited Borley maybe a dozen times during the 1980s, invariably with at least one other person but, sometimes, with more. I’ve read Harry Price’s books about the place and, also, relevant material by Peter Underwood, Paul Tabori, and others. My visits ceased after reading in Great Hauntings (ISBN 0-7481-0146-2) that a group visiting Borley was approached by “something huge and dark, like an animal”. Ghosts and the paranormal I can cope with, but I take no chances when there’s the possibility of meeting something evil (as might be suggested by this encounter with whatever it was). Like many of the other correspondents on this website, I have had some curious experiences at Borley. I use the word “curious” advisedly, as I cannot say for certain that they were paranormal experiences. On one occasion my camera refused to work when pointed in the direction of the church (so did my friend’s camera too) and there have been problems starting cars when trying to leave. For this reason, we got into the habit of parking on the grass verge in front of some of the bungalows built in the garden of the former rectory, facing downhill and away from the church, so that the car could be allowed to roll away if we couldn’t get the engine started! Some of my night-time photographs, when developed, have revealed white, almost-transparent shapes and I noted similar shapes in some of the photographs kindly provided by other correspondents here. Their pictures, like mine, were snapped when it was cold and I wonder if it’s moisture in the air that’s being illuminated by the camera’s flash? That moisture would, of course, be invisible to the naked eye but would be caught on film if lit up. It’s just a theory. During another visit, our group of four was returning to the car at about 3 a.m., walking down the road, passing the bungalows, when there was a strong and distinctive smell of bacon cooking. The smell seemed perfectly normal, as if someone was making their breakfast and, initially, we thought nothing of it (other than “is there enough for all of us if we knock on your door?”). However, when we sought to establish which residence the aroma was emanating from, we could see no lights on; no smoke rising from a chimney; and no open window for the smell to drift out of. In fact, there was no sign of life at all. It wasn’t until I re-read one of the Borley books that I noticed the place’s original name – Borlea – was Anglo-Saxon for “Boar’s Pasture”. In my opinion, this is typical of the sort of experience many people seem to have at Borley, in that what may seem to be a perfectly natural event just might be a supernatural one. After all, when some people saw the nun, they thought it was perfectly natural for her to be near a rectory but, in fact, what they were seeing was supernatural. Another natural/supernatural instance happened during a daytime visit when we heard a large number of dogs barking. The sound seemed to be coming from inside a hut or shed towards the end of the row of bungalows. But who would keep such a large number of dogs (it sounded like a dozen or more) in a shed during daylight? On another occasion, a group of us were standing in the road between the church and the rectory cottage when we heard sounds like heavy furniture being dragged across a wooden floor. The noise seemed to be coming from the direction of the “old” rectory, adjacent to the church but, again, there was no visible sign of life in the building. As I’ve already said, all of the above experiences were “curious”. I could not say for sure that any of them were supernatural. They could have had perfectly normal origins. However, one experience does defy any logical explanation: A group of six of us were, again, standing in the road between the rectory cottage and the church when a column of what looked like mist started to rise slowly from the edge of the road in front of the cottage. We all saw it and watched it for possibly a minute or more as it continued to rise. By this stage, it seemed to have a kind of shape. If you can imagine a glass test tube about six feet high and just over one foot wide with mist swirling around inside it, that’s what we were looking at. Eventually, these swirling mists seemed to be forming into a shape and (we all later agreed) it was the shape of a person. I was nearest to whatever it was we were looking at and decided – in a moment of bravado – to take a closer look, so I took a few steps towards it. At this point my friends called me, almost shouting my name, and the spell was broken – both for me and for the mist. I went back to the group and we watched as the mist started to vanish. I noted that the process of its disappearance was almost the reverse of its appearance but much quicker, maybe only 15 seconds. My group disappeared too (home to north London) soon afterwards! The following day, I returned with one of the group and we had a good look round for a drain from which the mist (or steam?) could have been rising. We found none. I reported most of the above information to ghost hunter Peter Underwood in a letter that I sent to him via his publisher, though whether he ever received it I do not know. . . .
Happy ghost hunting at Borley, everyone, but please respect the feelings of the locals.
Stephen D. Smith
Complete version of longer message.
[Thank you VERY much for that last!]

Just a quick note to ask if there have been any recent reported happenings in and around Borley? Is the story still alive? Thanks very much,
Matt Giles (Essex,UK)
[None. The story has fans, much like the Beatles. The villagers are a bit put out by it all.]

I’ve noticed that some of the nun references have a minor but curious point in common with the wall writings. Witnesses have claimed to see the nun walking but also floating a few feet in the air as she walks. This has been attributed to a change in ground level since the nun’s lifetime and her ghost is probably remaining true to the ground level at her time. With respect to the wall writings, it has been noted that some of the writings were too low on the wall to have been written by an adult. But does such an observation inadvertently fail to consider that the ghost nun, if she did the writing, was possibly remaining true to the actual level of the floor or ground at that particular spot in her time? The bottom line is that both the walking nun and the wall writings have height anomalities which reinforces the assertion, in my opinion, that the wall writings are properly attributed to the ghost nun.
[Also]. . . . One of the main Borley Rectory books indicates that Borley investigators had been unable to trace Adelaide after the Foyster residency. However, [your Borley bibliography] shows that Adelaide turned up years later. Was Adelaide ever interviewed regarding what she may have remembered with respect to her having been an eyewitness to some of the more bizarre happenings at Borley Rectory?
Thank You
Scott Cunningham
[She told me she did not want to talk about it, claiming she was "too young" to remember anything. She denied starting the fires.]

". . . . Occam's (or Ockham's) Razor or the law of parsimony [states that a] problem should be stated in its basic and simplest terms. In science, the simplest theory that fits the facts of a problem is the one that should be selected.This rule is interpreted to mean that the simplest of two or more competing theories is preferable and that an explanation for unknown phenomena should first be attempted in terms of what is already known. . . . Occam's Razor would say that given the lack of evidence for flying saucers and the complexity involved in getting UFOs from distant galaxies to arrive on earth the second interpretation (that someone had used some sort of instruments to push down the grass) is simplest."
[This web site discussion was found by associate Bill Vicars.]

On the eve of mel/2000=2001 my daughter visited Borley Church and at my reqest taken 8 photographs of the visit on which was round orbs of all about her standing at the door way others took in the graveyard in some of these long shapes float about her (like a tiolet roll thrown at football matches)the film was 24 films of these the first 8 was of family she was visiting as was the last 8 snapsof normal familey snaps She had taken the snaps for me as I have always been interested in Borley ghosts film and negatives are kept safely packed away . . . she was unaware of anythink at the time the snaps was taken only when she sew the prints did we see them/the orbs circles of light comeing towards her. . . My d/ter wants 2 sell the snaps - 8 in all.
LucSpnc
[I do not know of ANYONE who purchases this type of photos. There are so many of them being offered free of charge. I suggest using a good search engine (I use www.google.com) and looking for something like "ghost photos." After you investigate a few sites, you might find one willing to purchase them. Good luck!]

I look forward to spend one night in your Castle with my friends. Could you provide me with the following information such as:
1. Are there any REAL gosts in this Castle?
2. What will it cost us to rent it for night?
3. What is the price per person/per room?
4. When we'll be able to come there?
Yours Sincerely:
Hackeemjan Malaev
[I am sorry, you have gotten the wrong information. Borley Rectory was a private residence. It burned down in 1939.]

[Regarding] Simon de Dullingham Rector of Borley in 1348. If my sources are correct he was decended from Algar/Algaf Earl of Mercia and Lady Godiver. As you may have guessed I am the Son of a Dullingham and now live in the USA. I am very interested in my family History and i would be obliged if you would supply me with any details of Dullingham family.
With regards.
Richard C Jones
[Whilst this entire project started as a result of my genealogical research, I have not been able to look into every line associated with Borley. However, I will pass along your name to associates of the BORLEY GHOST SOCIETY, and encourage any who have information to pass it along.]

I have arranged a dowsing course for Saturday 27th April as there now seems to be sufficient interest. The course will be in the village of Cromford, which is in the Peak District of Derbyshire. The course will be for one day and the cost will be £10 per person. The course Tutor will be Lord Peter Naylor who is an academic and also a very experienced dowser, he has written and broadcast on the subject on many occasions. Everyone will be responsible for their own transport and accommodation arrangements. I would appreciate it if anyone who is interested would kindly contact me via email at their earliest possible convenience.
Robert Snow
General Secretary of The Ghost Club

Congratulations again for your unique research project - long may it last! As I keep discovering - new evidence can always turn up in the least expected places. They who dig, find!
Guy Lyon Playfair

we find borley rectory very interesting and would be very happy if you could send us some information on the history of it.
"The Woodings"
[Thank you for your interest. As you can imagine, I get several such requests every day, and it is impossible to send individuals "packets" of information. Instead, I have provided a vast resource on the Internet, including a brief history and an extensive, annotated bibliography. If you still have questions after looking over all of the material, please ask. Also, I offer a complete history of Borley on CD-ROM at ghostbooks.com]

Could you tell me at which place. . . . I could get Mr. Underwood's book Borley postscript.
Joseph Olding
For your web site visitors [the price is] £7.50 a copy [regular retail £10] plus £2.50 towards post and packing outside Britian - £1 post and packing British Isles. . . . Contact White House Publications by mail with remittance in cheques in sterling or International Money Order in sterling please. [Box 65, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 1XT.]
Peter Underwood
[Thank you, Mr. Underwood. Using a currency conversion chart on the Internet, £10 is equivalent to roughly $14.4816 US. Be sure to mention the BORLEY GHOST SOCIETY when ordering in order to get the discount.]

Me and my mates have been to Borley but i would just like to know what now stands where the rectory was? we could not remember where the rectory was before it got burnt. We live near by in Bury St Edmunds so its easy to get to. Can you help us out we are very interested in your site, we went there and got scared shitless in broad day light but didnt see anything
cheers
Mark
[The site was razed in 1944. New homes have been built on the site, with no claims from the new residents of anything out of the oridinary. Please refer to the comments about visitors page.]

I found a mention in the latest Fortean Times referring to the Tony Cornell comments regarding cell phones and ghosts (FT 154, p. 8):
"PHONE THREAT: The appearance of ghosts, attributed by some to unusual electrical activity, could be threatened by electronic pollution from the 39 million mobile phones now in use in the UK. 'Until three years ago we'd receive reports of two new ghosts every week,' said Tony Cornell of the Society for Psychical Research. 'But with the introduction of mobile phones 15 years ago, ghosts sitings began to decline to the point where we are receiving none.' Boston Metro, 16 Oct 2001."
Linda Cody

Tony Cornell of the Society for Psychical Research was quoted by the Desert News in Salt Lake City, Utah as indicating that cell phones are electronically diluting ghosts. I would like to express why I disagree with him. I am disappointed with Mr. Cornell's conclusion. Given the recent concern about cell phones causing drivers to get into accidents, I'm surprized that Mr. Cornell didn't consider that, like the accident prone drivers, potential ghost busters are simply not paying to what's going on around them in my opinion.
Thank You
Scott Cunningham

First of all I wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We all hope that the year 2002 will be more peaceful than 2001 was. Your last BGS-newsletters were excellent! I visited London on the 15th December together with my mother. Our intention was to visit the cemetery of Brompton (London). It's a very old and eerie cemetery. . . . We know this place from a book I own, written and illustrated by Sir Simon Marsden, the great photographer. It's worth it to visit this cemetery. The atmosphere there is really odd!
So much for now, seasons greetings from snowy Germany to you and all BGS members!
Birgit Brenner

Hi Vince, its Patrick from the East Anglian Daily Times . . . . I was interested to see your review on Underwood's postscript. Particularly intrigued by the text of the 1947 BBC broadcast and the interview with Mayerling. I am hoping to put together another article about this continuing, fascinating subject, probably based on the information of the postscript. . . .
Patrick Lowman

I just got a chance to read the December Newsletter -- well done! I appreciate your continuing to share your research and memories with us, and I'm excited about Peter Underwood's persistent interest in Borley. A new book from him would be wonderful.
The "Jack the Ripper"/Patricia Cornwall issue seems to have attracted a bit of attention from the associates. I especially appreciated Peter Johnson's comment: " I suspect that we probably resent an American coming along and throwing money at one our most notorious unsolved mysteries and, ostensibly, solving it within a matter of months after God knows how many people have worked for years and years - and been unable to reach a conclusion. The Sickert theory is, of course, not new and a lot more is yet to be said on this subject, I think." Well said.
Are any prints of the painting of the Church at Borley still available? . . . . I'd like to know price and availablity. It truly is a lovely church, looking anything but haunted in the sun-washed watercolor.
Linda Cody
[Unfortunately, no. They were about $50 plus S&H, but they were limited to only 100. If you want, you can call: Rupert Brown 011-44-1787-375252]

Bibliography updates

Moyses, Dennis. "Missed it Again!" The Ghost Club Newsletter. Winter, 2001. pp. 14-16. Photo of church by Pat O'Halloran. (Visit to the church 12 September 2001. Author and Natalie Thompson did not identify themselves as ghost hunters. "On entering the church I was surprised to find two ladies vending tea, coffee and biscuits. As [a bicycle] run was in aid of the church, Marion the church warden and her companion Mary, an ex-church warden were checking in the riders. . . . they pointed out a stained-glass window where one pane had been broken to admit vandals who had stolen the collection box and a chalice. Prior to this I was looking at the Waldegrave tomb, having recently read a suggestion that a lot of parnormal activity in Borley Church is due to a supernatural aura emanating from the tomb. All at once, Marion, rushing to the open door of the church, in an agitated voice enquired who the lady with the umbrella was. The figure passed the door on her way to the rear of the church, but when Marion went to look for her only seconds later, she had disappeared. . . .the irony in this case is that the eagar ghost hunters saw nothing, and the reluctant local in all probablity witnessed a ghost passing by." The investigators set up watch that night, but were disturbed by a "car load of noisy individuals. . . .[who] proceeded to make an infernal din with their shouting and a loud radio." The writer concludes, "I had always thought that the local inhabitants of Borley were spoilsports in turning away ghost-hunters and denying any ghostly happenings at the church. After witnessing first hand the vandalism and noisy visitors to the site, my sympathies are entirely with the villagers of Borley.") **

18th December 2001
We have just last week reissued The Enigma of Borley Rectory and I have pleasure in enclosing a complimentary copy. I think the best way you can obtain supplies is via www.amazon.co.uk Alternately, you can always telephone our UK distributors, Macmillan Distribution on (44) 1256 302699 to place an order via credit card. We ourselves do not hold stocks of any of our books.
With kind regards.
Yours sincerely,
Sue Peirce
Co-ordinator
foulsham {publishing]
(Reissued December 2001 under same ISBN. Cover identical except for price increase - £9.99 to £12.99, and $16.95 to $25.95. Placement of photographs on pages 122 and 142 corrected. The only copy changes in the entire book are regarding geography on page 6. "Behind Borley Place lies another cottage and a large pond, a couple of modern bungalows and then about a half mile of open fields, a turn off to Ballingdon and a farm road to Brook Hall." is corrected to read, "In front of Borley Place is Borley Place cottage. A large pond is further west. There's a couple of big modern bungalows and then about a half mile of open fields. . . (etc.)" Later on the same page, the publishers have ommitted the name of the current residents of Borley Cottage.)

This is a manuscript I wrote some time back about the Rectory and some of the evidence of the haunted events. . . . Read what it says about the brick photo, and the bells. I think it is quite good evidence of what was occurring there.
Carol Gist, Director GLS
http://www.ghostlabs.com/

Associate profiles

How did i become interested in Borley? Well,lets see. I believe it would be its mystique. It has that "Classic Haunted House" feel about it. I am fairly new to the "Ghosthunting" hobby, but have always had a fascination with the existiance of ghosts. And i do believe in ghosts,as when i was young i lived in a haunted house! Borley is a very interesting and fascinating place for me. I would just love to take my state of the art equipment and do an investigation at the former rectory, and church. . . . would you happen to know off hand how far Borley is from Mildenhall, England?
Thank you very much,
Kevin Surace
[See this Internet map.]

Associate Rick Strother tells us, "I am a certified ghost hunter and paranormal investigator. I love to do research into different paranormal activities."

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.

Tips

If you see a news article, magazine, or web site about Borley, or with an interesting take on ghosts and the paranormal, drop me a line and I'll pass it along. No, UFOs, please.

Feedback

Send your feedback via E-mail. I'd love to hear from you.
Borley Rectory "home page"