Welcome to the sixty-ninth edition of the Borley
Ghost Society Newsletter.
Marie's lair?
You may be interested to know that human remains were discovered near Borley
graveyard on Friday 27 February by builders digging the foundations for a
dwelling.
A 14th century barn, outside the western side of the churchyard is being
converted into a private residence. Whilst digging the new footings, workmen
discovered an incomplete human skull, ribs and leg bones. The police were
notified immediately and the coroner took the view that as they were
obviously old there was nothing suspicious and therefore no need for an
investigation.
This is unfortunate in view of the history of the place; with modern
technology and expertise it would be possible to determine the age of the
remains and the age at death and sex of the individual.
What was left of the skeleton was placed temporarily in Borley church, which
is now always locked when unattended. The Rector, the Rev Captain Brian
Sampson, was not prepared to allow inspection before re-burial in the
churchyard which is expected to take place shortly.
The view has been put forward that the graveyard may have been larger at one
time than it is now. Brian Sampson said that there was little planning
involved in where graves were located in the years following the building of
the church and they were grouped around the church in no particular order
and with no defined boundaries. One could easily have been left outside the
perimeter when it became enclosed at a later date.
Some people think it strange that no other remains have been found. The barn
is a considerable size and many yards of foundations have been excavated. If
they impinge on part of the long-ago graveyard, one would think that the
diggers would have come across other graves.
Ted Babbs wonders about the incomplete skull. He would have liked to see if
the missing sections make any kind of a fit with those which were discovered
under the cellar floor of Borley Rectory on 17 August 1943. These were
examined professionally and photographed before being reinterred at nearby
Liston (see Harry Price's 'The End of Borley Rectory,' plates 18 and 19).
Finally, Ted asks: 'Why the hurry?'
Regards. - keld fenwick
No doubt you have heard the latest from Borley - in excavating the foundations of the old barn just outside Borley churchyard, workmen have come across an ancient skeleton: sex not discernable, and missing hands and feet and no corresponding bones nearby. Also, part of the skull missing - could the missing part be buried in Liston churchyard? All very interesting and more to divide the village apparently. - Peter Underwood
The skeleton was two foot down right under the barn, and allowing for the erosion of the soil floor within the barn, was originally the standard four foot down. The skeleton probably dates from around the 14th century, before the barn was built. It would seem that the barn was an encroachment on the old burial ground, which would imply that it really was a tithe barn at one time. It is not unusual to find encroachments onto the burial ground in churches around here. We can also find extensions to a burial ground made in time of plague (of which there were several), which were later abandoned as churchyard. For this reason, nobody gets excited about human remains which are next to a graveyard. At Borley, as at many other local churches, the original churchyard has probably suffered several encroachments in late mediaeval times. There is nothing sinister or unusual in this event and the remains will be reburied properly with due ceremony. It is quite a thought that the owner of those bones may have been one of those people listed in the 'Extent of the Manor of Borley' in 1308. If part or all of the farmyard at the front of Borley Place was built over part of the graveyard, it would account for the human bones that occasionally feature in the Borley Rectory saga (e.g. the skull found by Mrs Smith, and the bones in the cellar), and the legend of the plague pit reported by Harry Price in his original book. - Andrew Clarke
Very cool! And thought provoking! It's too bad there will be no
investigation into cause of death, age of bones, etc. - Karen Zimmerman
[By the time they were buried at Liston, the skull fragments had been damaged even further, having been dropped whilst being studied. "It fell on the wooden floor of the studio and broke into four almost equal pieces." EBR, p. 269. The casket of their burial was quite small - 4" by 5" - p. 288. Please see the pictures on my web site. "It is not the purpose of the Society to cause undue hardship, embarrassment, or discomfort to the present residents of Borley. Their rights and serenities will not be disrupted by any member of the Society. Such residents will be treated with the same dignity in which Associates of the Society would wish to be treated." - Borley Ghost Society Mission Statement.]
The begining of the story
From Andrew Clarke come this addition to the Borley News. "February 18th 1861. Married on the 11th inst at Hastings----The Rev
H.D.E.Bull, the son of the Rev Edward Bull, Rector of Pentlow, Essex, to
Caroline Sarah the eldest daughter of the Rev H.S.Foyster, rector of All
Saints Hastings."
The end of the story
Andrew Clarke's review of Ted Babbs' book contains a number of errors and we
would like to correct them. Would you extend the hospitality of the Borley
Rectory web site to us and publish an open letter to him?
- Keld Fenwick, Six Martlets Publishing
A review of the book appeared in The Christian Paranormal.
[See also the reply from Andrew Clarke. More reviews on this book from other associates are welcome.]
More on the tunnels and other background Sidelights
I have updated the Sidelights (Tunnels and Bullsheet) with
the references to Monks Hall in Glemsford. We know that the Bulls visited
the rectory and Henry Bull preached there on occasion. I also put in a
little piece by Lord Charles Hope who accompanied HP on his third visit. I
popped it in the sidelight 'Bells, Black ink and Birdcages', which already
discussed the third visit. - Andrew Clarke
Hans Who?
Do you know (or do you know anyone who might know) what year Hans Holzer was born? - Tom Ogden
Month unknown, year 1920. Interesting that it is so difficult to find a biography with a birthdate for Holzer on the Internet. Maybe for some reason, Holzer himself doesn't know? Most folks weren't born in hospitals in 1920, and if his mom didn't make
careful note of the date... - Linda Cody
Holzer was born in Vienna in 1920. He was educated in Vienna & Columbia Universities & in 1962 he married Catherine, Countess Buxhoeveden, a sixth-generation descendant of Catherine the Great. [See] Peter Underwood's 'The Ghost Hunters'. - Paul Adams
Borley Rectory was long gone by the time Holzer began writing in the 1960s. He deals with contemporary hauntings, not historical hauntings. Many of his readers have since branched out, however, to other writers who DO mention Borley. In other words, Holzer helped create the enormous interest in the paranormal that we see today. -
Karen Stevens
Train lights?
I'd be very interested in your investigation into the light in the window at Borley Rectory. The chap I spoke to about it was the plumber responsible for maintaining the hand pump in the courtyard during the Bull residence, and later on. He noticed the light in the window showing in the courtyard. When he examined it close-up it was glowing with a phosphorescence that he put down to rot. I've never heard of rot causing phosphorescence. The climate is pretty dry here and although we get some wet-rot, Dry rot (which requires a slightly more humid atmosphere) is quite rare. He was a local man and a member of the church choir. Like most of the locals he was very sceptical of the ghost stories and was quite adamant that the glowing of the window was due to natural causes. Luminous paint used to be very easy to get but I haven't seen it for ages It is a mixture of pigment, oil, and a phosphorescent sulphide, usually calcium or barium. It needs exposure to light before it will appear luminous in the dark. The luminous paint that used to be put on watch faces contains radium, is radioactive, and therefore does not require exposure to light. When I was young, my father made me a ghost train for my model railway, painted in Luminous paint. It was enormous fun. Even he used sulphide rather than radium, though I'm sure the latter would have cured my acne! I suspect natural causes. Like the smell of lavander, everybody seemed to notice it (though there seems to be a long gap between Eric Smith's and Rev Henning's observations). Like the lavender, I'm sure an obvious explanation will pop up. Keep up the good work.
I have tracked down a film of a journey on the railway from Sudbury, past Borley to Melford and beyond. it is being digitised at the moment. As Eddie suggests, I know the line very well, and I actually own nearly half a mile of it as it goes through my garden at Cavendish. I used to travel on it a long time ago. I'll need to go and check but the section of the line he illustrates is almost in Brundon, and the difference in level would not have masked the light from the carriages. In front of Borley Mill, the railway is on an embankment. It would have to be as the valley floods! We have just come across a rather charming press report of the building of the line -
Bury and Norwich Post, October 9th 1860 - The surveyor has commenced "staking out" the new railway line to be built between Sudbury and Clare on Saturday last and there is every reason to believe that the line to Clare will be completed before this time twelvemonth. The line will run from near Cady's lane across Mr Stedman and Mr King's field, by the gasworks over Mrs Baker's meadow to the river, crossing of which will at the back of Mr Sparrow's house across the Prospect over the Marsh and by there to Borley. Don't forget to visit. - Andrew Clarke
Associate activities
I'm a lifelong resident of North Essex. My own experiences at Borley are recounted in Peter Underwood's book 'The Ghosts of Borley.' I'm a former member of the Ghost Club Society and S.P.R. Have also just finished re-reading 'The Widow of Borley.' Chartered librarian, particular interest in the ghosts and legends of Essex and Esat Anglia - Jon Simons
{"Mr Jon Simons of Highman Park, London, has been interested in the ghosts and folklore of Essex for a long time. He visited Borley many times without having any supernormal experiences. On 4 February 1970, a Saturday, he and Miss Marcia Matthews were reading entires in the Visitors' Book when they heard footsteps coming up the path but no one entered the church and there was no one in the porch or anywhere in the churchyard when they looked a moment later." pp. 181-2]
Here a tunnel, there a tunnel
From the Foxearth site MONKS HALL "It is probable that the present fascinating building was erected in the 16th Century upon an ancient site. There are many stories of this house most suggesting that it was at one time a monastery, and it is said that a secret tunnel linking it with the Church still exists. Several ghost stories are told of this area and from them it appears that a ghostly figure of a monk walks the paths near his ancient haunts. In a mellow light with its ancient roofs and chimneys the old house has an air of enchantment and mystery."
It is a lovely house, and a beautiful setting, overlooking the Stour valley opposite Borley. the tunnel legends were taught in the local school and local people will give all sorts of details. - Andrew Clarke
Bibliography
Taylor, Troy. The Ghost Hunter's
Guidebook. Alton, Illinois: Whitechapel Productions Press, 1999. pp. 49-51, 74, 77. Photos
of rectory after the fire and of Price's Ghost Hunting Kit. (Dedicated to "the memory of Harry
Price, the greatest Ghost Hunter the world has ever known." Writes as a skeptic, "in the truest
sense of the word. A skeptic, by definition, is a person who keeps an open mind about
everything. Unfortunately, the true definition has been corrupted over the years to mean someone
who is close-minded to everything." With his kit and methods, Price "[set] the standard for those
who would follow." The two and one-half pages devoted to Borley do not detail the full history,
but highlight some of the more famous aspects. "Many of Price's accounts from Borley would be
first hand as he claimed to see and hear much of the reported phenomena. . . In addition, he also
collected accounts from scores of witnesses and previous tenants of the house." Concludes,
"Despite what his detractors would claim, [Price's] books would set the standard for future
investigations and would mark the first time that detailed accounts of paranormal research had
been exposed to the general public. This, I believe, is what bothered [his critics] the most. . .
Harry Price must be remembered today as a pioneer in paranormal research.") ** autographed
Taylor, Troy. The Ghost Hunter's
Guidebook. Revised. Alton, Illinois: Whitechapel Productions Press, 2001. pp. 47-8 56-61, 83, 106. No photos. Floor plans. (Expanded coverage of Price and Borley from his first edition. Balanced and mostly accurate synopsis. Mentions the controversies, but does not let them detract from his recounting of the basics. "Price even leased the house for an extended, round-the-clock, one-year investigation." While Price may have desired full-time investigators, the diary of the lease by Sidney Glanville shows spotty attendance, seldom lasting more than a day or two at a time. There is no indication from the original records that "Bull. . . .built the rectory on a site believed by locals to be haunted.") ** autographed
Letters to the editor
Hi, my name is Anna Rokosch, I work for a German lifestyle and city magazine. I write an article about interesting houses.I would like to write about ghost houses, especially about borley rectory. My question to you is if you could send me maybe any photos from the house which we can publish in our magazin. I hope you can help me! Please answer soon, goodbye, Anna Rokosch, Göttingen, Germany
It sounds like all that activity over the years is caused by that nun or monk. Unless something happened prior to 900AD. - Brian Wieland
I'd like to find the text for 'murder at the parsonage' by Mrs Smith. - Andrew Clarke
[I have never heard whether it has survived in any form whatsoever.]
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