Loved the last newsletter. I wonder if those remains [at the church] were of the nun. Very interesting, and you know sometimes when remains are unearthed things start to happen.......I'm still working on my painting of Borley the Southeast gate. . . . In front of the house between the road that leads to the house and the house itself is what appears to be a masonry fence of some sort. Do you know if it was a brick fence covered with vines or just plaster or?...Not sure how to paint it. - Barbara Clements
[The photo on the left gives you the false impression the far gate post is part of a wall, but if you look at the photo on the right, you will see it is only an optical illusion - just a hedge. Also, there is no description of a fence in the inventory of 1938.]

Here is a cutting from Essex Countryside December/January 1957/1958 about Borley Rectory. Probably the most interesting bit is Peter Underwood's projected title for his book as 'The Truth about Borley Rectory'. The book, retitled to 'The Ghosts of Borley' is generally acknowledged to be the best book on the subject, even though it was published before Marianne's important testimony became public knowledge. I'm intrigued by Peter's claims that there were 'total inaccuracies' in the book 'The Haunting of Borley Rectory'. Even close readings of Hastings' monograph fails to show where Mollie Golding, Trevor Hall or Dingwall got it entirely wrong. Perhaps someone else can find these 'total inaccuracies' - Andrew Clarke

East Anglian Daily Times - Suffolk,England,UK Human bones could be 1,000 years old April 21, 2004 05:04 HUMAN remains unearthed in a village once dubbed the world's most haunted could date back around 1,000 years, it has been revealed. The legendary hauntings of Borley, on the Suffolk/Essex border, took a new twist when workman recently found part of a skull, ribs and leg bones, just outside the boundaries of the village churchyard. Experts immediately suggested the remains could have been those of a witch or non-believer, who were buried in disgrace outside the church boundaries. Other locals even feared the bones had a more sinister origin. They were worried they may be connected to the notorious Kray twins, whose London crime empire reigned supreme in the 1960s. It is reported the gangsters had a caravan in the parish around 40 years ago and stayed there on numerous occasions. Some believe Ronnie Kray hid there when wanted for questioning by police in the capital. But both theories have now been dismissed after tests on the bones revealed they date from between the 11th and 13th Century. The investigations also revealed the remains were those of a middle-aged man and a youth, buried near each other. Contractors converting a 14th Century barn, close to the historic church, dug up the remains in February. Essex police were called to the barn but a coroner ruled the bones were too old to warrant any further investigations. Local ghost researcher Edward Babbs pushed for full-tests on the remains, believing the bones could have vital links to the legendary haunting. The original Borley Rectory was once claimed to be the world's most haunted house and skull fragments from the 17th Century were found beneath it when it burned to the ground in 1939. A Cambridge scientist agreed to examine the bones on behalf of the Essex coroner and discovered they dated back as far as the 11th Century. Mr Babbs said: "It does now appear the latest discovery has no link with the haunting because they are so ancient. The point is we now know the truth." Church rector Capt Brian Sampson said: "I was with the Essex coroner when the examination was carried out last week. The bones were from two separate graves, one of a youth around 17, and another of a middle-aged man. The boundaries of the churchyard used to extend around where the bones were found in the 14th Century, so there is nothing unusual about them. The bones will now be re-interned within the grounds of the current churchyard."

The coroner has now examined the bones at Borley Church. He brought along an eminent Professor in Forensic Archaeology from Cambridge, who examined the two skeletons and was able to say that they belonged to two males, one aged around 17 and the other around 40. Both skeletons are well older than the barn, and it is now obvious to all that the barn was an encroachment onto the churchyard. Without expensive RC dating it is impossible to give the exact age for the bones but they are certainly mediaeval, and possibly prehistoric. There were two complete skeletons, and both of them showed distortion of the thigh-bone due to their having done a lot of squatting (their trade was probably one which involved a lot of squatting-some type of agricultural work perhaps?) the older one had bones that showed some rather female characteristics, but was definitely that of a male. Mr Fenwick and Mr 'expert' Babbs were both very much in evidence whilst the investigation was done. They were not invited to the investigation but hung about outside. They have rather irritated some local residents by their recent publicity drive for their book in the local press. The reason that only two skeletons were found is that the rest of the site has not been excavated down to the 2ft to 4ft level but it is now obvious that the churchyard was once much bigger on the south side (at one time, burials only took place on the south side of churches) but was subject to encroachments over the centuries. We do not know the full extent of the original churchyard, but it is quite possible that it extended even further into the farmyard in front of Borley Place and over what is now the road. The barn itself is an intrusion over the old churchyard. It is important now to be very cautious about coming up with 'Ted-Babbs-ish' stories whenever bones are found at Borley, as bones have often been discovered in the past when ditches and drains are dug, within the area of the mediaeval churchyard, and given to the Rector or sexton for re-burial. Mrs Smiths' story about the skull in a box is just one of these instances, and the stories about plague pit is another. In most mediaeval churchyards, with their many centuries of burials, these things happen quite often, and are dealt with discreetly by the parish. It is certainly not unusual to find bones in and around an old graveyard. - Andrew Clarke

You may be interested to know the outcome of the investigation into the human remains which were discovered near Borley graveyard on 27 February 2004. Workmen who were digging the footings for a barn conversion, unearthed an incomplete skull, ribs and leg bones at a depth of about 1.5 metres. The coroner was notified but took the view that as they were obviously old there was no need for further investigation. The original intention, therefore, was to re-inter them at an early date in Borley graveyard. Ted Babbs, however, felt that there should be an examination, especially as the recently-discovered skull was incomplete. Borley rectory was said to have been much haunted and after it was destroyed by fire in 1939, skull fragments were found under the cellar floor on 17 August 1943. Two experts identified the fragments as those of a young woman which some people believed supported the legend of the haunting. One had to wonder if there was a link between the two sets of remains. Ted therefore wrote to the coroner asking if an investigation could be carried out on the newly-discovered bones in view of the history of the site. His request was agreed to and they were examined, where they lay in Borley church, by Cambridge scientist Dr Corinne Duhig PhD MIFA, expert in osteo- archaeology and forensic archaeology and anthropology, on 14 April 2004. The results were surprising. The bones belonged to two males, one about 45 and the other about 17 at death, which occurred between the 11th and 13th centuries. In other words, they could pre-date the Norman Conquest and the present Borley church. The bodies were found close to each other and could have been buried in the same grave. The opinion of the expert indicates that it is extremely unlikely that they had any connection with the hauntings. Ted thinks that some people may be disappointed but he took the view that a possible connection was always a long shot. However, the true origins of the bones are now known which would not have been the case if they had re-buried hastily and without investigation. The coroner designated the remains as 'beyond living memory' and they will shortly be re-interred within the boundaries of the graveyard. Grateful thanks are due to the coroner, officials and to Dr Duhig for setting the record straight. Ted Babbs is author and joint publisher of 'Borley Rectory: The Final Analysis.' - Six Martlets Publishing

There were 2 sets of bones individually buried in their own grave exactly as per Christian Burials. Dr Duhig gave a probable date of c 14th century. You would expect this to be a generation at least before the building of the barn; peasants not being able to complain too much about the activities of their parish priest for fear of unmentionable reprisals. There is no evidence to connect the two graves - two burials and two different places and dates of burial. - Brian Sampson

The Foxearth Local History Society publishes its first book this year. We hired a professional author. It makes a huge difference. (I did quite a bit of research) It is about Rev John Fosters' brewery 'Wards Brewery' in Foxearth. . The Bulls were involved. They were secret investors. We'll be selling through the site. - Andrew Clarke

PICTURE BUYERS' FAIR 2004 - BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE, ISLINGTON, LONDON N1 SIMON MARSDEN & THE MARSDEN ARCHIVE invite you to visit them on stand no. 76 at the largest trade show for image buyers in the world. See photographs from his latest book The Twilight Hour - Celtic Visions from the Past and atmospheric colour images from his critically acclaimed Venice - City of Haunting Dreams. 12-13 May 2004.