28 August 2004 BGS Newsletter Issue 74
Welcome to the seventy-fourth edition of the Borley Ghost Society Newsletter.

Waldegrave Tomb Etching - THE BUILDER 1891

Here is a beautiful line drawing of the Waldergrave tomb. I have asked English Heritage if they have any info on Langenhoe church.Paul and i are planning to visit the site soon and hope to do something for the newsletter on the similarities with Borley.I find it fascinating that as Rev Merryweather was experiencing phenomena at Langenhoe Price and co were only twenty miiles away.It makes one wonder if he was aware of the haunting and would he have taken an interest.Then again 10 years investigation of Borley would be enough for any ghosthunter. - Eddie Brazil
[Please refer to Borley related excerpts from The Restless Spirits of Langenhoe by Rev. John C. Dening.]

William O. STEVENS. UNBIDDEN GUESTS A Book of Real Ghosts! 1945

I got this book over the internet called 'unbidden guests', and it has the story of Borley Rectory in it, amongst other ghost stories, all true. It was printed in 1945 and I liked the cover, and its interesting also because of being written so soon after the whole Borley affair. So I was reading it and it was very apparent to me this is probably 'the' book that Shirley Jackson read and was inspired to go on to write Haunting of Hill House. I never really knew how everyone understood that connection until I read this book. There is a lot in the book about Marriane Foyster and how the houses' paranormal activity centered around her and how Harry Price invited a hand picked team of strangers over to investigate the rectory and take notes and all. It's pretty obvious a connection, really. But then I did suddenly realize that the Haunting of Hill House was written about 1964, and your mother must've been familiar with the story, as it was hyped quite a bit. In fact I remember a whole story in Life magazine at the time featuring the house they shot it in, and the stories about the actors and all. It was several pages with photos. So my question to you is did she ever say anything about that movie? Did she go to see it, or take you? I hope you don't mind me asking, just wondering. I can't imagine she didn't realize the book was inspired by her own life. I would love to know what her reaction to that was. Was she silently amazed? I was first attracted to it for its cover, and I'm sending you the ebay link so you can see it (and copy it if you want) after I saw it had some of the Borley story in it. It's pretty interesting, being the first of the Borley complete stories I think. it was printed in 1945 and is listed among the books in the library of Trevor Hall, at http://borleyrectory.com/biblio/THbiblio.htm. In fact I have about 4 of these older books and it's kind of interesting that in the events following the fire there seemed to be several references to Borley Rectory in books and magazines in the early forties. It kind of lets me see the picture of the way it was in those days, the interest people had about it and the interest in the whole Foyster incumbency, as they call it. I will copy it with my digital camera and send you some of the pages so you can read it, its about 20 pages of it I think, in more than one chapter of the book. Not written 'simply' either. One of the best parts is the description of the sightings of the nun by Fred Cartwright, because I hadn't realized this but he saw her as looking pale, sick and with her eyes closed, on 6 occasions. He wasn't aware of the nun story until he mentioned it in a pub in town where he was 'filled in' by the locals in the know. After that he had a little tete a tete with Harry, over a beer in a pub and told his story. Kind of fascinating. - Barbara Clements
[My mother never mentioned Hill House. The only reference she made to such things was the fairy tale she told me about being tied to her bed by maids, who would then make thumping noises in the halls. On the very few occasions she talked about ghostly things, she always smiled.]

Stevens, William Oliver. Unbidden Guests. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1945. Mention on inside dust jacket. pp. 22-29, 40, 71-80, 82, 84, 88, 270, 292, 299-300, 302-303, 305. No pictures. (Takes on the daunting task of retelling the original Price version without varying from the original record. Many others mix up the facts while putting the story in their own words. Defines Price as a "frank skeptic," using the then-unique term "ghost-buster." Describes the story as being about "real ghosts." Divides the story into two parts in two different chapters - the silent nun, and the noisy poltergeist(s). In contradiction to most others who never saw the place, Stevens describes the rectory as "no venerable pile, steeped in history and romance, but a common-place dwelling. . . ." The nun was seen so frequently "that she had long been accepted as the familiar reverant of the rectory." Points out that when the sisters saw the nun in 1900, they and Harry were the only family members living at the rectory. Talks about the "stone with the letter B on it," being the possible burial site of Marie Lairre. He wonders if "some day an investigator may think it worth while to dig under it for the bones. . . ." An acutal border stone given to Peter Underwood by James Turner is clearly marked H. B. - as in Henry Bull. Recounts sightings of the nun by Edward Cooper, who once saw her walk across a "sort of manhole with a loose metal cover, flush with the ground. No one could walk on that cover without making it clank. But as she stepped on it there was no sound.") **

THE GHOST OF BORLEY RECTORY, 1863-2003


I call it THE GHOST OF BORLEY RECTORY, 1863-2003.I think it will give visitors to the site an idea of what Borley looks like today and what Fred Cartwright saw that morning in 1927.- Eddie Brazil

Petion for doctorate degree in the field of Parapsychology

If you agree with it or feel that it is something that would be valuable for those in the Society and other contacts, please feel free to share Petion for doctorate degree in the field of Parapsychology. - henry bailey

George Owen tribute

This is a new web page about George A.R. Owen. This is my home page. - Jonas Liljegren

Associate Activities

For my new painting of the rectory, I painted the front door last night, and today I start on the building next to the tower! Yaaah! Hoping to completely finish painting the house by the end of August. Actually it looks pretty good, too. You know another thing, the windows are generally long and thin but the dining room whole side is bricked, was that window as big as the bay windows or something? To be honest the fact that they bricked up the dining room window is supposedly due to the nun looking in and all but I have a bookcalled Old Houses in England, I bought it for this painting. It came out in 1930, by Rowland C. Hunter, and was printed in Great Britain. It has many photos of older homes, mostly I would think 1700's and earlier, but I notice there are a few bricked up windows, owing to the cold and maybe even the window tax. But it does mention they bricked up windows due to the cold. How much truth do you think there is to that story of bricking up the window due to the nun's appearances? - Barbara Clements

Letters to the editor

I am fascinated by the history of Borley Rectory and am eager to keep up and take part in discussions about the history of Borley Rectory. I am currently the archivist in charge of cataloguing the archives of Harry Price at the University of London Library. That probably explains my interest! - Stefan Dickers

We are on or near an Indian burial ground or on there sacred ground. There were three major Indian tribes here before we came and started slaughtering them. Our house apparently (according to a psychic) was a known helper house for the Indians that were left. The woman of the house hid Indian babies and children in the attic and some did not make it. She fed the Indians out her back door when her husband was away. there was alot of prejudice back then ofcourse, and the Indians were really dehumanized and treated poorly.....Not sure if it is because of the negative energy on the land from the terrible things that have happended or not, but there have been some awful things that have happened INSIDE the house too, and there are atleast five children, a man, a woman. We have lots of evps and lots of pictures - amazing pictures.... I am short on time right now, otherwise I could type a book! - Josie

I have an intrest in the rectory and harry prices studies i am a twenty three year old man who has a degree in war studies from kings college. i have an intrest in historical study, film making and war games. i ahve an intrest in the paranormal and there study over the ages. - kennedy

Borley Rectory "home page"
Founded October 31, 1998 by Vincent O'Neil to examine without prejudice any and all existing records and research related to the alleged haunting of the rectory and church of Borley, Essex, England. It is not the purpose of the Society to cause undue hardship, embarrassment, or discomfort to the present residents of Borley.