Tag Archive: The Priory Investigates…


THE BLACK BEAST OF MERCIA & THE MYSTERY OF THE ‘PHANTOM’ TRAIN

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May 28, 2016

THE PRIORY INVESTIGATES: BLACK SHUCK AND THE PHANTOM TRAIN

  • QUEST NUMBER SIX PART TWO

Black Shuck

  • St Martin’s Church. Overstrand:
  • The ‘Phantom’ Train:
  • Black Shuck:
  • Queen Boudica:
  • Richard III:

The next port of call on this particular day, after the very interesting time spent at St Andrew Church at Quidenham, where many revelations made themselves known to us, was to be St Martins Church at Overstrand on the North Norfolk coast, not far from Cromer. The main legend that prevails at this church is of a seemingly phantom train that is said to ‘whoosh’ through the very church itself…. but is it an actual train or something else? There was never an actual train line here so why would there be a ‘ghost train’ here? Well we hoped to find out.

Overstrand Church

The church is set in a beautiful churchyard with many shrubs and plantings and a seperately laid out area as a cremation memorial garden and also some beautiful carvings on the outside walls. The church does have an amazing history of survival, for the original medieval church probably fell into the sea, for in 1399 a patent was granted to build a church on the site. In the 18th century the aisle-less church fell on hard times and after the roof collasped it was decided that a smaller church would best fit the needs of the parish. But by 1859 this smaller church no longer filled the needs of a growing community and popular holiday destination, so the old church was abandoned in favour of a new one built in the west of the same churchyard. The old church still survives but is now overgrown with ivy.

  Carvings from the outside of the church, the newer interior, plus a Richard 3rd and a Boudica connection.

Further rebuilding ocuured in 1911 but this time using as much of the older original materials and artifacts from the old church which were still laying in the grass. Some of the older parts of the church such as the remains of the north porch were re-positioned and incorporated into the new design. The church does have a very ‘modern’ feel about it and is much plainer in decor than some of the other churches we have visited, yet the eagle eyed can easily spot the more ancient aspects of the church which date back to a much older time in history long before the present day church was built.

On the floor of the church, at the top of the main aisle are some very interesting carvings upon ancient stone slabs, which i am guessing may have come from the old church remains. Whether they mark the tomb of someone of prominence i do not know but the style of carvings on them are of a much older time, much much older than the present church and there are certain strong clues here that suggest  that one could even relate to Queen Boudica herself. The slab just below it is even more worn and again is probably from the original building. Even though it is very worn there is a strong suggestion that it is definitely connected to King Richard 3rd himself.

Let our lead researcher explain some more about the history of the church, the legend of the ghost train and Black Shuck and most importantly the connection to Queen Boudica, the Crown and to the sites previously visited – click on our link

OVERSTRAND: Black beasts & phantom trains

High up upon the church wall are to be found plaques to Richard 3rd and his wife Lady Ann Neville; not original as such but still very relevant.

     Looking through the original church doorway into the newer part of the building. Also shown is what is know as the ‘water mark’ from whence the priest would have obtained their holy water used for their blessings; their ‘water mark’.

Conclusions of the days visits: As always nothing is ever what it seems and one always has to dig deeper for the truths; there are those truths that we are able to know and those truths that are specifically hidden.

  • The resting place and chambers of Queen Boudica, who she really was and her bloodline, are firmly hidden from the general public; one wonders why?
  • Even today much is still hidden within the vast areas of the English landscape, which no one normally knows about.
  • The ‘real’ and original monarchy of these lands had a purpose not written about in history books.
  • All the sites so far visited are connected and had ‘Guardians’ – why?
  • Why is Knight Templar and Masonic symbolism  found in all  these ancient churches and where did it really come from? What was the Templars influence in those days of old?
  • Sir Thomas Holland was obviously highly esteemed and yet his resting place has been ‘preserved’ out of sight with no record of him – why?
  • Once again we find that ‘secrets’ of the past are often hidden by building over the top of them. What are these secrets and why are they hidden?
  • A pattern is emerging of the connection between the prominent characters buried at all of these sites; a family bloodline is revealing itself….
  • Richard the Third played a very important role and is a big part of the developing jigsaw puzzle.
  • The old churches indeed have a tale or two to tell, but one has to look from a completely different angle for the tales to reveal themselves; often far removed from what the history books tell us…

celtic cross

We can not say for sure,  but this beautifully aged and worn Celtic Cross hiding in a far corner of the churchyard, could possibly mark the resting place of a member of the ‘bloodline’ we are researching….

Please feel welcome to join our team or contact us re The Priory, as the ‘secrets’ are revealed and it is a very fun and social day out too 🙂

email me at ‘moon.willow@ntlworld.com’

‘Seek and ye shall find’

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A QUEEN, A KNIGHT & A LORD.

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May 24, 2016

THE PRIORY INVESTIGATES: QUEST NUMBER SIX PART ONE:

  • ST ANDREW’S CHURCH. QUIDENHAM IN NORFOLK:
  • BOUDICA’S CHAMBERS & RESTING PLACE:
  • LORD ARBEMARLE:

St Andrew Church <click to enlarge image>

So another fine day found us at the above locations seeking truths on the enduring legends that have surrounded these sites for many years. Tales of a mysterious headless horseman; a knight in fact of the realm, of whom his identity has always been shrouded in mystery. And the little know  resting place of a fine Celtic warrior Queen, who was also a healer and teacher of alchemy and the further slotting together of lost royal bloodlines. The first port of call was to the interestingly named St Andrew Church (no ‘s’ at the end of Andrew) set amidst tranquil and idealic countryside in the village of Quidenham, Norfolk.

St Andrew Church at Quidenham has stood on the banks of the River Whittle for over 1000 years and there is evidence of the site being a place of worship before the present building was erected. The present church dates from the 14th and 15th centuries; the round tower is Saxon dating from between 950 and 1050 AD and over the years, as in many churches respectful renewal and restoration has taken place. On the outside buttresses are three very interesting carvings said to be the sacred mongram ICH,  the three nails of the crucifixion and the crown of thorns with the letters MR (Maria Regina) Part of the churchyard is a conservation area with many old tombs and monuments, many to the Albermarle family.

       Follow the link to our Youtube channel and let Karl introduce you to Queen Boudica, the Headless Horseman and Lord Arbemarle.

ST ANDREW CHURCH QUIDENHAM: NORFOLK

Inside St Andrew Church, we find that we are now very familiar with the fact that what may appear to be christian symbolism is in fact Knight Templar or Masonic Symbolism; yet one can still take this back even a step further…

Boudica’s Chambers: Just across the road from St Andrew Church is to be found Queen Boudica’s Chambers situated alongside the area which would have been the church’s large graveyard and which is now cut in two by the road at Quidenham. Sadly at this point in time there is not any access to Boudica’s Chambers, (her castle or fortress) and believe me we did try! Many secrets within the English landscape; secrets of the Old Ways and older times are not ready to emerge, yet there may still be remains here of the building used by Queen Boudica to be found amongst the green gown of nature…

The Chambers from the roadside

Just a short way along the road and on the left hand side, is the actual resting place and memorial statue to Queen Boudica, which sadly is well out of public reach these days, probably purposefully so. It is all very overgrown and well hidden and unaccesable, in its small wooded area; the public is not encouraged to pass that way; even to pay respects. It is all told, a beautiful and peaceful area and church, with Saxon and Viking mounds nearby and just to see where Boudica’s castle or fortress is situated at Quidenham is an amazing experience. However one can make out the statue on google maps which in a small way does make up for having no access.

 Allow the Headless Horseman to introduce himself!

Detailed shot of the family crest and historic tomb record of the Knight Sir Thomas Holland; aka The Headless Horseman!

So many connections to be found here, to the other sites we have so far visited which will be revealed in time and why all the ‘happenings’ are at these sites; a pattern is emerging so as they say – stay tuned!

Please contact our team for more revelations and fun days out or join The Priory

email me at ‘moon.willow@ntlworld.com’

      ‘Its a quest for a lifetime and beyond’

‘The Keeper of Scrolls’

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REVELATIONS IN SCENERY, SKY AND SANDS:

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May 17, 2016

THE PRIORY INVESTIGATES: QUEST NUMBER FIVE PART TWO

  • WINTERTON ON SEA
  • SECRETS IN THE SANDS
  • HOLY TRINITY AND ALL SAINTS CHURCH

Our visit to Little Plumstead had been cut short yet the day had by no means drawn to a close for we spent a relaxing few hours on the stunningly beautiful and deserted beach at Winterton on Sea. This is a very interesting stretch of coastline for it is said to hide within its waters the point of emergence in the UK of a well know geographic fault line; the Madrid line. At one point along the beach, and at one point only, certain types of rock usually found underground, such as granite and pyrite could easily be spotted on the shore line, spewed up from beneath the waves by the tides. Other semi-precious stones such as cloudy quartz, milky quartz, moss agate, flint and different types of agate and fossils were in abundance everywhere, yet the granite and pyrite were to be found in just the one spot; suggesting an unstable seam underground. At one point on the beach huge chunks of pyrite have been strategically placed along the sands as a natural form of sea-defence.

 

 

The beautiful coastline with a clear blue sky and a close up of the twinkling pyrite <click to enlarge>

Sadly though the ‘geo-engineers’ were out in full force, as they usually are in this area and the once beautiful clear blue sky became a jigsaw of dull merging toxic chemtrails by tea-time….

The Parish Church of The Holy Trinity & All Saints: The parish church in Winterton  village was the last port of call for the day; with its very tall tower and unusually large size for a small community, it is certainly a very eye catching and immpresive sight. Its grand 15th century tower soars to a mighty 132 feet and is the third highest tower in Norfolk dominating the whole of the surrounding landscape. This medieval church is a mixture of styles and dates, having grown and changed over the years, when it almost went into rack and ruin but thankfully to the Victorian Gothic restorers we now have the wonderful church we see today. There is a distinctly nautical feeling about much of the interior and in 1891 on the Sunday evening after christmas, was held the first annual thanksgiving service for the safe arrival of fishermen and for the Harvest of the Sea; this Fisherman’s Thanksgiving was to continue for many years.

church 1   church 2

Outside and interior showing the very immpresive tower and the spacious knave area of Holy Trinity & All Saints, Winterton.

One of the things that did strike me about the altar area of this church was certain similarities of decor to that of Santon Downham Church previously visited. The colours of blue, gold and red around the altar and the design used was certainly in keeping with the Knight Templar and Masonic designs employed at Santon Church, as too was the ‘real’ cross and ‘four corners of the square’ as portrayed on the altar cloth. So much pause for thought here….

Altar.JPG

The ‘four corners’ and the altar cloth displaying the ‘real’ cross….

altar 1   altar2  altar 3

Close up of detail from behind the altar, showing clearly the similarity of colour, style and design to that of Santon Down Church. The style, colour and symbolism once again gives clues to Templar and Masonic connections

Worth noting here is the fact that our lead investigator once again found a personal conection here at the parish church of the Holy Trinity and All Saints. He located a member of his own family bloodline here; a one James Bartam, indicating once again the fact that nothing is ever what it seems and that there is always something more than meets the eye….

J B

  • James William Bartram
  • Connection to the ‘bloodline’ and ‘Guardian of Secrets’
  • and thus our Quests continue….

Please feel welcomed to join our team for more revelations and fun social days out or to join The Priory too…

email me at ‘moon.willow@ntlworld.com’

      ‘Its a quest for a lifetime and beyond’

seal 9

The ‘star’ of the day……

‘The Keeper of Scrolls’

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LITTLE PLUMSTEAD ASYLUM: NORFOLK

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May 8, 2016

THE PRIORY INVESTIGATES: QUEST NUMBER FIVE PART ONE

  • GHOSTLY HAPPENINGS. STABLE BLOCK MURDERS.  EXPLORERS IN THE NIGHT.

For Quest Number Five we traveled almost all the way to the Norfolk coast to a small town called Little Plumstead, NR13 5FB, not far from Norwich, to investigate the old abandoned hospital; the old asylum which now stands derelict and has over the years gained a reputation for unusual happenings. Built in 1889, the hall and estate were under the ownership of a Major Ashley; the hall itself was built on the site of a previous building.

Main Hall 1   Asylum 2

The Main Hall and one of the many other buildings on the landscaped estate

Some of the reports of the happenings that have been said to occur here include:

  • Noises through the halls and stairwells
  • People crying in the kitchen area
  • Poltergeist activity in Lower chambers (Hydrotherapy area / Kitchens)

General Information: Little Plumstead Hospital was originally Norfolk’s principle mental deficiency colony. It was opened in 1930 and closed in the 1990s. Since then it has mostly been flattened to make way for a mega housing development. Part of the site is still live and deals with sexual offenders and another part of the site is a primary school. which is a bit of a combination  to say the lest… All that remains now is the main hall, 2 blocks for admin and workshops and 1 main admin block and a few smaller out-buildings.

In its boom Little Plumstead had 351 beds over 16 wards and a further 2 bungalows for children. Little Plumstead Hospital Colony opened in 1930 within the grounds of an 18th century estate, the buildings in situ were utilised and additional buildings were added up until the 1970’s. In 1941 the hospital was approved as a “Complete Training School for Nurses for Mental Defectives”. Partial closure came in the 1990’s with the demolition of part of the site for the construction of residential houses. Sleep studies have also been documented here, using patients admitted to the hospital.

The main hall was lived in by Major Ashley, before it was sold to the Government in 1929. Ashley was then employed as a Caretaker and when the hospital opened, he trained and became a Mental Nurse.

main hall 2 (1)

 General view of the rear of the Main Hall, where Major Asley lived, showing just what a beautiful building it once was

Mr Allen Pratt was in charge of farming and his wife was in charge of the dairy. The Pratt’s lived in cottages in Water Lane.  In 1951, the Government further purchased Blofield Hall, a mere 1 mile from the hospital, so to expand its operation.

Hall 1930

The Main Hall 1930

Of further interest: In World War 2 some of the houses belonging to Joe Wiley on the green were hit by a bomb and one man was killed.

In November 2014 HRH The Earl of Wessex made a visit to Little Plumstead and spent time with Lord Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham James.

James William Bartram 1732 – 1804, a Guardian of  Secrets 1763 – 1804 had connections to this site.

On this paticular occasion we were sadly not able to gain access to the buildings which are now being redeveloped into apartments by a local person, and the whole area and buildings are now securely boarded up, however ‘urban explorers’ have been able to access the building by ingenious means but very sadly much damage inside and theft have consequently taken place. Yet not to be deterred we were able to find an entrance through the barriers that surrounded the Main Hall and do a little a filming directly outside the main hall.

Please follow the link below to our Youtube channel to find our more fascinating info on Little Plumstead Hall

LITTLE PLUMSTED ASYLUM: NORFOLK

 Some of the renovation works now being carried out to the rear of the buildings where once the stable block stood.

Renovation 1   Renovation 2

Mysterious Stable Block Murders: Just across the main entrance road, stood the original stables for the entire estate; there are reports of murders that actually occurred in the stables themselves, these murders happened quite some time before 1889; way back in 1613 to be precise, when the first murders occurred in the stables at Little Plumsted. Not much will be found anywhere about this sad event unless one digs into the archive records. Yet it is in the actual stables, situated across the road from the main hall where the murders of two farmhands occurred. Strangely no one was ever found or caught for the murders, but interesting to note that both victims were found to be laid out in a rather ritualistic way.

Since this occurrence, going back to the 1600’s and whilst the building was still a stable block, it was reported that every night the horses were heard to be frantically whinnying and neighing while inside the stables, in a very terrified fashion. There was seemingly no apparent reason why they should be terrified, for back in the 1700’s as it was, this was a very remote area. Yet when the local farm hands arrived to see what was wrong with the horses, the minute the door was opened the horses were amazingly calm again with no sign of any disturbance. This all went on for about five years until it was decided to smash the stables down and build anew there.

In addition to that, there is a further interesting story to what has happened at this site in the past; a past which has now been literally buried. We all know that the best way to hide something is to build something on top of it; the further reality as can be seen here, is that if buildings are not maintained thy go into dereliction and ruin and over time start to crumble and fall. It is interesting to note that there has been various planning permissions put forward in respect of Plumstead Hall, for turning it into residential housing, apartments and even at some point to turn it into some kind of community centre; yet every single planning application that has been made for Plumsted Hall in Little Plumsted has been refused; which only begs the question why?

Redevelopement and present day ‘explorers’: Our head investigator then managed to have a very interesting talk with a local guy named David who seemed curious as to what we were doing. David, as it turns out is a neighbour, he informed us, of the guy who has now actually bought the property here; ‘Cripps Development’ to be precise and who plan to turn the building here into apartments. It is infact Daniel Cripps, David’s said neighbour who now owns the building; a grade two listed building in fact, so obviously some great work is now being carried out on the site.

David went on to explain that almost every night the hall is besieged by break-ins, thefts and by whom are known as ‘urban explorers,’ who enter the building on a regular basis, He said it is very it is very difficult to keep them out. Sadly they and the thefts have caused a great deal of damage to the building and its fine fittings inside and have taken off a large part from the front stairwell; the bottom ten or twelve feet infact have been removed and thus it all hangs precariously….

Our head investigator went on to add that also a lot of people have visited the building due to the many myths and legends of various ghostly happenings and that many people do visit the site thinking that there is some kind of electric chair inside! Of course anyone who knows anything about electric therapy will know that it would have been conductors, attached to sponges, placed on either side of a patient’s temples, whilst they were lying down in bed here in the hospital; thus nothing whatsoever to do with an electric chair; so another bit of urban myth and legend, all adding to the mystery of the site. One can ot help but wonder how many of these strange happenings a re still going on today and what the new occupants of the swish apartments will make of it all….

 

 

                              Some of the beautiful architectural features of the main hall.

NB…  Sadly since we visited we have been contacted by one of the Urban Explorers, who has seen this write up and informed us that this beautiful building due to be redeveloped has been mysteriously raized to the ground by fire. A sad event indeed which one can only speculate about but the photos here are a lasting testament to a once wonderful building.

Please join us for interesting and fun days out – great company to boot!

email me at ‘moon.willow@ntlworld.com’

or to join The Priory proper please contact us via email or this webpage:

      ‘Its a quest for a lifetime and beyond’

‘The Keeper of Scrolls’

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ST MARY’S CHURCH. AKENHAM:

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April 3, 2016

THE PRIORY INVESTIGATES: QUEST NUMBER THREE

  • ST MARY’S CHURCH, AKENHAM SUFFOLK

St Mary’s Church situated near Akenham in Suffolk really is right off the beaten track; up the grass track in fact. It winds past Rise Hall (formely Rice Hall); one of the church’s ancient manors and nestles timelessly in the beautifully serene English countryside or so it would seem. For this lovely little almost abandoned church does hold some secrets to a very interesting past. It also has the nickname of ‘St Mary’s in the Fields’, standing on a rise amidst the meadows, over a quarter of a mile from the nearest road and so a challenge in itself to actually locate it in the first place. Once at St Mary’s the vews across the surrounding countryside are truly stunning. But yet again another church that seemingly no-one wants ‘outsiders’ to find and like Borley Church there are no road signs or direction to it. We ended up having to ask  directions a few times to folks who seemed reticent to give them. So thus St Mary’s here became quest number three…

To read more about the church and it’s history please see the links below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary’s_Church,_Akenham

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akenham

IMAG0189      IMAG0225

This flint-towered church from the later middle ages lies hidden in the heart of the rural English countryside.

There are several interesting tales about St Mary’s church; stories of  strange ‘happenings’ occurring; people seeing ‘ghosts’ appearing at the church windows and as was mentioned briefly in the previous clip, the bombings of world war two and reports from the village of the bells ringing for no reason. It has even been said that one can ‘raise the devil’ by walking thirteen times widdershins around the church – well we are going to put all this to the test later.

Obviously the church is clearly not in use and is currently being restored to its former glory. What is further interesting is that Queen Mary 1st of England, King Henry 8th’s and Catherine of Aragon’s daughter was quiet heavily envolved in this particular area of the land. It is interesting to note that when we went to Borley Church, Sir Edward Walgrave, who was buried in one of the tombs there, inside of the church, was the chief adviser to Queen Mary 1st and when she had her coronation, it was at this very church, St Mary’s of Akenham pretty much in the middle of nowhere, that there was a major celebration to mark her coronation on becoming Queen after Henry died. There was also another ‘mystery’, that of a very young child who had died and who was buried not in the graveyard, but on the actual boundary of the church.

The church was actually built, we think in the thirteenth century but there are reports of another church on this site pre the thirteenth century,  but we cannot be sure that this is fact. What is more important is that the church was involved under the ‘Burial Reformation Act’ in one of the most major cases of the time in England. This act gave people the right to be buried and it all came about because of a man named Drury who was a a reverend here; he was very devout to his religion and faith and the last of the ‘line’ of reverends who shared the same name.The case is quiet well known and has been documented in many publications over the years.

IMAG0226

The Strange Tale of Little Joseph Ramsey: One of the most interesting stories is the fascinating account of  a young lad called Joseph Ramsey who died when he was only two years old, in according to varying accounts, in quite suspicious circumstances. Because he was classed as what is known as a ‘non conformist’ he was not allowed to be buried within the church and it was agreed between Drury and the other reverend that Joseph could be buried on the outer part of the fences of the church boundary. But something happened for Rev Drury to agree to bury this poor lad in the church but on un-sanctified ground. There is a small gravestone to the edge of the church boundary which to all intents and purposes seems to be Joseph’s gravestone and many people of the nineteenth century believed this to be so but in fact this is NOT his stone; his small stone which is said to have been blown down by the wind and was subsequently moved and re-erected is to be found even further out still.

See our Youtube link to discover more about the tale and the mystery of little Joseph Ramsey….

AKEMAN CHURCH & JOSEPH RAMSEY

PART TWO: RAISING THE DEVIL….

  •  ST MARY’S CHURCH AKENHAM

As our ‘willing’ volunteer made his way widdershins (anti-clockwise) around the church we did notice some strange changes in the overall atmosphere of the area and more than one of our party experienced pressures to the forehead occurring round about the 3rd lap. On completing the laps a weird ‘darkness’ had descended and the atmosphere had become decidedly ‘heavy’. So was it the ‘devil’ or something else or maybe just coincidence? Though as anyone knows there is no such thing as coincidence….. Of course one has to keep an open mind and decide for one’s  self.

Follow our Youtube link to see our willing volunteer on his journey to ‘raise the devil’

AKEMAN CHURCH: RAISING THE DEVIL

We were very privileged to be able to obtain the keys to the church from Jeremy at Rise Hall nearby and thus were able to enter in. It was a fascinating experience as there were several points of ‘energy’ within the church, mainly within the lectern where one could also sense other strong ‘anomalies’ too, at the altar where the energy was very strong yet very calming and from the ‘real’ cross itself, the priests staff which was buzzing with healing energy. The feel and power of the energies at this site were not at all unlike the powerful energies we experienced at Spooks Hill.

Summary of the day and points to ponder on…

  1. Important to note that when our researcher went round on the 6th lap of the church, the black cloud arrived, yet ONLY above the church and the immediate vicinity and thus hail stones happened;  BUT NOT down at Rise Hall or anywhere else!
  2. The distinct vibrations occurred from the Lectern in the church and were strong in sense and being, BUT the main Priest Altar was a calm flowing vibration; this is significant
  3. The Priest Staff had a lot of power to it; oddly it had healing power
  4. Joseph Ramsey’s gravestone was certainly worth the visit to make the connection to previous quests.
  5.  Joseph Ramsey’s tombstone is of relevance and interesting, as its another link to the past and a certain future
  6. On our researcher’s 6th lap widdershins, our lead researcher had an intense pressure in the front and side of his head and that is also when the black cloud arrived as previously mentioned
  7. We seemed to have two people ‘walking their dogs’ and lurking about nearby when we first arrived; similar to the Borley experience
  8. Speaking with Jeremy Hall, a really nice chap. He gave the true account passed down to him by his past family members and confirmed the issues raised over Joseph’s burial which led to the Burial Reformation Act and was covered in the national newspapers for some 12 months.
  9. Drury when he stormed off from the burial service, actually locked the people in the graveyard by locking the main gate! That piece of information is not recorded anywhere, but clearly true.

IMAG0195    IMAG0196   IMAG0204

The three areas of the church where the various ‘energies’ were focused; namely the priests altar, the lectern and the priests staff (the REAL cross). The eagle-eyed and astute amongst you, may already have spotted certain connections to our other quests this far and that a ‘pattern’ seems to be emerging to form the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The answers as always are hidden between the lines often in plain sight.

If you are interested in joining us in our quests please leave a message here or email: moon.willow@ntlworld.com

if you are interested in joining The Priory itself please contact us by email or via this webpage

‘The Keeper of Scrolls’

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BORLEY RECTORY AND CHURCH

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March 24, 2016

THE PRIORY INVESTIGATES: QUEST NUMBER TWO

  • BORLEY RECTORY & CHURCH PART ONE: THE FACTS
  • PART TWO: FACES FROM THE PAST

<Click on photos to enlarge>

It was a bright sunny (if not windy) day in March 2016 that we arrived in the small village of Borley in Essex. Anyone with a keen interest in the paranormal or places of unusual events or happenings, cannot fail to have heard of the infamous happenings and hauntings that, over the years, have occured at Borly Rectory and Church. The Rectory was demolished many years ago but the church is still very much here.

For a bit of useful background and historical information, the following links are very useful and help to paint the overall picture:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borley_Rectory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borley_Church

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borley

 

We wondered what we would find there; listening to other clips and snippets on the internet the signs were not good; the church had been well and truly locked to visitors for years, no one was ever around and lest of all welcoming, the small carpark was always chained across with no where else to park and the villagers activety discouraged visitors and researchers by going to the trouble of removing any sign posts that directed one to the village. So not a very good start then but never the less we remained optimistic and really looking forward to the day.

So imagine our surprise then, when as soon as we arrived at Borley Church, not only was the car park unchained allowing us to pull straight up to the church entrance, but there was also another car already parked there with a guy inside seemingly viewing the expansive country side through binoculars. We got out of the car, as did he and before we knew it and quite unexpectedly, friendly conversation had ensued along with introductions, who we were and our reason for being there; namely research into the Church and Rectory and the strange happenings documented to have occurred there.

The next suprise happened almost immedietly when seemingly from out of nowhere two others appeared, also engaging straight away in conversation with us; one of whom was a lady who told us she had been taking a ‘tour’ around the church, yet i could not help wondering where the people on the tour actually were and there was ‘something’ unsettling about her that i could not quiet put my finger on; she seemed to be a bit ‘out of time’. Again all seemingly very interested in what we were doing there; not at all what we were expecting or had been led to believe about the village.

We then made our way around the back of the church where there appeared to be a much older area; less manicured and with much older gravestones but with stunning views across the rolling Essex countryside with light rays shinning on where ‘the bones’ are buried…

  We then made our way along the back of the church to the front again but on coming around the side to what was, only a few minutes ago an empty space, a gardener complete with wheelbarrow plus an array of various gardening tools and equipment was now diligently going about his daily buisness. Pleasantries were of course exchanged, yet curiously while we introduced ourselves, he in fact did not, but he did tell us a little more about the church and its history and its current application for lottery funding in respect of its leaking roof yet also making a big point of telling us that the Old Rectory would have been situated way, way down the road where modern bungalows had now been built upon. The church doors that only minutes before had been tightly locked shut and chained, were now wide open and welcoming and thus on our inquiring he bid us to go inside; telling us that the church is often open to visitors on a weekend, yet this was not a weekend, so very contrary to what we had been led to believe and certainly not what we were expecting

.View of the inside of the church showing in detail the tomb and its placement, the  window directly opposite the tomb and a view of the altar.

Once inside the small church one can see that it is certainly very stunning with some beautiful stained glass windows of amazing craftmanship. But one can not help noticing the ‘family’ tomb, rising from floor to ceiling, towards the left hand side of the altar and how elaborate, well preserved and detailed it is, being placed directly opposite one of the stained glass windows. I myself felt nothing untoward inside the church; in fact i would say the very opposite, it felt very natural, almost as if we were ‘meant’ to be there and were placed inside of a (to us) protected environment.

At the very back of the church, outside the actual boundaries is a piece of ground very ‘different’ from the surrounding area with a type of flora growing there which has been left in a natural state and unattended. This is in actual fact the site of the very original Borley Rectory which lasted up until 1161 yet had been added to and modified since 934 CE, but was subsequently demolished, to make way (i guess) for the now infamous rectory of the ‘hauntings and happenings’.

See the link below for a full account of part one the days happenings

BORLEY CHURCH & RECTORY: PART ONE

(Apologies for poor sound quality; it was a very windy day!)

  • So where is the real rectory?
  • Why were we given a red herring in respect of it?
  • Who was the mystery gardener, ‘tour guide’ and companions?
  • Why were the church doors open and welcoming?
  • Why does all this connect to one of our party?

All is revealed in ‘Faces from the Past’ (part two of our Borley investigation)

FACES FROM THE PAST:

After a full day of research and investigations at Borley Church on March 27th 2016, we certainly came home with plenty to consider and to think about. It had been such a truly amazing day where many anomalies had occurred; all being very unusual to say the lest. While still fresh in our minds; to help with further research we decided to try to record our immediate thoughts on the day’s events, there and then. Our team discussed the events of the day, the people we met and the ‘happenings’ of the day, seemingly not adding up or making sense.

Mulling over the day….

Upon discussing the many ‘oddities’ of our day at Borley we noted from watching numerous YouTube videos that it was apparent that previous researchers always found the chain well and truly across the tiny car park, which can only fit about five or six cars in it anyway. What the videos all say is that the chain is padlocked across the car park entrance making it very difficult to find somewhere to park, but on this day the chain was unlocked and we were able to drive straight in.

We had parked next to a rather elderly couple and thus chatted with them, exchanging pleasantries; the lady from the car advised us that she was from two villages down, a village called ‘Chapel’ (or did she mean the chapel?) She seemed to know a lot about Borley Rectory and Church and said she had been taking a ‘tour’ around the Church; yet they were no one else to be seen there. The gentleman who was driving the vehicle had a pair of binoculars and was generally just looking across the open landscape. But what was most odd was that when a question was asked in respect of Borley Rectory and Church; the lady’s face changed suddenly froze and went quiet stern…

Then almost within a moment’s breath, a little white van turned up and a mature gentleman, maybe in his early fifties gets out and comes over to us; again exchanging pleasantries; he told us his name was Steve and that he often came up to the Church, but was quite adamant in saying that the Church was normally locked and that he, himself could never gain entrance. He also said he had been to Borley Church at night time but had not really seen anything, although to him it has seemed ‘eerie’. We then went on to discuss the location of the Rectory, yet strangely he did not seem to know where it was, though listened avidly to our theories of where we thought it would have been; behind the actual church on the piece of ‘wild ground’ to one side. The next minute he seemed to go on a ‘walk around’ in that very direction but not into the actual Church area. The mystery is that none of us actually saw him arrive in the actual church area  but one of our party, when upon our arrival and initial walk around the church saw ‘Steve’ talking to a ‘gardener’ at the back of the Church as if they knew each other. What was more interesting is that the ‘gardener arrived from nowhere; he was suddenly there trimming a bush!

So to recap; the people there at the site at this time are us (the research team), the elderly couple from the blue car, (the man with the binoculars and the lady who said she was from ‘Chapel’), Steve (in the white van)

When we walked up initially and had a look at the Church there was no gardener in sight. The ‘elderly couple’ did eventually leave in their car, so that just left Steve and us and when we first walked up to the Church to start filming, there was no sign of any gardener, but when two of our party walked around the Church, prior to filming; the door to the Church was suddenly unlocked and wide open, the hedge strimmer attached with extension cable plugged in!  There was also a wheelbarrow and tools all ready and in action yet only minutes before no-one was there and the chain and padlock was well and truly over the locked and shut Church doors! The ‘gardener’ did indeed look as if he had been working on the bush trimming for some time; had been there a lot longer that had appeared yet only two or three minutes had elapsed in real time!

Steve then re-appears and disappears again and so for a place that everyone says is always locked and one cannot gain access to see inside the Church and that there is no one around; at the very moment we arrived it seemed to be a height of activity with people there and a gardener appearing from nowhere cutting a bush! The gardener also had ‘tools’ and ‘electrics’ that were not stored in the Church and neither did he have a vehicle in the car park! So a mystery that needs a lot more research and thinking about or maybe visiting again at another time of day to see what the experience will be. We have four different individuals; the couple, Steve in the white van and the gardener; four people in fact who suddenly arrived from nowhere, yet all the youtube footage tells of no-one ever being around, never anyone from the local village being anywhere near Borley Church but oddly, this day when we were there, it was a hive of activity!

Past and Present Become One: Findings of our Research:

So despite the information we had been given by the ‘gardener’ we subsequently discovered that Borley Rectory, the site of many unusual happenings was not, as we suspected, down the road at the bottom of the hill, but was of course just across the road from Borley Church, which of course makes perfect sense.

real rectorysite

Aerial photo showing the site of the old Rectory and it’s geographical relationship to Borley Church.

The old rectory, which had previously burned down, was as one can see, well within walking distance of the church and right where it needed to be. At the back of the church where we were filming on the day, is the site of the very first rectory, also needing to be near the church. So the ‘gardener’ did actually give us misinformation, as he said the rectory was way down the hill where two bungalows are now built; but why did he say this?

Directly opposite the church there are in fact two bungalows but not built on the old rectory ground itself. The rectory site is grassed over and the original vegetable patch is the only remaining evidence. The vegetable patch is however still used by the first bungalow, which seemed very strange.

This is where events of the day start getting very interesting, for upon coming home and doing avid internet research in respect of all the folks who in the past had a strong connection to the Church and the Rectory at Borley, but yet who are no longer around today; we were in for a great shock and many revelations to say the lest! Even though ‘something’ on the day told us that things were not quite right and events did not seem to add up; especially the folks we met on the day whom we had wondered; were they real people?

They say seeing is believing and this is what we saw….

HARRY PRICE: ghost hunter aka ‘our gardener’

   Harry Price: Ghost Hunter or Harry Price: Gardener?

 As the photos above show, Harry Price was the original investigator at Borley, yet also this is the exact image of our mysterious gardener in the present day. All of our party made the connection and recognized him instantly from the photos!

So the gardener appears to be Harry Price the Ghost Hunter who lived from 17:01:1881 to 29:03:1948. He has been dead for 68 years but seemingly well and truly alive on this particular day!

MOLLIE GOLDNEY: physic researcher aka ‘tour guide’

Mollie Goldney

This photo shows (on the right – looking at it) Mollie Goldney, who was also (or so it appeared) the lady in the second car, that appeared out of nowhere!

On the far left (looking at the picture) the gardener we met on the day, who also appeared out of nowhere. This picture is 1939! Again, we all recognised her as the lady we had met on the day! Mollie Goldney was a Psychic Researcher and died in 1992. She has been dead 24 years! Mollie has/had a wealth of ESP government research papers that she has in trust NOT to be published until the year 2020, this was her direct and strange request.

REVEREND LIONEL FOYSTER: aka ‘Steve’

Also in the photo, next to Mollie is the Reverend Lionel Foyster with his wife Marianne. ‘He’ also said to us that he is often there at the church, which would make total sense if he had been the actual Reverend of the church! So Steve is The Reverend Lionel Foyster who lived from 1878 to 18:04:1945. He has been dead for 71 years!

In the picture also is the Foysters adopted daughter, Adelaide and the Lodger’s son, Frank Junior. Again and independently, we all made the connection here!

LORD MARK KERR-PEARCE: aka the man in the car with Mollie with the binoculars

 MarkKerrpearceLord Mark Kerr-Pearce, was the ‘official observer’ for Harry Price. He  was also the second man in the car we met on the day with Mollie; Lord Mark Kerr-Pearce; a Psychic Researcher who was born in 1818 and who died in 2005, he has been dead 11 years! Again, we all independently made the connection as we instantly recognized him!

BURYING THE BONES…

Foyers and price

The photo above clearly shows Reverend Foyers (Steve) and Harry Price (the gardener) burying the bones of the murdered lady; exactly where in our video; our head investigator Karl said they were buried, before actually finding this photo! After the bones had been buried here, was when all the ‘happenings’ started to occur in the church. Putting together all our findings, there is certainly a mystery waiting to be solved and one, which we will in due course return to.

See the link below for our personal thoughts on the day….

BORLEY RECTORY: MULLING OVER THE DAY

Joining the dots of the Quest

  • Clearly, the ‘gardener’ was looking out for us as he told us a white lie thus we would not be harmed. It is clear that the entities (ghosts) of today (27th March 2016) all welcomed us, especially inside the church itself, but they did not want us to go to the rectory site across the road.
  • Note to Priory Team: Clearly, we should take note of that warning and not attempt to go to the site.
  • What is of interest here is that our head investigator, discovered on the evening of March 17th 2016, that the wife of Sir Edward Waldegrave (1517-1561) is resting in the actual tomb inside Borley Church next to his wife (our researcher’s relative) Frances Waldegrave, which explains our encounters of the day and why the entities were welcoming for us and how by amazement we were freely able to enter the church.

 Edward: husband of Frances Frances: wife of Edward & relative of Alek.  

 There is a direct connection between Borley Church (built in 984 CE) and the Magnetic Hill at Warboys, if you choose to remain on this Quest, then more shall be discovered.

  • Sir Edward Waldgrave, buried here in Borley Church, was the chief adviser to Queen Mary 1st. When she had her coronation, it was at St Mary’s Church at Akenham that there was a major celebration to mark her coronation on becoming Queen after Henry died.

March 2016

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‘The Keeper of Scrolls’

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