A GHOSTLY VISIT AND PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION AT BACONSTHORPE CASTLE, NORFOLK

Here is our Christmas Special, a daytime historical visit to medieval Baconsthorpe Castle in North Norfolk followed by a night time investigation inside a 600 year old late medieval gatehouse.
This video is quite different to the usual style of presentation, and employs during the day some effects to fire the imagination of any visitor to this rather remote landscape.
The night investigation features some interesting paranormal activity which I am sure you will find interesting.
I do hope you will enjoy this presentation.



NOTE: The video is live at 9pm GMT Christmas night 25th December 2014.

BEST WISHES FOR CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

Wishing you all the very best for 2015, and I hope you all have a great Christmas!

And as a bonus for Christmas, there will be a special Christmas show shared here on this page which will start at 9pm (UK) time, on Christmas Day.

This is our full day and night visit and investigation at Baconsthorpe Castle, in beautiful North Norfolk, which has some great night activity shot inside the 600 year old, late medieval gatehouse.
Be sure to check this blog later for full details.

Chris Halton.

IS THIS THE IMAGE OF A GIRL GHOST FROM A BAR IN ILLINOIS?

`The Great Escape` Bar and Restaurant

A bartender of a restaurant that was once frequented by Al Capone shared a photo of a ghost that her customer took. In the image, a ghost of a young girl can be seen at the end of hallway near the bar. The photo was featured on an episode of David Scott's "Believe."

The ghostly image of a girl captured by a customer

Film-maker and paranormal investigator David Scott and his paranormal research team IPRA traveled to Schiller Park, Illinois to explore The Great Escape restaurant and bar. The site of the restaurant was once a general store, post office, gas station, barber shop, pool hall, speakeasy, and a brothel. It was used by gangsters in the prohibition era. Mobster Al Capone was often seen in the bar in the 1920s.

Part of The Great Escape was built in 1889 and the original bar was hand carved by the Chicago Bar Company. In the early 1900s, a few silent movies were filmed on the property.

"The team is given a photograph by the evening bartender. A customer shared the photo with her after witnessing a shadow figure outside the women's bathroom. Upon reviewing the photo, he noticed an undeniable image of a young girl dressed in old fashioned clothing," Scott said.

During their investigation, with the help of owner Brian Great, Scott and his team uses a spirit box to try and communicate with the ghost of the young girl and other spirits that haunt the building. Great tries to reach out to a former patron of the bar that recently died.

Story Source: Examiner

My view:

I am often circumspect with regard to alleged `ghostly` photographs, and particularly those of little girls who are very popular with the plethora of hoaxers who share on Youtube.
But being a student of fashion through the ages, the little girl`s hair and clothing is accurate for a time frame extending from the late 1920`s to the mid 1930`s.
If this was posed by a model, the photographer has paid attention to detail, which often the hoaxers do not.
I am very impressed. My only note of caution is that I am surprised there is no shared history of a child dying in that property. But I`m sure in time, someone may be able to resolve that.

Chris Halton

SHORT GHOST STORY SHOT AT BACONSTHORPE CASTLE

Shooting some day footage at the lonely and remote Baconsthorpe Castle ruins in Norfolk on a grey dull day, gave me the idea to create this short story. It is an aside to my main day documentary and night shoot which will be shared over the Christmas holidays.

All the activity both visual and auditory is false. It was created purely for entertainment.

Another message here also is that some of `paranormal activity` depicting semi transparent ghosts which is so popular on file sharing sites, is mostly false, and as can be seen with the `ghost in the doorway`, is relatively easy to fabricate.

None of this will ever be seen on my documentaries and night shoots. I only share what is there, and without the contrived drama beloved of some reality television.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

17th CENTURY `WITCH MARKS` DISCOVERED IN ANCIENT KNOLE HOUSE

The discovered, `witch marks` - To keep demons away

Restoration work on Britain's 600-year-old Knole House turned up a most interesting feature hidden beneath the floorboards: "witch marks" or "demon traps," designed to protect the witchcraft-fearing ruler James I from supernatural malevolence.

Though the king never ended up visiting the estate, the eerie scratches remain as a testament to the jittery political climate at the time — using tree-ring dating, it was determined they were etched soon after Guy Fawkes and company's failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605 — as well as its superstitions.

Knole House - `Witchcraft Aware`

According to the Guardian:

"Archaeologists found the marks not just in the bed chamber prepared for James, but carved into the joists and around the fireplace of the room directly overhead, which would probably have been occupied by one of his sons or a close member of his retinue.

The marks, made in the enormous oak beams on the sides facing the fireplace — for the superstitious, a known weak spot in defense against witches — include scorch marks made with a candle flame before the timbers were installed, carved tangles of Vs and Ws invoking the protection of the Virgin Mary, and maze-like marks known as demon traps, intended to trap the malevolent spirits which would follow the lines and be unable to find their way back out."

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE FACE-LESS GHOST OF `GREEN MAN TUNNEL`, PITTSBURGH, USA - A story even more stranger than the legend of the ghost!

The legendary `Green Man Tunnel``

America is full of some pretty incredible urban legends. From Gravity Hills where invisible hands push your vehicle up a slope, to Frog Men stalking the Loveland Castle, to the White Lady haunting Union Cemetery, you can throw a stone and there's a good chance it'll land in the territory of some kind of monster or mystery. Many times, though, the truth is far more interesting than the legend, and such is the case with "The Green Man".

For many years, the tale of the Green Man has been one used by parents to keep their children scared enough to stay inside at night, and by locals to keep teenagers too spooked to enter the abandoned train tunnel just outside of town. The legend says that the Green Man, once an employee of a local power company, was horribly disfigured in a terrible accident that melted his face and turned his skin a deep green hue. For years, locals would report sightings of the glowing ghost of the Green Man walking down the rural roads at night, only to disappear into the dark recesses of the tunnel.

A good summary of the legend, via WhoForted:

On the outskirts of Pittsburgh, near where Piney Fork empties into Peters Creek, there’s an old neglected railroad tunnel covered in graffiti and filled with road salt. It was built in 1924 as the Piney Fork Tunnel to service coal mines along the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Peters Creek Branch. Abandoned since 1962, the locals have given it another nickname. To many people in the Pittsburgh area, this is Green Man Tunnel. Teenagers used to drive into the tunnel, turn off their lights, and call out to the “Green Man” who would appear from the darkness, his skin tinged green from a tragic electrical accident. If he touched your car, his electrical charge would either stall the vehicle or make it difficult to start.

While the fear-fueled story of the Green Man is certainly the best kind of urban legend, filled with gruesome deaths, supernatural powers, and a terrifying curse tailor-made to frighten teenagers, occult historian and paranormal investigator Ken Summers recently uncovered the true story of the Green Man, complete with some rare photographs of the "faceless ghost", and it's a lot more sad than scary.

In truth, the Green Man's real name was Raymond Robinson, though to those who traveled Pennsylvania's Route 315 in the middle of the night, he was known as Charlie No Face. You see, in 1918, when Raymond was just a boy, he was climbing on a train track bridge when he accidentally snagged against a power line. The subsequent shock sent 22,000 volts of electricity screaming through his body, quite literally melting his face off. When the smoke had settled, he had lost both of his eyes, his nose, an ear, and even an arm.

Raymond Robinson

As he grew up, Raymond quickly became aware of people's cruel nature, earning nicknames like "The Zombie" and being subject to the screaming of terrified children. Over the years, Raymond was able to find solace in long walks down State Route 351, though he only took his hikes at night so as to minimize the amount of people he might frighten. Being blind, after all, meant that the night meant nothing to him.

As you might imagine, Raymond's late-night walks began to cause quite a stir, as teenagers headed to parties began to see a "faceless ghost" wandering the darkened highway. Before long, the legend of "Charlie No Face" began to circulate to nearby towns, and by the 60's, the legend was causing full-on traffic jams along the stretch of road as cars full of people went searching for the "ghost".

Those who were fortunate enough to stumble across Raymond would realize that he was, in fact, flesh and blood, and  often left feeling a bit sorry for him after stopping for a chat. Raymond took the ghost hunts in stride though, even capitalizing on his popularity by offering to pose for photographs... for a price.

Ken Summers reports:

After being discovered by accident on his nightly walks, the tale of the Green Man—or Charlie No Face, as he was also called—developed. There are conflicting stories about where the “green skin” idea came from. Some accounts say he always wore his favorite green plaid shirt or other green clothes that reflected the color onto his pale skin while others say his skin was a pale shade of green. Either way, it became a popular pastime to head out to Route 351 and look for Ray. Those who weren’t too terrified to stop would chat with Ray over a smoke. He even posed for pictures, often in exchange for beer or cigarettes.

ay continued his evening walks until his death in 1985, but by then, his story had become legend. Soon after his death, the details of his disfigurement were told less and less as a boy who suffered an accident, and more often as a vengeful spirit out for teenage blood. By the late 90's, the name Raymond Robinson was all but forgotten, the legend of the Green Man finally winning out.

Today, the legend of the ghost with no face has spread as far as Ohio, but the Green Man Tunnel remains the most-visited piece of the Pennsylvania legend. To this day car loads of kids still pull up to the old train bridge and call out for Charlie No Face, some even claiming to have seen him in the darkness. If you're lucky, maybe you'll even see him yourself.




Story Source: HuffingtonPost

MASSIVE FLASH OVER THE URALS SKY IN RUSSIA - ANOTHER METEORITE?

Still from dashcam (c) R.TNews

An extraordinary bright orange flash has lit up the sky in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region in the Urals. While locals captured the massive ‘blast’ on numerous cameras, both scientists and emergency services still struggle to explain the unusual event.

Dark evening skies in the town of Rezh in Sverdlovsk region near Russia's Ekaterinburg turned bright orange for some ten seconds on November 14, with the event being caught on several cameras by the locals.

A driver filmed the massive flash with his dashcam, later posting the video on YouTube, with more people commenting they’ve seen it too. Teenagers in the town of Rezh also filmed the phenomenon with a mobile phone.



Theories of what might have caused the “blast” appeared both on social and traditional media, with a new meteorite or military exercise in the region being among the top guesses. Regional emergency services said no accidents in connection with the event had been recorded. No sound of explosion has been reported either.

According to E1.ru, the emergency officials suggested the military were behind the flash, as they might have had a scheduled explosive ordnance disposal procedure. The city administration has also said such ammunition disposal might have taken place, while the military themselves denied they were behind the mystery.

“No exercise and training were underway on that day, and no military units are based in the region, so we have nothing to do with it,” a military press service told E1.ru.

A fireball caused by an asteroid’s collision with the Earth's atmosphere is among other presumed reasons for the burning sky.



“Looks like a falling bolide, which invaded us. Because of the low cloud cover it ceased to exist above the clouds and lit up the whole sky,” a member of the meteorites committee of the Russian Academy of Sciences Viktor Grokhovsky told 66.ru.

Another astronomer, Vadim Krushinsky, doubted his colleague's theory, saying the color of the flash does not support the asteroid speculation. The shade of light depends on the body’s temperature, and flashes caused by bolides are usually whiter, he explained to Ekburg.tv. The observatory engineer suggested his own theory, saying a space rocket launch might have been the cause.

A path of launches from the Plesetsk cosmodrome lies above the area, Krushinsky said. But, according to Russian Federal Space Agency's website, the latest launch from the Plesetsk cosmodrome happened on October 29, with the next one planned for November 24.

People in the Urals witnessed a space ‘invasion’ event a year and a half ago, when the famous Chelyabinsk meteorite hit the region. A massive fireball explosion in February 2013 injured over a thousand people with shattered glass mostly, and damaged many residential and industrial buildings.


Source: RTNews

CAN SPIRITS PERFORM HELPFUL TASKS? - Some cases discussed

The other day, I shared on my Facebook page this humorous cartoon concerning a helpful poltergeist performing household chores.

As one normally associates poltergeist activity with sometimes violent disruptions, it begged the question in my mind, `Is spirit capable of being helpful around a house or business`?

Well, I have one experience of my niece being rocked in her crib one night while staying at my house, and that was in front of both myself and her parents.

It was fascinating to see, as an unseen hand or force caused it to rock very gently.

Baby sleep - rocked gently by spirit

My brother (the father of my niece) being forever sceptical, performed a number of tests to reassure himself that there wasn`t a more rational explanation. And of course, there wasn`t.

I live no where near major areas of disruption such as railway lines, motorways or indeed any industrial process, so that notion was swiftly eliminated, and the floor upon which the crib rested had a solid base.

The sign of the cross?

Some years ago, I was visiting a restaurant in Earls Colne in Essex, where the owner shared with me an alleged phenomena. Every night after diners had left, the table cloth and cutlery would be replaced and set out for lunch for the following day.

And every morning, staff members would discover the knives and forks were reset in an `X` position on the table settings.

Maybe not very helpful, but the site upon which the restaurant was built had once an earlier medieval building that was once part of a monastic order.

Despite requests for myself to be allowed to set up cameras and baseline tests, the owners declined. So whether this was a story to simply drum up interest in the restaurant, I will never know.

A `haunted` sweet shop ..

Indeed, there is another tale from the West Midlands, where quite some years ago, a couple who ran a sweet (candy) shop would discover each morning that a window display of products had been rearranged, and packets of sweets left on shelves had been turned sideways which gave the impression of soldiers standing to attention on military parade.

The shop had an interesting history, as it had always been a sweet shop since the mid-Victorian era, and perhaps one of the former owners had decided to stay on to keep a watchful eye over it`s display.

The Old Bell - Haunted by a helpful chambermaid?

Another tale of a friendly poltergeist was alleged to have occurred at Dursley, in Gloucestershire at the premises of `The Old Bell`.

Legend has it that many years ago in this 15th century Inn, a chambermaid committed suicide by hanging herself in Room 6, at the hotel.

Guests in that room had reported going to bed leaving their clothes in a heap to discover the following morning that the clothes had been picked up during the night, and neatly folded.

A waitress at the same premises also claimed that she had placed tables out for an event the following day, and upon returning later all of the cutlery and condiments had been set out for her, saving her the task.

Naturally there were no other staff members present at this time, and so it was assumed it may have been the friendly chambermaid who had committed suicide all those years earlier.

I am more than sure there are probably umpteen stories and experiences of friendly poltergeist activity from around the world, and these stories are but a few.

So like all tales of the paranormal, there are always good and bad experiences to share.

Story: Chris Halton

THE HAUNTINGS OF OLD SANTON - A Halloween Visit to a Very Actively Haunted and Remote Church

Coming up at 11pm tonight (Saturday November 8th, 2014) is a 45 minute excursion to a very remote and troubled former church that sits on the Norfolk and Suffolk border of old England.

Join Chris Halton and Haunted Earth tv as we carry out a day and night investigation inside Santon Church, in company with Eddie Mallett, a long time investigator of this site, who has over the years recorded some phenomenal activity at this location.

Santon Church is reputedly haunted by a 17th century priest, whose presence is felt by day and night, and watch how we peel back the layers of activity within.

If proof be positive as to it`s spectral activity, the church door was opened by unseen hands during a preliminary interview with Eddie Mallett which is shared below.

A very creepy location, with lots of activity recorded on our visit which will be made available from this page at the appointed hour with FULL video viewing links here, on the Haunted Earth Ghost World Blog, and brought to you by Haunted Earth tv.

Short video of church door opening itself during an interview:



Tonight`s main viewing link (below) which will be active at 7pm EST - 11pm GMT - Midnight CET, - 1am EET,  and 10am (Sunday) AEDT

GHOSTLY ACTIVITY REPORTEDLY CAPTURED ON STILL AND VIDEO AT FORMER AUSTRALIAN MENTAL HOME

An Australian woman with a penchant for the supernatural says her spooky sighting in the closed down Larundel Asylum in Bundoora, Victoria, is her latest evidence that ghosts exist.

Kristy Jane Dean, 32, from Melbourne, filmed a white apparition soaring across a passageway, directly in front of her camera, in the former mental facility which she says was built on an ancient Aboriginal burial ground near her home.



'After hearing all the scary stories and because I live so close, I decided to see if there really were ghosts in this spooky place,' she said.

'In the photos you can see shadow figures, unexplained mists and flying orbs, which I believe to be spirits.
'In some images I took among shadows it's easy to see faces, and then in couple of shots a full-on person or figure is clearly visible.'
Kristy spends her evenings on the prowl for the paranormal, but never alone - 'I am terrified during our hunts, but at same time I love it.'

Captured still from video of anomaly

'I've always been fascinated with all things paranormal,' she said. 'But I respect that I am dealing with forces that I don't understand.
'My male mates think I'm crazy and the girls can't believe how brave I am. I would love to prove to all sceptics that without a doubt the paranormal exists.'

Kristy says she's photographed a chilling child-phantom while peering out a window to a spectre that appeared to be hanging by its neck from a rope.

Is this a `ghostly boy` captured in a window? 

The 1938-built Larundel Asylum houses people with mental health problems up until its closure in 1998. The institution pioneered the use of Lithium to treat depression.
The building is now being demolished to make way for residential housing.

Story: DailyMail

HALLOWEEN AND `WITCHES` - AN HISTORICAL CELEBRATION OF THE ABUSE OF WOMEN?

How Hopkins was perceived in the
17th century

It was interesting to read in a post on a social media site that in the eyes of this writer, a devoutly religious person,  that Halloween represents a debasement of society, and encourages people to `worship evil`.

Obviously the true meaning of what Halloween actually represents, has certainly evolved from a pagan Celtic harvest festival to a social celebration that is often epitomised with representations of witches and other characterisations of the horror genre, but traditionally in modern folklore, it is witches that take the centre stage.

Trial by water - a favourite of Hopkins.
 If they survived tthey were guilty, and
if they drowned they were innocent.

I certainly do not see Halloween as the slightest celebration of `evil`, but if truth be known it could be argued to be a celebration of the abuse of women in history.

Within this context, we must look back essentially to 17th century Britain, and the works of the likes of Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled, `Witchfinder General`, who persecuted, raped, abused and murdered innocent women whom he and his supporters `outed` as witches.

Mostly these victims were the pilloried excuses of `religious folk`, for all the ill`s and wrongs in their daily lives.  Examples being poor crops for the farmer, or sick cattle for the dairyman who were `hexed` by devil worshippers.

A typical 17th century `witch`

Medical knowledge and general hygiene was still largely trapped in the late Medieval period, and any general understanding of the spread of diseases were still many years distant in the future.

So many odd,,old, or crippled women, (and many of whom were herbalists), were deigned to be in liaison with the Devil and by proxy, were responsible.

The Puritans, who also emigrated to America, were very much caught up in the consummate belief that Satan was responsible for all social ills, and that these women were the `daughters of the devil`, and they sent many to an early grave on the charges trumped up by Hopkins and his acolytes.

A 17th century `help guide`
to identifying a witch

The signs of the witch, he declared, were easy to see.
Many of these victims were poor, unwashed
 people, who developed carbuncles, warts, and facial sores, which were caused by poor health and  low cleanliness. These were the signs of evil, he observed.

 Even today these maladies are depicted in most characterisations of witches at Halloween. And these helped Hopkins and his supporters pick out these women for torture , confessions, and later murder.

Sometimes Hopkins for his own pleasure would identify attractive young women as `witches`, and without anyone to stand against him, he would rape them and have them later disposed of as witches after they `confessed` to these false allegations under torture.

It wasn`t until he was eventually confronted by a brave Yorkshire priest, that his reign of terror was finally broken.

But the damage sadly had been done. Hopkins work was later adopted by the new American colonies, and the same cycle of outing and death was to repeat itself once more.

So one must consider my earlier point. By adopting witches into Halloween, are we de facto,  celebrating the abuse and debasement of women?  To reiterate, I personally do not see this as such, but merely offering an alternative view of a dark chapter of British and American history


Story: Chris Halton

IS THIS THE `GREY LADY` GHOST OF STRANOCUM, IRELAND?

The Grey Lady has long been rumoured to haunt the iconic Dark Hedges in Stranocum...and now it seems that a Ballycastle man might just have managed to capture her on film.

Gordon Watson took this photograph at the Hedges on Friday and when he processed it on his computer, he spotted the wispy, grey shape in the centre which looks almost like a grey figure floating in the air.

Well-known local photographer Kevin McAuley examined the photograph and stated that there was no way the image had been digitally enhanced in any way.

Kevin said: “It looks like a dress going towards the shape of a figure and it’s at this end of the trees where the Grey Lady has been seen by a variety of people over the years.

“This is the only known version ever to have been recorded in any fashion,” he added.

Legend tells that a supernatural ‘Grey Lady’ haunts the thin ribbon of road that winds beneath the ancient beech trees. She silently glides along the roadside and vanishes as she passes the last beech tree.

Some say the spectre is the ghost of a maid from the nearby house who died in mysterious circumstances centuries ago.

Others believe that she is a lost spirit from an abandoned graveyard that is thought to lie hidden in the fields nearby.

On Hallowe’en night, the forgotten graves are said to open and the Grey Lady is joined on her walk by the tormented souls of those who were buried beside her.

Story: BallyMoneyTimes

HAUNTED EARTH INVESTIGATE HAUNTED SANTON CHURCH WITH SOME SURPRISING FOOTAGE OF THE PARANORMAL

Chris Halton on location outside the entrance to Santon Church

What can I say about Saturday`s (25th Oct 2014) excursion to Santon Church on the Norfolk/Suffolk border?

A truly delightful experience in the company of Sean Kim and our host, Mr Eddie Mallet of the paranormal group `Whispers in the Dark`.

Santon is a very tiny church cobbled together with stone and flint, and sits almost alone on the edge of a huge forest virtually forgotten in the midst of time.

Everything about it is a surprise that here within its compact structure, is literally a shrine to English Gothic Revivalism, which would have received praise and merit from the likes of art critics such as John Ruskin for it`s adherence in design and fluency to the high altar of Gothic art.

Augustus Pugin - Influenced Santon?

The chancel reflected that ideal with the pervasive influence of no other than the father of Gothic Revivalism, one Augustus Welby Pugin.  This was amply reflected in the star studded ceiling and the beautiful Gothic Revivalist altar table which set perfectly within a frame of some wonderful  wall tiles that would simply have been a precursor for the later `Arts and Crafts` movement which flourished towards the end of the Victorian age.

Indeed Pugin was a friend of the then rector who had commissioned this great work, and it is known that he was staying as a guest at the rectory whilst the rebuilding of the church was taking place.

While there is no written document that ascribes Pugin as the architect, it is no mere coincidence that everything about this church from the interior and exterior screams his name, almost as an atonement for the earlier 17th rebuilding of what is essentially a medieval church by the supporters of Archbishop William Laud.

It is known that much stone was incorporated from nearby medieval West Tofts church, which was a Pugin rebuild commission, and that this mixture of art and material had effectively,  disturbed the spiritual foundation upon which this church was first constructed over 700 years earlier.

After shooting an introduction, we set about recording an EVP session during the late afternoon. Save for the occasional passing of the Norwich to London trains on the railway line in the near distance, the site was perfectly quiet and still, with no modern intrusion by cars or pedestrians.

During this session the chancel felt uncommonly heavy, and left me feeling very uncomfortable, and dare I say, with a hint of nausea but strangely without the unpleasant side-effects. I felt that my presence here was received as an unwarranted intrusion, and having remained a few minutes I was compelled to leave and return back into the main part of the church which had seating for around 50 souls - such was the small congregation it was built for.

Sean Kim who was listening to audio through the radio mic claimed that he heard someone walking briefly behind me, and from a brief initial inspection of the video tape, I can confirm that his suspicions were confirmed - someone or something, was indeed walking in my shadow.

My initial impressions were simply of two people, a man and his wife who I suspected were past incumbents, possibly a rector and his wife, and the feeling of tremendous pride and joy with this church.

I then stood in a lofty pulpit where the earlier feelings of unpleasantness from the chancel had followed me into this narrow box. Again I felt I had to leave, and returned to join Eddie and Sean below.

Eddie Mallett & Sean Kim

With regards to any EVP, I haven`t yet been able to inspect the entire tape of this session but have no doubts that it will supply some interesting recordings of some of the incarnate souls that remain keeping a watchful eye over the church.

Other than the mild smell of age and decay, I did not pick up any unusual odours, and after remaining for some time we left to enjoy the fading sun on a late autumnal October afternoon.
It is worth sharing at this juncture a short clip from my introductory speech at the entrance door to the church. We were all surprised that the heavy oak door decided to open itself possibly as a welcome to this strange yet obsessively beautiful church.



We returned a few hours later in pitch darkness. And the inkiness was perhaps more blacker as the church
and surroundings were bereft of any artificial lighting, and the moon was hidden at the beginning of a new lunar phase.

When opening the church door I stepped into the inky blackness to smell the overpowering odour of alcohol on someone's breath.

The smell permeated throughout the entire church, and was occasionally interspersed with a musty smell of incense and sweat. Not a very pleasant combination of  odours that I was later informed by Eddie to be the presence of the residential ghost, one Richard Kendall MA, who was rector here from 1638 to 1669.

The Demon and Vices - 17th century Puritan woodcut

During the English civil war, Kendall was ejected from the living on a charge of "refusing to contribute to the rebellion, swearing, haunting (frequenting) inns, being distempered (drunk) with liquor, keeping malignant company (prostitutes) ... and saying the puritans were hypocrites". He was later reinstated to his position when the monarchy was restored.

If any of you recall the comedy series, `Father Ted`, the character of `Father Jack`, typified Kendall`s behaviour.

Here my report on the proceedings will remain brief, as I have yet to examine the video of the night`s events which I am happy to report were numerous.

Kendall without any doubt was the most active presence, and throughout the evening it was more than self-evident that he was playing games with us during our stay.

Sean witnessed many large light entities on the nightshot camcorder, and with a curious interest around my physical presence which Kendall seemed pre-possessed to focus upon judging by the orb activity around me.

Sean also saw briefly during the flash of my taking a photograph, a figure of someone sat worshipping in the pews, and shortly after he started to film, the camcorder battery was drained during a spectral event captured to camcorder.

Indeed, my day camcorder was left on a side table to record audio, and that had been surreptitiously turned off by unseen hands within seconds of us starting.

An impressive capture of energy - Was Kendall `looking down`?

I soon realised that this presence wanted to remain unseen at ground level, and the orb activity started to reduce somewhat when I realised that the presence was actually looking down upon us from the rafters. I quickly tilted my digital still upwards and captured this fleeting image.

Eddie then informed me that on an earlier expedition to this church (amidst foul language caught as EVP) a voice said that he `was looking down upon them`.


In no small measure, this image seems to confirm this.

For any doubting sceptics it is worth mentioning at this juncture that I immediately performed a ``breath test` on camera to confirm that the mist was not the product of warm moisture in a cold night environment. And as will be seen in the soon to be released video, the camcorder test confirms this. The church was very warm inside having trapped the heat of a warm sunny day and outside it was quite mild.

The `haunted` boxed pew with close-up of latch (inset)

Another strange incident I recall was being sat in a box pew near to the chancel which Eddie claimed was known as the `haunted pew`.

Sean was invited by me to sit within it, but felt unable to do so, almost to the point that he felt he was being pushed out. To offer further encouragement, I decided to join him within the pew, and as we sat inside Sean locked the gate to the pew by turning a simple latch into place fitted to the outside.

Within a few seconds, the gate started to swing open, as though having had the latch opened by unseen fingers. We again locked it into place and the event replicated once more.

After that it stopped.

Eddie confirmed that this (among other incidents) was one of the reasons that the label `haunted` had been applied justifiably to this pew.

I can confirm that at various points during the night there were sudden rushes of cold breezes around us, and during the entire experiences there I certainly heard a man`s heavy voice in the background.

Whether this appears on the examination and edit of the night investigation video, I cannot as yet confirm. But coupled with the evenings experiences there I am more than confident that we have a rich stream of material to share as our Halloween experience for 2014.

It is hoped that this video can be released and published within a week to 10 days time.

Why not visit Eddie`s team videos here to get a taste of the activity inside this very actively haunted building?
Whispers in the Dark

Story: Chris Halton

GHOST CAUGHT ON CAMERA OR YET ANOTHER NEWSPAPER HOAX?

A proud homeowner was left terrified after taking a photo of her new house only to notice a ghost staring out from the window.

Michelle Midwinter, 30, had gone outside to take a picture of her new home in North Bradley, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, to share with friends on her Facebook page.

But it was only when she took another look at the image that she noticed the spooky apparition of a man peering out her window.

The mother-of-one, who was at home with her two-year-old daughter, ran inside to discover that no one was there.

Samuel Kent who died in 1872

Miss Midwinter, who moved into the house last month, believes the sighting could be the spirit of Samuel Kent - a former factory inspector who worked in the area.

She said: 'I decided to take a picture of the front of our house and post it on Facebook to show how well we were all settling in.

'I went outside and took a picture but after initially admiring the brickwork the face just sort of jumped out at me.

Miss Midwinter believes the apparition was spirit of factory inspector Samuel Kent who died in 1872
'I ran into the house to make sure no one was in there because I knew everyone else was at work, but it was just me and my two-year-old daughter.

'I studied the photo for a while and then put it on Facebook to see if anyone else could come up with an explanation as to how the face could have got there.'

Miss Midwinter, a mobile phone case designer, added: 'The photo caused quite a stir on Facebook, but no one could really come up with any plausible explanation.
'Most people thought it was a reflection of the flowers below the window but the angles are all wrong.'

'It's hard to believe but it clearly looks like the face of an old man.'

She denies claims the image has been doctored and after witnessing a number of ghostly goings on - including a clock falling off a wall - believes the house is haunted.

'I'm a self-confessed non-believer of ghosts but the picture coupled with a clock randomly falling off the wall and smashing to pieces that morning did creep me out,' she said.

'The clock was there when we moved in, so it hadn't fallen off due to a dodgy fixture we had put up.
'Another weird thing was that my friend saw a door handle move down and the door opened in the same room the face in the window was in.

'I was just so surprised because I thought someone was in the house. We also checked the attic to make sure no one was living up there.

'I can't really say what I think the face in the window is as I honestly don't know.

'I would like to say an odd reflection but it doesn't make sense, I am a very logical person but I cannot come up with a logical explanation for this photo, it's just spooky.

'And to be honest, I would rather not think about it as we already hear strange scratches in the walls, noises from upstairs and the lights flicker on and off too.

'You end up scaring yourself if you think about it too much.'

Local historian Andrew Jones, 50, has done extensive research into Samuel Kent, the father of Constance Kent, who brutally murdered her three-year-old brother when she was 16 in the nearby village of Rode in 1860.

Michelle Midwinter with her two-year-old
 daughter who was at home when she spotted the 'ghost'

He thinks the photograph of the shadowy ghoul, dubbed Old Man Kent, bears a striking resemblance to Samuel Kent, who died in 1872.

Mr Jones, who is a caretaker at John of Gaunt School in Trowbridge, said: 'From looking at the photograph, to me it looks like Samuel Kent, father of Constance Kent, who committed an infamous murder in the area.

'There are a number of reported ghost sightings in Trowbridge but I have not come across any in North Bradley.

'I know Samuel lived and worked as a factory inspector in the area, so there's every chance it could be him.'

Mr Kent was originally a suspect in the 1860 Rode Hill House murder, but his daughter, Constance, was arrested and eventually convicted of murdering his three-year-old son.

The Rode Hill House murder case found fame again in recent years thanks to Kate Summerscale's award-winning book The Suspicions of Mr Whicher.

Source: DailyMail

My thoughts. As the Daily Mail is not too stringent on checking any type of publicity they label as `paranormal` the ghost in the window could simply be a blown up image printed on sideways to a sheet of A4 paper, and resting on the top part of the window frame.

You will note there is nothing below the head and shoulders of the `ghost`, which suggests that this image is indeed another fake ghost.

You`ll also note how quickly the paper is to ascribe someone as the `ghost` to give `authenticity`.,

And why don`t they show the entire window frame in more detail?

My only presumption is that it would reveal that this is a fake.

I could be wrong, but when a newspaper cries `wolf` far too often on questionable material, you have to treat their `scoops` with extreme caution. Check the enlarged image below of the window and read further observations within the caption.

You`ll note there isn`t any definition or detail in the lower part of this picture. If there were
you would clearly see the rest of the figure. Curiously behind the figure you can see either a chair back or a doorway which is missing in the lower part of the window. 

KEANU REEVES GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER

Just in time for Halloween, actor Keanu Reeves shared a real-life encounter he once had with a ghost.
During an appearance on Wednesday night’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,”

Reeves answered a series of random questions from the late night host, including whether he’d ever seen a ghost.

“Yeah, when I was a kid,” the 50-year-old “Matrix” actor replied. “It was in New York. It was cool. So I’m like a little kid. I’m probably like 6, 7 years old, [in] a new apartment. … We’d come from Australia. Renata, nanny, was in the bedroom. … There was a doorway and, all of a sudden, we’re looking over there and this jacket comes waving through the doorway, just empty – there’s no head, there’s no body, there’s no legs. It’s just there and then it disappears.”

Reeves added, “I was a little a kid, so I thought, ‘That’s interesting.’ And then I looked over at the nanny.” The actor pulled a shocked face.
“And I’m like, ‘Oh wow, so that was real.’”

Reeves then turned to Kimmel and asked, “Was that a ghost? Or just some weird floating jacket?”
Kimmel quipped, “That’s a reason to move, to me.”

Reeves also revealed that he’s met another Keanu before.

“Yes, I have a cousin,” the Hawaii-born actor said. “There’s a cousin, Keanu. I didn’t meet that guy until I was 8 or 9, so I’d never heard that name for another human until that time.”



Source: ABCNews

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT WALES

Wales: It’s the land of dragons, wizards, King Arthur and the Holy Grail but did you know that the Devil is too embarrassed to visit Ceredigion?

That there’s a village named after the country’s bravest dog? Or that the Holy Grail itself ended up in a mansion near Aberystwyth?

Go on your very own quest to find out more about our myths and legends this Halloween.

Devil’s Bridge
According to legend the Devil himself visited Ceredigion in the 11th century after hearing about its
breathtaking scenery. While there, he struck a bargain with a local woman whose cow was stranded across the river. In a bid to buy her soul, the devil said he’d build her a bridge in exchange for the soul of the first living thing that crossed it.

When the bridge was built the woman threw a loaf of bread across it which her dog then chased.

The Devil was never seen in Wales again, too embarrassed at being outwitted by the old lady.

In the village of Devil’s Bridge today there are three crossings across the river. The oldest is said to have been built by Satan himself.

The Lady of the Lake
The story goes that it was at Llyn y Fan Fach, a remote lake in the Black Mountains, where a young farmer named Gwyn won and then tragically lost the love of his life.

He fell in love with a beautiful woman who emerged from the water and she agreed to marry him but warned him she would leave him forever if he struck her three times.

They lived happily for many years and had three sons but when Gwyn struck her playfully for the third time she disappeared into the lake and he never saw her again.

She would sometimes re-appear to her sons and teach them the powers of healing with herbs and plants. They became skilful physicians, as did their children after them.

Some of their ancient remedies have survived and are in the Red Book of Hergest, one of Wales’ most important medieval manuscripts.

Nanteos Cup
The cup is said to be the Holy Grail, used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch Christ’s blood while interring Him in his tomb.

Medieval chroniclers claimed Joseph took the cup to Britain and founded a line of guardians to keep it safe. It ended up in Nanteos Mansion near Aberystwyth, attracting visitors who drank from it, believing it had healing powers.

The cup still exists with bits nibbled off by the sick in the hope of a miracle cure.

Belief in the cup’s holy powers have persisted despite a 2004 television documentary in which experts found it dated from the 14th Century, some 1,400 years after the Cruxifiction. In July 2014, a police operation was launched to find it after it was stolen.

Cadair Idris
One of Wales’ most iconic peaks, standing in southern Snowdonia, its name directly translates as Idris’ Chair in reference to the mythical giant who once used the mountain as his throne.

There are numerous stories and legends associated with the mountain and Idris.

A few of the nearby lakes - such as Tal-y-llyn - are reputed to be bottomless, and those who venture up the mountain at night should take heed before sleeping on its slopes.

It is said that those who sleep on the mountain will awaken either as a madman, a poet or, indeed, never wake again.

Angelystor
Folklore says villagers in Llangernyw, midway between Abergele and Llanrwst, learn their grim fate from a supernatural being under the boughs of a 3,000-year-old yew tree.

Each year on Halloween and July 31 the Angelystor is said to appear in the medieval church of Llangernyw in Conwy.

On those dates it solemnly announces, in Welsh, the names of those parish members who will die shortly after.

The churchyard contains the oldest living thing in Wales - a yew tree which botanists believe to be over 3,000 years old.

Cantre’r Gwaelod
The kingdom of Maes Gwyddno, more commonly known as Cantre’r Gwaelod, is said to lie under the Irish Sea in Cardigan Bay.

It was ruled by Gwyddno Garanhir (Longshanks), born circa 520AD.

The land was said to be extremely fertile but depended on a dyke to protect it from the sea. The dyke had sluice gates which were opened at low tide to drain the water from the land, and closed as the tide returned.

In around 600AD, a storm blew up from the south west, driving the spring tide against the sea walls. The appointed watchman, Seithennin, a heavy drinker and friend of the king, was at a party in the king’s palace near Aberystwyth.

Some say he fell asleep due to too much wine, or that he was too busy having fun, to notice the storm and to shut the gates.

The water gates were left open, and the sea rushed in to flood the land of the Cantref, drowning more than 16 villages.

Merlin’s Oak
Merlin’s Oak stood in the centre of Carmarthen amid the legend that King Arthur’s famous wizard had placed a protective curse on it.

In local tradition, the wizard said Carmarthen would “drown” if the oak was ever removed, and some even said a curious, pointed notch in the tree was the face of Merlin himself.

In fact, the tree was poisoned in the 1850s by a local who objected to people holding meetings beneath it, but its trunk was preserved within iron railings.

It was then removed from the town when someone set it on fire at the end of the 1970s.

Carmarthen then suffered its worst floods for many years.




Bardsey Island off the coast of the Llyn peninsula, meanwhile, is said to be the burial place of Merlin who lies in a glass coffin surrounded by the 13 treasures of Britain and nine bardic companions.

Gelert
The village of Beddgelert in Gwynedd literally means Gelert’s Grave and is supposedly the final resting place of Wales’ most famous dog.

The canine belonged to Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd, who one day was out hunting with his wife, leaving their baby son with a nurse and a servant to look after him.

The nurse and the servant went for a walk in the mountains leaving the baby alone. When Llewelyn returned Gelert came running out of the lodge towards his master, covered in blood.

Llewelyn rushed into the baby’s room to find the cradle overturned and no sign of his son.

Filled with grief he drew his sword and killed Gelert. As the dog died his whimpers were answered by the sound of a baby crying from behind the overturned cradle.

When Llewelyn pulled aside the cradle he found his son unharmed and the body of a huge wolf next to him.

With huge remorse, Llewelyn buried Gelert in a meadow nearby and marked his grave with a cairn of stones.

Twm Sion Cati
Dubbed the Welsh Robin Hood, Twm Sion Cati was actually a bard and genealogist called Thomas Jones who lived in Tregaron from 1530 to 1620.

He became a highwayman robbing the rich but it appears he was a bit tight-fisted and didn’t distribute a penny to the poor.

He was reputed to be a trickster and a master of deception. But he also had a soft side – he avoided maiming his victims and preferred to pin them with a well-aimed arrow to their saddles.

He hid from the Sheriff of Carmarthen in the wooded slopes of Dinas Hill, close to Rhandirmwyn, and his cave today is well hidden on the banks of the river Towy in the RSPB sanctuary of Dinas Hill.

King Arthur
Arthur is heavily associated with Wales.

The lakes of Llydaw, Dinas and Ogwen, are amongst those that claim to contain the magical Excalibur.

A stone reputedly bearing the hoof print of Arthur’s horse Llamrai can be found on the banks of Lake Barfog near Betws y Coed.

It is said that the mark was made when Arthur and his horse dragged a monster from the lake’s deep waters.

Arthur is also associated with Mount Snowdon, where he reputedly killed the mountain’s most famous resident - Rhitta, a fearsome giant who created a cape for himself out of the beards of his enemies. His corpse was covered in huge stones by Arthur’s men at the summit of the mountain.

Dinas Emrys
Located near Beddgelert is Dinas Emrys, the lofty mountain home of the Welsh red dragon.

In the fifth century the Celtic King Vortigern chose the area as the site for his castle.

Every day his men would work hard erecting the first of several proposed towers; but the next morning they would return to find the masonry collapsed in a heap.

Vortigern was advised to seek the help of a young boy who turned out to be Merlin.

He explained that the hill fort could not stand due to a hidden pool containing two dragons. Vortigern commanded his labourers to dig deep into the mountain and they did indeed discover an underground lake.

Once drained, the red and white dragons that lay sleeping there awoke and began to fight.

The white dragon represented the Saxons and the red dragon the Welsh. Eventually the white dragon fled and the red dragon returned quietly to his lair.

Vortigern’s castle was built and duly named after Dinas Emrys. The red dragon has been celebrated ever since.

The Afanc

A lake monster from Welsh mythology, the afanc can also be traced through references in British and Celtic folklore.

Sometimes described as taking the form of a crocodile, giant beaver or dwarf, it is also said to be a demonic creature.

The afanc was said to attack and devour anyone who entered its waters.

Various versions of the tale are known to have existed. In one telling the wild thrashings of the afanc caused flooding which drowned all the people of Britain.

Several sites lay claim to its domain, among them Llyn Llion, Llyn Barfog and Llyn-yr-Afanc (the Afanc Pool), a lake in Betws-y-Coed.

Madoc
Prince Madoc was the son of Owain Gwynedd, one of the greatest and most important rulers in the
country.

In 1170 Owain died and, almost immediately, a violent and very bloody dispute arose between his 13 children regarding the succession.

Madoc and his brother Rhirid were so upset and angered by events that they decided they wanted nothing more to do with their family or their homeland.

They duly took ship from Rhos on Sea and sailed westwards to see what they could find.

What Prince Madoc found, so the legend runs, was America. He and his brother managed to cross the Atlantic and land on the shores of the New World.

His sailors inter-married with a local Native American tribe, and for years the rumour of Welsh-speaking Native American tribes was widely believed.

St David

Born around the year 520 on the cliffs in a wild thunderstorm near the city that’s now named after
him, David was believed to be the son of Sanctus, king of Ceredigion and a nun called Nonnita (Non).

Stories of St David’s miracles include bringing a dead boy back to life by splashing the child’s face with tears and restoring a blind man’s sight.

David’s best-known miracle allegedly took place in the village of Llanddewi Brefi.

He was preaching to a large crowd, but some people had difficulty hearing him.

Suddenly a white dove landed on David’s shoulder, and as it did, the ground on which he stood rose up to form a hill, making it possible for everyone to see and hear him. Today, a church stands on the top of this hill.

And, of course, the Mabinogion...
The Mabinogion is a collection of tales taken from medieval Welsh manuscripts. Based partly on historical events, many recount myths and legends dating from the 11th century.

The complex stories are set in a bizarre and magical landscape which corresponds geographically to the western coast of Wales and are full of white horses that appear magically, giants, beautiful, intelligent women and heroic men.

Story: WalesOnLine

HAUNTED HOUSE - THEN AND NOW - A NEW HAUNTED EARTH tv PRESENTATION

Since 2006 I have been sharing video investigations of paranormal activity captured inside my home, and in particular the master bedroom which appears core to many of the activities recorded there.

Presented by Chris Halton

What I discovered over 8 years of filming, is that some `orb` activity is clearly not as many sceptics would describe as dust motes, bugs, linen fibre, water vapour et al.

Before I continue further, I do agree that much of what people believe to be `orbs`, isn`t, and real activity captured on digital still is virtually impossible to prove as spiritual.

However, some events captured on video can be an entirely different story as my research suggests.

In my analysis I was able to share examples where some `orbs`, clearly reacted and interacted with my presence, and having the fortune of having such a protracted study period in one location I was able to furnish some very compelling results from my studies.

In this video presentation I share the results of a very recent study inside that room, and by using comparisons to past events from the rich source of material available from my Youtube page, I can show that the presences we sometimes falsely ascribe as `orbs`, are clearly a sentient intelligence that not only interacts, but also appears time after time in similar form and `modus operandi`.

           From the haunted bedroom. Are these the ghostly paws of an animal captured here on camera?

Of course, I realise that to some unenlightened minds, my analysis will always be `dust`` - despite evidence to the contrary, and within the context of this study, that argument `holds no water` as shown in this footage.

I believe that if we are able to advance our own studies of the paranormal, all research should be inclusive and open to the possibilities that the paranormal embraces many facets of study, and clearly within the context of `orbs`, everything is not always what you may presume it to be.

I hope you enjoy my latest work and feel free to share to your favourite blogs or discussion forums.

Chris Halton