THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE `WHITE LADY GHOST` - A Para-documentary

On a hot day in August 1975, a Diane Berthelot who was feeling particularly unwell visited with her husband and young son, St Mary Church in the village of Worstead, Norfolk.

While there she sat alone on a pew when her husband took a series of photographs which included one still of her sat down.

Afterwards she apparently felt much better and her health improved after they returned home to Essex.

A while later the images of that day were developed and printed when it was noticed that there was a strange light anomaly behind Diane in the church. The anomaly appears human in form, and some claim that it appears to be wearing an old fashioned hat. People from the village were aware of the legend of the `White Lady`, who apparently possessed curative powers, which they ascribed to helping Diane.

The last known occurrence connected to the legend of the `White Lady` happened many years earlier, in fact during the 1830`s when a guest staying at a local hostelry heard that the `White Lady` appeared in the church every Christmas Eve.

Determined to prove this to be nonsense he decided to climb up into the belfry on Christmas Eve so he could look out for the ghost - should it appear.
He was later discovered in a terrible fright and claimed he had seen her before dying on the spot.
After that, nothing was heard further on this apparition until Diane and her family paid the church a visit.

Critics have argued that the apparition was merely strong sunlight reflecting off someone sat behind Diane. This has been utterly repudiated by the Berthelot family although from looking closely at the image there does seem to appear below the apparition a dark pair of legs with shoes.

However, the legend of the `White Lady` has endured, and many people visit the church in the hope that they might receive some beneficial healing from the presence of this spirit.

During my visit there to film and open up spiritually, I was suffering from a back pain near to my left kidney which has a stone awaiting removal. Can I say I was cured?
That is a difficult question to answer as I clearly felt much better while there, but the pain soon re-appeared after I returned home.

Regardless, I managed to capture some odd E.V.P, and even saw a black shadow drift across the front of the church`s organ.

I hope you enjoy this visit and my impressions gained from being there, which is a beautiful 14th century church with 16th century additions.

A `taster` clip




THIS IS THE MAIN SHOW WHICH WILL BE `LIVE` TO VIEW FROM 10pm (GMT) Friday, January 13th 2017.

WHITE LADY GHOST CAPTURED ON CAMERA

A pub’s name-change in honour of a north Norfolk village’s ghost brought haunting memories flooding back for Diane Berthelot.

Mrs Berthelot read about the re-launch of Worstead’s New Inn in the EDP and was thrilled when she saw it was to become The White Lady; celebrating the ghost said to appear in the nearby church every Christmas Eve.

One hot summer’s day 36 years ago, Mrs Berthelot believes she unwittingly had her photo taken with the White Lady while visiting the church.

While one early account of the ghost’s appearance ends in the witness’s death, Mrs Berthelot, of Hipperson Close, North Walsham, says her own experience was of a healing and peaceful spirit presence.

In 1830 a man is said to have climbed into the church belfry on Christmas Eve, boasting that he would kiss the White Lady if he saw her. When he failed to reappear, his friends followed and found him huddled and terrified. He managed to whisper “I’ve seen her, I’ve seen her,” before dying.

Mrs Berthelot, now 79, says she had never heard of the ghost when she, husband Peter and their 12-year-old son David visited the old weaving village of Worstead on Saturday August 2 1975, during one of their regular holidays in Norfolk from their then home in Essex, and went inside the church to escape the heat.

She had suffered ill health for some time and remembers that she was taking antibiotics for an infection and felt unwell that day. As her husband and son wandered round the empty church taking photos, Mrs Berthelot sat close to the font on a wooden bench and prayed for recovery, unaware that her husband had caught her on camera too. She remembers feeling warm, relaxed and at peace.

Months later, back in Essex, the family and their lodger Barbara decided to have a slide show and view their summer snaps for the first time. They were astounded when Barbara asked: “Who’s that sitting behind you Di?”

Mrs Berthelot said: “I looked up, saw the white figure and my feet started to ‘tingle’. This sensation eventually engulfing the whole of me. It was a pleasant, comforting feeling.”

The photo appears to show a woman dressed in light-coloured, old-fashioned clothes, with a bonnet, sitting on the bench directly behind Mrs Berthelot.

The following summer Mrs Berthelot says she went back to the church and showed the slide to the late Vicar of Worstead, Rev Pettit, who told them about the legend and said there was talk that the White Lady was a healer who appeared when there was sickness.

For many years Mrs Berthelot said she experienced the same tingling sensation whenever she looked at the photo, although this has since stopped.

“I’ve been back to the church many times since but nothing ever happened again,” she said.

Mrs Berthelot has now presented a copy of her photo to Dennis Gilligan, the new owner of Worstead’s pub, who decided on the name change after finding an ageing newspaper article about the White Lady when he moved into his own home in the village.

Mr Gilligan plans to frame and display Mrs Berthelot’s photo. He suspects the White Lady may have started drifting across to the pub since it was renamed as lights appear to turn themselves on and off without human intervention - and he was recently touched on the shoulder while alone in the cellars.

Source: Eastern Daily Press