THE HANGING OF TOBY GILL - A para-documentary

My latest journey into history takes me back to the year 1750 where on 24th June, a young soldier named as Tobias Gill allegedly raped a young woman and strangled her with his handkerchief.
Gill (whose nickname was `Black Toby`) was found unconscious drunk and lying next to the girl`s body.
According to some witnesses, she appeared untouched and lying asleep, but to others who were used as witnesses in court, she had been, `sexually violated, raped and murdered by Gill`.

Suffice to say that Gill was later found guilty at a court in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk and was subsequently hung and then placed in chains at a gibbet erected near to the scene of the alleged crime at 5 fingers crossroads in Blythburgh, Suffolk.

There his remains stayed for 50 years before finally being taken down and buried at the scene.

In this presentation I explore the background to this event, and discuss whether Toby was black or white. I also examine the case in detail, and explore the legends of hauntings associated with Toby.

And later I return at night to carry out a paranormal investigation on Blythburgh Common, a place noted for criminality and possible murder.

The video presentation will be live at 10pm (UK time) Saturday 30th April 2016 (tonight).

BELOW IS THE VIEWING PANEL WHICH WILL GO `LIVE`AT 10pm (BST)

ESSEX WITCHES - A HAUNTED EARTH PARA-DOCUMENTARY

On this occasion I decide to focus on some witchcraft legends within my own county of Essex.
Essex is historically associated with witches and black magic,  a belief largely generated by superstitious country folk whose fear of the devil led to the persecution of many people.  Their only crimes were being mostly female, old, poor and physically feeble.

The centre-point of many legends was the village of Canewdon, and in particular, a witch named George Pickingill who was very active in the 19th century.

Also featured is another Essex legend, a man named Matthew Hopkins the arch-nemesis of `witches`in 17th century England, and a man that later seeded through his work, the persecution of many innocents in Salem, Massachusetts.

In addition, we have a visit to Felsted in Essex, a place steeped in history and of a strange incident some years ago involving myself and a voice that sounded to be weirdly witch-like near to a spot where once lived a spinster who too was executed for being a witch.

I hope you enjoy this presentation on my journey back to a dark era in Britain`s history.

*THE SHOW WILL BE LIVE FROM THE LINK BELOW AT 2200hrs BST TONIGHT!*

AN ANCIENT CHURCH LOST IN TIME - A Para-documentary

Today I travel over to an incredibly remote ancient church which dates from the early Medieval period and has remained virtually unchanged for 300 years. A church where an iconoclast named as Captain William Dowsing of the Suffolk Regiment visited in 1643 to destroy and  remove anything considered to be `superstitious` to the tastes of a puritanical England during the English Civil War.

 Here Chris Halton your guide covers the history of this wonderful building and shares the story of Captain Dowsing, and some of the remaining damage left untouched after his fateful visit. Fortunately much furniture still remains literally frozen in time.

St Mary`s Church in Badley is currently a redundant church under the care of the Church of England through their wonderful charity, the Churches Conservation Trust.

Like all redundant churches, it`s long term future remains uncertain, and it is hoped that by seeing and appreciating the same beauty that I saw and experienced, you too may one day travel here to admire and support this vestige of British history and culture which is set surrounded by countryside that remains virtually unchanged.  It is so remote that it is only accessible by a one mile unmade track way which has remained for centuries.

St Mary`s at Badley is a perfect example (and victim) of historic religious bigotry and intolerance to other people`s beliefs.

As always I touch into the ambient spirituality that I sense and feel in this pleasantly historic building from the days of yore.

A truly rare and wonderful place to visit and appreciate in a fast disappearing world.

A HAUNTING VISIT TO A MEDIEVAL ISLAND CHURCH - A Para-documentary

via GIPHY


In this edition, Chris Halton visits a beautiful 12th century church and cemetery that has on unconsecrated land, the grave of a pregnant 15 year old girl, with an iron cage allegedly to  `keep her locked away`..
Was she a witch, or the victim of bigotry?
Also, a historical tour of the church and a look at a famous writer who was the parish priest here.
Plus paranormal activity .....

THE LINK FOR THE SHOW WHICH STARTS AT 10pm (GMT) December 18th, 2015.

FOOTSTEPS THROUGH TIME - NEW HAUNTED EARTH PARA-DOCUMENTARY

Here I decided to visit a very early Christian church dating back to the Saxon era, and one that apart from a fantastic history, is also regarded as quite haunted. This I was able to verify later in the day ....
Another para-documentary which shares the history - both written and spiritual, with events of para-normality caught on camera.

A compelling view, especially with regards to the paranormal activity captured that day.

As always, with your guide and presenter into the unknown, Chris Halton.

The video will be live at 10pm GMT (5pm EST)
this Friday, November 20th onwards.

Be sure to bookmark this link!

TOWER OF THE TEMPLARS - PARA/HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY FROM HAUNTED EARTH

A journey into the distant past to the sole remaining preceptory tower of once a vast Knights Templar estate in rural Lincolnshire, England.

Join us,  as layers of history are peeled back to reveal the passing of time at the ancient Temple Bruer tower,  and it`s connection with King Henry VIII and the strange Dr D.G Oliver who claimed to have discovered human burnt offerings and live infant burials inside secret chambers and tunnels built long ago by the Templars.

Also some ghostly history, and a visit to another site in Essex connected to the Knights Hospitaller.
Added to that, more ghostly tales and some evidence of paranormality.

In short, a journey back to ancient days weaved delicately together in 30 minutes by your genial guide, Chris Halton.

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.

HAUNTED EARTH TV SHOWS ON NATIONAL TV THIS WEDNESDAY 16th JULY 2014

This Wednesday July 16th 2014, Haunted Earth tv takes to the airwaves on Community Channel tv in a show entitled, `Haunted Histories`.

In total there are 9 shows running for 9 nights at 10pm, and featuring selections from our visits to some unique and interesting locations in Southern England and Eire.

Chris Halton

`Haunted Histories` presented by Chris Halton focusses on the history and associated ghost legends of some seldom visited locations which I am sure will increase viewers of future broadcasts to our format.

Haunted Earth were last featured on mainstream tv in an excellent series `The New Files` hosted by the delightful and delving presenter, Sophia Tzavella on TV7 in Bulgaria.

This is an exciting development for us, as the show has a national UK reach and transmits terrestrially and digitally with access afforded to missed shows by UK as well as non UK viewers across the world.

Access to the channel (UK residents only) can be found on:

Sky 539 • Virgin Media 233 • Freeview 63 • Freeview HD 109 • Freesat 651 • BT Vision.

For foreign viewers, Community Channel provide `on demand` viewing access for missed episodes on this link which will feature `Haunted Histories` after the first transmission date.

ON DEMAND (Click here)

We hope that you are able to tune in this Wednesday to enjoy the show!

A VISIT TO A VERY HAUNTED ROYAL CASTLE - PART ONE

Tonight at 10pm (UK) time (5pm EST) is the first part of my documentary visit to St Briavels Castle, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

Haunted Earth were kindly invited in March 2014 to join a weekend ticketed investigation hosted by (FPI) Forest Paranormal Investigations. Present were a number of guests, who had travelled there from across the UK.

The first part video concentrates on the history of the castle as well as the spectral tales provided by Ross Andrews, a local historian and author of books relating to the paranormal history of Gloucestershire.
In the video I share my own haunting experiences from the night before, plus Ross`s own personal haunting tales.



The castle has recorded a huge raft of activity over the years, and these events are well documented, and with Ross escorting us around the building, he relates in each part that recorded history.
In Part 2 (which is anticipated for release in two weeks time) , we focus on the night activity with our friends from FPI, and some rather special activity.

This was from a number of perspectives, a very interesting weekend with lots of activity, and of course the participation of both Adam Heath from FPI and myself in the now apparently controversial Zenner card test with spirit using a ghost box and EMF meter to register responses.
Here below is a link shared recently, but (to reiterate) is seen only by one cam. The full event will show responses on the EMF plus other views not previously shared.

NEW HAUNTED EARTH DOCUMENTARY - NOW SHOOTING

Haunted Earth tv are currently filming a new historic documentary with aerial footage at Henry VIII`s fort at Tilbury in Essex.
Taking over two days to shoot, the documentary will focus on it`s early beginnings as a D-shaped blockhouse built in 1539 on a dissolved religious Hermitage, to defend the reaches of the Thames with it`s sister blockhouse based on the Kent embankment at Gravesend.

I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman;
but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too!

His daughter, Elizabeth I made a rallying cry to her English forces against the expected Spanish Armada in 1588 at nearby West Tilbury, with her now famous speech of which part is shared here:

`I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.`

Unbeknown then to all was that a small and inferior naval force led by a better strategist, Sir Francis Drake, defeated the much bigger and more powerful Spanish warships at Gravelines, by sinking or routing them with fire ships and cannon which forced them to flee around the coast of Britain with the intent to find another safe route back to their home ports in Spain. Many surviving ships were floundered or sunk in wild and heavy seas off Ireland and the Scottish Isles. This was due in part to their top heavy galleons, which were unsuited for this campaign.

Because of this, and other unstable factors in Europe, the threat of invasion was always uppermost in the minds of English rulers, and over the centuries the fort was much improved and extended.

The current site plan was mostly the work of a brilliant Dutch engineer and settler, Sir Bernard De Gomme.
Under the direction of King Charles II, De Gomme started the construction in 1670, which went slowly through to the 1680`s.

Labour was provided by captured prisoners and military personnel, and during it`s construction many died from work related injuries or the climate which was largely the result of a disease ridden boggy marsh.
To many soldiers, Tilbury Fort was a `short straw` posting, despite it`s close proximity to London.

The area lacked social amenities and proper accommodation, and the risk of illness from the Essex marshes drove many officers to get permission to live opposite in the Kentish town of Gravesend.

The site accommodation consisted of a barrack block for soldiers, and another for officers.
The barrack block was destroyed by a stray Luftwaffe bomb in WW2.

As the fort sat between West Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary, the officers were buried in West Tilbury, and other ranks in the churchyard at Chadwell St Mary.

General Gordon

During the 1860`s the forts at Tilbury and Gravesend were modernised and improved to carry modern heavy ordinance by the then Captain Charles Gordon [1833–85], later known as 'Chinese Gordon or Gordon of Khartoum'.

Despite it`s long military career, the fort never fired it`s heavy cannons in anger, although during WW1 an anti-aircraft gun shot down a Zeppelin on it`s way to bomb the city of London.
In 1950 the fort was decommissioned and is now managed by English Heritage.

Tilbury has many lost souls attached to it`s name. Scottish prisoners from the battle of Culloden were kept here in appalling conditions. Many were held on hulks on the Thames or here in Tilbury Fort, and executions took place in Carlisle, York and Kennington Common.

During the Napoleonic wars, many French prisoners were also housed here or on the `hulk ships` moored in the estuary. Again, many died from the unsanitary conditions offered either on the hulks, (which were old, decommissioned or captured enemy ships that were beyond military service) or died labouring for their captors in the maintenance and improvement of the fort`s defences.

Today, the fort is open to the public with interesting activity of a paranormal kind experienced by visitors or through the infrequent night investigations there.

Indeed some years ago I visited Tilbury and shot a daytime video of my experiences there.



As with all of my work on day shoots, there will be a paranormal section at the end of the documentary.
I`m sure that on part two of my day shoot we may capture some interesting activity.

Mick using camera goggles and controls to fly his quadcopter

Discussing with Mick proposed shooting order for his quadcopter

In this special shoot, we have aerial video footage in HD quality of the
site. The footage was shot by Mick Coulter whose website is: http://coultermedia.com/ Or other videos he has made on Youtube

Here below are some stills taken from the cam footage which give a new and excellent perspective of this huge defensive site. The video will be used in conjunction with my production, and is something I hope to utilise on future shoots.

The documentary is targeted for completion in February 2014.

Story: Chris Halton