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Index
of Haunting's
Borley
Rectory - Background
Ghostly Nun Haunting
Harry Price
Borley Church - Focus of haunting today?
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Borley
Rectory - Background
The tiny parish of Borley is found near
the Suffolk border, on the east coast of England. Borley rectory
has a sinister reputation as the most haunted house in England
- and not without good reason.
The paranormal activity around the area of the house (made famous
in the 1920s and 1930s) has been attributed to a romantic and
sad story concerning forbidden love. The Rectory was rumoured
to have been built on the site, of an ancient Benedictine Monastery.
Borley legend has it that a 13th century monk and a young novice
nun (from the nunnery at Bures) fell in love, but were murdered
when plans surfaced that the couple planned to elope (in a coach
and horses). The monk was hung by the neck, and the nun was bricked
up alive, and wasted away within the convent walls.
The Rectory was built for the Reverend H.D.E Bull and his family
in 1863. Bull even had a summer-house constructed in the grounds
so he could view the manifestations along the infamous 'Nuns Walk'.
It should be noted that during his lifetime the Reverend Bull
had joked that he would return to the Rectory after his death,
and make his presence known by throwing mothballs around. In 1892
the Reverend Bull died in the Blue Room. His son Harry (Pastor
of Borley Church from 1862) inherited the house and lived there
until his death in 1927, also in the Blue Room. It is because
of these two deaths that the Blue Room has a reputation as the
most haunted room of the house.
A year after Harry Bull's death, Borley was taken over by the
Reverend Eric Smith and his wife. The Smith's inhabited the house
for three years and during this period Harry Price conducted investigations
into the alleged haunting's (for 3 days). In 1930, the Reverend
L.A Foyster moved into Borley and stayed for five years.
In 1935 famed psychic investigator Harry Price leased The Rectory
for a year to conduct his investigations further. Price even published
his findings in his book 'The Most Haunted House in England'.
After Harry Price, a man by the name of Captain William Gregson
lived at the Rectory. However in 1939 Borley was gutted by a huge
fire started by an oil lamp. The ruin of Borley was finally demolished
in 1944.
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Summer House
Blue Room
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Ghostly
Nun Haunting
Strange sightings had been reported at
Borley as far back as 1885. In the
grounds of the rectory, a ghostly nun was seen many times. In
1886 a nurse left Borley after a similar ghostly nun experience.
Two sisters in 1900, witnessed the ghostly nun during the day
in the grounds of the Rectory. The Nun would slowly wander along
a route that eventually became known as the 'Nun's Walk'. Numerous
local people had also claimed to see the ghostly nun over the
years.
According to reports the spirit Nun was also seen frequently peering
through the dining room window of the Rectory. This resulted in
the window being bricked up - so disturbing was the ghostly sight.
The Reverends four daughters also saw the Nun gliding across the
lawn in broad daylight.
Mr and Mrs Edward Cooper who lived in a cottage very close to
the Rectory saw the ghost and also a ghostly phantom coach and
horses. A former headmaster of the Colchester Royal Grammar School
reported seeing a ghostly nun several times during 1885. A local
carpenter named Fred Cartwright said he saw a nun four separate
times by the gate. People have also claimed to see the Nun and
Monk manifest on the Rectory lawn observed as being "A lady
in grey cloak" and "A gentleman with a sort of bald
head, dressed in a long black gown."
Reverend Lionel Foyster and his wife also fell victim to the poltergeist
activity during their time at Borley. Strange writing on the walls,
stone throwing, smashed glass and people being thrown from their
beds by an unexplained force. Foyster even had Borley Rectory
exorcised, to no effect. Strange music would be heard from the
nearby Church, communion wine would oddly turn into ink, and the
servants bells in the house would ring of their own accord.
The Reverend Eric Smith and his wife also reported poltergeist
phenomena, such as stone throwing, bells ringing, and the sound
of ghostly footsteps. They also heard strange whispering voices,
one even saying 'Don't Carlos don't' (Carlos was the nickname
of Harry Bull). On experiencing these phenomena the Reverend telephoned
the Daily Mirror newspaper, to report the incidents to the press.
The newspaper then assigned a reporter named C.V. Wall to the
story and the journalist then contacted prominent Psychic Investigator
Harry Price. Wall even reported seeing a "mysterious light"
in the window during his visit to the Rectory, and later he also
reported that he himself had experienced seeing the Nun.
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Harry Price
Borley in Ruins
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Harry
Price
Price responded to the reporter's request
for help, by asking if he could stay at the Rectory for a short
period to conduct an investigation. Price even advertised in The
Times for trustworthy assistants to help in conducting his research.
When Reverend Foyster moved out of the Rectory, Harry Price then
had the opportunity to rent the property and study the rectory in
isolation, with a team of researchers. Price leased the property
from June 1937 to 1938, and had a team of forty-eight observers
to assist him. The haunting seemed to take a more sinister turn
with Price in residence. Things thrown across the rooms and stones
thrown at the investigators were just some of the odd happenings
they experienced. Price was of the opinion that from 1930-1935 there
were around two thousand poltergeist incidents.
Whilst conducting his investigation Price held a séance in
the Blue Room at Borley, and reportedly gained contact with the
spirit of the Reverend Bull. Allegedly during this séance
(March 1938) one ghostly message predicted that Borley Rectory would
burn down, and the remains of a nun would then be uncovered. Years
later in 1943 Price did find a jawbone of a young woman while digging
in the cellar area of the ruined Rectory.
"Every person who has resided in the rectory since it was
built in 1863, and virtually every person who has investigated the
alleged miracles, has sworn to incidents that can only be described
as paranormal." Harry Price.
Price believed that the poltergeist activity was focused on Marianne
(Reverend Lionel Foyster's daughter). Strange scribbled writing
started to appear on the Rectory walls then disappear. These odd
scribbles said things such as 'pleas for help and prayers' and 'Marianne,
please help get'. The poor girl even attempted to communicate with
the spirit and wrote out 'what do you want?' on an envelope. The
spirit replied by the word 'rest.' appearing on the same envelope.
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Spirit Scribbles
Borley Church
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Borley
Church - Focus of haunting
today?
After The Rectory was finally demolished
in 1944, the focus of the haunting is said to have moved to the
Church. Built in the late 12th century, Borley Church stands across
the road from where the Rectory once stood. The famous figure
of the ghostly Nun has also been reported floating in the churchyard.
Reverend Alfred Clifford Henning (who was resident in the years
of Harry Price's investigations) reported strange occurrences
at his church. These phenomena included the sound of the organ
being played in an empty church.
The Haunting of Borley Rectory is by now
notorious. Accusations of hoaxes have always been thrown at the
alleged ghostly activity at Borley. They have never been proved
or disproved.
 Further
info on this can be found here
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