A Ghostly Jailer

A ghost story

Having murdered his brother-in-law, Orrin Brower of Kentucky was a fugitive from justice.  From the county jail where he had been confined to await his trial he had escaped by knocking down his jailer with an iron bar, robbing him of his keys and, opening the outer door, walking out into the night.  The jailer being unarmed, Brower got no weapon with which to defend his recovered liberty.  As soon as he was out of the town he had the folly to enter a forest; this was many years ago, when that region was wilder than it is now.

The night was pretty dark, with neither moon nor stars visible, and as Brower had never dwelt thereabout, and knew nothing of the lay of the land, he was, naturally, not long in losing himself.  He could not have said if he were getting farther away from the town or going back to it - a most important matter to Orrin Brower.  He knew that in either case a posse of citizens with a pack of bloodhounds would soon be on his track and his chance of escape was very slender; but he did not wish to assist in his own pursuit.  Even an added hour of freedom was worth having.

Suddenly he emerged from the forest into an old road, and there before him saw, indistinctly, the figure of a man, motionless in the gloom.  It was too late to retreat: the fugitive felt that at the first movement back toward the wood he would be, as he afterward explained, filled with buckshot.  So the two stood there like trees, Brower nearly suffocated by the activity of his own heart; the other - the emotions of the other are not recorded.

A moment later - it may have been an hour - the moon sailed into a patch of unclouded sky and the hunted man saw that visible embodiment of Law lift an arm and point significantly toward and beyond him.  He understood.  Turning his back to his captor, he walked submissively away in the direction indicated, looking to neither the right nor the left; hardly daring to breathe, his head and back actually aching with a prophecy of buckshot.

Brower was as courageous a criminal as ever lived to be hanged; that was shown by the conditions of awful personal peril in which he had coolly killed his brother-in-law.  It is needless to relate them here; they came out at his trial, and the revelation of his calmness in confronting them came near to saving his neck.  But what would you have? - when a brave man is beaten, he submits.

So they pursued their journey jailward along the old road through the woods.  Only once did Brower venture a turn of the head: just once, when he was in deep shadow and he knew that the other was in moonlight, he looked backward.  His captor was Burton Duff, the jailer, as white as death and bearing upon his brow the livid mark of the iron bar.  Orrin Brower had no further curiosity.

Eventually they entered the town, which was all alight, but deserted; only the women and children remained, and they were off the streets.  Straight toward the jail the criminal held his way.  Straight up to the main entrance he walked, laid his hand upon the knob of the heavy iron door, pushed it open without command, entered and found himself in the presence of a half-dozen armed men. Then he turned.  Nobody else entered.

On a table in the corridor lay the dead body of Burton Duff.

The Hand Of Glory

A ghost story from Folklore by Henderson

One evening, between the years 1790 and 1800, a traveller, dressed in woman's clothes, arrived at the Old Spital Inn, the place where the mail coach changed horses, in High Spital, on Bowes Moor. The traveller begged to stay all night, but had to go away so early in the morning that if a mouthful of food were set ready for breakfast there was no need the family should be disturbed by her departure. The people of the house, however, arranged that a servant maid should sit up till the stranger was out of the premises, and then went to bed themselves. The girl lay down for a nap on the longsettle by the fire, but before she shut her eyes she took a good look at the traveller, who was sitting on the opposite side of the hearth, and espied a pair of man's trousers peeping out from under the gown. All inclination for sleep was now gone; however, with great self-command, she feigned it, closed her eyes, and even began to snore. On this the traveller got up, pulled out of his pocket a dead man's hand, fitted a candle to it, lighted the candle, and passed hand and candle several times before the servant girl's face, saying as he did so: "Let those who are asleep be asleep, and let those who are awake be awake." This done, he placed the light on the table, opened the outer door, went down two or three of the steps which led from the house to the road, and began to whistle for his companions. The girl (who had hitherto had presence of mind enough to remain perfectly quiet) now jumped up, rushed behind the ruffian, and pushed him down the steps. She then shut the door, locked it, and ran upstairs to try and wake the family, but without success: calling, shouting, and shaking were alike in vain. The poor girl was in despair, for she heard the traveller and his comrades outside the house. So she ran down again, seized a bowl of milk, and threw it over the hand and candle; after which she went upstairs again, and awoke the sleepers without any difficulty. The landlord's son went to the window, and asked the men outside what they wanted. They answered that if the dead man's hand were but given them, they would go away quietly, and do no harm to anyone. This he refused, and fired among them, and the shot must have taken effect, for in the morning stains of blood were traced to a considerable distance.

These circumstances were related to my informant, Mr Charles Wastell, in the spring of 1861, by an old woman named Bella Parkin, who resided close to High Spital, and was actually the daughter of the courageous servant-girl.

It is interesting to compare them with the following narrations, communicated to me by the Rev. S. Baring Gould:—"Two magicians having come to lodge in a public-house with a view to robbing it, asked permission to pass the night by the fire, and obtained it. When the house was quiet, the servant-girl, suspecting mischief, crept downstairs and looked through the keyhole. She saw the men open a sack, and take out a dry, withered hand. They anointed the fingers with some unguent, and lighted them. Each finger flamed, but the thumb they could not light; that was because one of the household was not asleep. The girl hastened to her master, but found it impossible to arouse him. She tried every other sleeper, but could not break the charmed sleep. At last, stealing down into the kitchen, while the thieves were busy over her master's strong box, she secured the hand, blew out the flames, and at once the whole household was aroused."

But the next story bears a closer resemblance to the Stainmore narrative. One dark night, when all was shut up, there came a tap at the door of a lone inn in the middle of a barren moor. The door was opened, and there stood without, shivering and shaking, a poor beggar, his rags soaked with rain, and his hands white with cold. He asked piteously for a lodging, and it was cheerfully granted him; there was not a spare bed in the house, but he could lie on the mat before the kitchen fire, and welcome.

So this was settled, and everyone in the house went to bed except the cook, who from the back kitchen could see into the large room through a pane of glass let into the door. She watched the beggar, and saw him, as soon as he was left alone, draw himself up from the floor, seat himself at the table, extract from his pocket a brown withered human hand, and set it upright in the candlestick. He then anointed the fingers, and applying a match to them, they began to flame. Filled with horror, the cook rushed up the back stairs, and endeavoured to arouse her master and the men of the house. But all was in vain—they slept a charmed sleep; so in despair she hastened down again, and placed herself at her post of observation.

She saw the fingers of the hand flaming, but the thumb remained unlighted, because one inmate of the house was awake. The beggar was busy collecting the valuables around him into a large sack, and having taken all he cared for in the large room, he entered another. On this the woman ran in, and, seizing the light, tried to extinguish the flames. But this was not so easy. She blew at them, but they burnt on as before. She poured the dregs of a beer-jug over them, but they blazed up the brighter. As a last resource, she caught up a jug of milk, and dashed it over the four lambent flames, and they died out at once. Uttering a loud cry, she rushed to the door of the apartment the beggar had entered, and locked it. The whole family was aroused, and the thief easily secured and hanged.

An Unfinished Race

A ghost story

James Burne Worson was a shoemaker who lived in Leamington, Warwickshire, England. He had a little shop in one of the by-ways leading off the road to Warwick. In his humble sphere he was esteemed an honest man, although like many of his class in English towns he was somewhat addicted to drink. When in liquor he would make foolish wagers. On one of these too frequent occasions he was boasting of his prowess as a pedestrian and athlete, and the outcome was a match against nature. For a stake of one sovereign he undertook to run all the way to Coventry and back, a distance of something more than forty miles. This was on the 3rd day of September in 1873. He set out at once, the man with whom he had made the bet - whose name is not remembered - accompanied by Barham Wise, a linen draper, and Hamerson Burns, a photographer, I think, following in a light cart or wagon.

For several miles Worson went on very well, at an easy gait, without apparent fatigue, for he had really great powers of endurance and was not sufficiently intoxicated to enfeeble them. The three men in the wagon kept a short distance in the rear, giving him occasional friendly chaff or encouragement, as the spirit moved them.  Suddenly - in the very middle of the roadway, not a dozen yards from them, and with their eyes full upon him - the man seemed to stumble, pitched headlong forward, uttered a terrible cry and vanished! He did not fall to the earth - he vanished before touching it. No trace of him was ever discovered.

After remaining at and about the spot for some time, with aimless irresolution, the three men returned to Leamington, told their astonishing story and were afterward taken into custody. But they were of good standing, had always been considered truthful, were sober at the time of the occurrence, and nothing ever transpired to discredit their sworn account of their extraordinary adventure, concerning the truth of which, nevertheless, public opinion was divided, throughout the United Kingdom. If they had something to conceal, their choice of means is certainly one of the most amazing ever made by sane human beings.

Ghostly Dreams

A personal account by a reader who wishes to remain anonymous

My story begins when I was a little girl. I was only 6 when my granny died and I have memories of the funeral. I remember seeing the coffin and seeing everyone crying. I know I didn’t really understand about death at that time so I guess it didn’t really effect me much. I was told Granny was gone to heaven and when you’re that young, maybe you think that’s somewhere she’ll be back from in a few days.

I started to dream about her. It’s not something I remember clearly myself but my mother has told me about this. She said a lot of what I was dreaming about at the time was odd, things I couldn’t possibly have known about my granny however over time, the dreams stopped and that was it, or so I thought.

When I was 19 I began seeing a man (I won’t give his name) who I fell for head over heels. Things progressed quickly and I ended up pregnant. He suggested we move in together and so I left my parents house in Carlow Town to be with him in a village on the other side of the county (Again, I don’t want to give details if that’s okay). The house was nice and we did what we could to make it ours however not long after we’d moved in, I noticed little things changing. His temper for one thing, he’d launch into rages for no reason and it would scare me. He started drinking too and after a couple of weeks, I began to regret my decision to move in with him.

The drinking got worse and he’d stay out til all hours, me at home and heavily pregnant. He eventually got laid off from his job and things seemed dire. I was afraid to tell my parents, I guess stubborn since they weren’t overly thrilled about me being pregnant. I felt trapped.

Then the dreams started. I suddenly woke one night in a sweat, remembering my granny trying to tell me something in the dream. It was odd but yet not clear. The dreams happened every couple of nights from then on, her appearing and me not being able to understand what she was trying to say. It was frightening me and that really wasn’t I needed with everything else going on. I phoned my sister, then only 15 and told her I needed to come home. She told me her boyfriend was now driving and they’d come get me.

I began to pack frantically and as I did, he returned. I panicked and he began shouting, telling me I wasn’t leaving and he was going to stop me. He began grabbing me, tossing me around the kitchen. I was about 7 months pregnant at this stage so I began to fear for the baby. He picked up a knife and I felt hopeless in the situation. I struggled to get away and I made a lunge for the door, he lost his footing and fell back through the glass of the patio doors, falling to a slump on the ground outside. It was like he’d been pushed and for a moment I wasn’t sure what to do before my instincts took me out into the front garden. A women walking a dog outside consoled me until my sister arrived.

That night, at home in my parent’s house, after the police had left, I fell asleep with my sister beside me. I dreamt of my granny again and this time, it seemed clearer. She was telling me not to worry and I woke up in a sweat again. To this day, I wonder if she had a hand in him going through that patio door. As for him, the last I’d heard he was in Australia and has never asked to see his daughter who I named Geraldine after my granny. I still dream about her sometimes.

Lord Strafford’s Warning

A ghost story by the Rev. John Mastin

In the Rev. John Mastin's History of Naseby is cited a story of an apparition that was supposed to have appeared to Charles the First at Daintree, near Naseby, previous to the famous battle of that name.

The army of Charles, says the historian, consisting of less than 5000 foot, and about as many horse, was ordered to Daintree, whither the King went with a thorough resolution of fighting. The next day, however, to the surprise of Prince Rupert and all the rest of the army, this design was given up, and the former one of going to the north resumed. The reason of this alteration in his plans was alleged to be some presages of ill-fortune which the King had received, and which were related to me, says Mr Mastin's authority, by a person of Newark, at that time in His Majesty's horse.

About two hours after the King had retired to rest, said the narrator, some of his attendants hearing an uncommon noise in his chamber, went into it, where they found His Majesty sitting up in bed and much agitated, but nothing which could have produced the noise they fancied they had heard. The King, in a tremulous voice, inquired after the cause of their alarm, and told them how much he had been disturbed, apparently by a dream, by thinking he had seen an apparition of Lord Strafford, who, after upbraiding him for his cruelty, told him he was come to return him good for evil, and that he advised him by no means to fight the Parliament army that was at that time quartered at Northampton, for it was one which the King could never conquer by arms.

Prince Rupert, in whom courage was the predominant quality, rated the King out of his apprehensions the next day, and a resolution was again taken to meet the enemy. The next night, however, the apparition appeared to him a second time, but with looks of anger assuring him that would be the last advice he should be permitted to give him, but that if he kept his resolution of fighting he was undone.

If His Majesty had taken the advice of the friendly ghost, and marched northward the next day, where the Parliament had few English forces, and where the Scots were becoming very discontented, his affairs might, perhaps, still have had a prosperous issue, or if he had marched immediately into the west he might afterwards have fought on more equal terms. But the King, fluctuating between the apprehensions of his imagination and the reproaches of his courage, remained another whole day at Daintree in a state of inactivity.

The battle of Naseby, fought 14th June 1645, put a finishing stroke to the King's affairs. After this he could never get together an army fit to look the enemy in the face. He was often heard to say that he wished he had taken the warning, and not fought at Naseby; the meaning of which nobody knew but those to whom he had told of the apparition which he had seen at Daintree, and all of whom were, subsequently, charged to keep the affair secret.

Researching A Deadly Haunting - Part 2

My Paranormal Cold Case By Todd Hendrickson

One particular phenomena caught my attention among the myriad strangeness that happened to the Moffitt family. Apportation is one of the rarest and most inexplicable events in the paranormal field. When apportations are reported, often the objects manifested are from a great distance in origin or from a time long past. Some even match the definition of out of place artifacts (OOPArts.) In this particular case the most interesting object apported to the Moffitt family was an iron spear head. Deborah claims to have taken it to the LA Museum of Natural History to have it authenticated. From her reporting it was dated to approximately 200 years ago and from the Belgian Congo in origin. I had the opportunity to see and hold the spear myself. I don't claim to be an anthropologist, but being a reasonably intelligent and observant person I went to the work of examining it myself. It was in fact made of handworked iron, albeit by an apparently skilled craftsman. It had a sharp point, but the edges were blunt, signifying it had ceremonial uses opposed to being a hunting tool or weapon. Upon further research I found several museum pieces from the Belgian Congo that matched the materials and markings. Some examples can be found here and here. In all, the evidence supports the claims in this case.

The last aspect of the case I researched in detail involved the nature of the entity itself and its connection to the most prevalent symbol left. A broad scope of phenomena were reported along with messages that ranged from mundane and almost familial to homicidal. Some of the activities appeared to be for its own amusement while others were potentially deadly practical jokes. Some showed clarity of intent and others were just bizarre. My first conclusions as to the nature of the entity were that it was capricious, intelligent, and in need of acknowledgment. Upon further examination, though, my research and conversations with various experts and those that had knowledge of this case have led me to the belief that there wasn't a singular entity involved in the activity. In fact, there may have been several. Several factors have led to this belief. The handwriting manifested on the mirror and walls of the home changes constantly. Some messages even appear to be written left-handed and others right-handed. Some are feminine and others masculine. While this may be due simply to vacillations in desire of methods of communication, it is potential evidence that there may have been several entities communicating without divulging their individuality. Another piece of evidence in support of this theory is the extremely broad nature of activities themselves. In some cases the experiencer felt completely safe from harm from the entity (entities.) At anther points she felt terrified. Some of the messages were somewhat friendly and informative. Others expressed hatred and rage. One clue may be mined from the hundreds of pictures left. A name was given at the bottom of the mirror in one that I found very familiar: Baal.

Baal is an ancient name that has many roots. Some of the earliest Canaanite texts make reference to Baal as the chief deity of Canaan. It even had a pluralized form in the word baalim. While this is a possibility, I first began looking to the Goetia. There is a spirit named Baal (Bael) in the Goetia. It is considered very powerful and is often equated to the Demon Baal mentioned in various 17^th century texts that is purported to be one of the seven princes of Hell. With legions of demons under its command, the multivarious expressions and manifestations would be explained. Still, other Goetic spirits matched the description of the entity through its actions. It appeared to have a strong tie to water, which would make it more likely that if it were a Goetic spirit, it would be Gäap. I researched dozens of books looking for spirits that a) had the power to manifest the phenomena reported and b) had natures corresponding to the attributes noted from its activities. It was a long list, with some far more likely than others.

I believed that examination of the symbols given would lend some clarity to the identity (at least in a broad scope) of the entity (entities.) I began with the most pervasive one, which was the “triangle with a tail.” The upright triangle itself has literally thousands of meanings. The holy trinity and the alchemical symbol for sulfur are two of the most common in metaphysics. There are references to a somewhat similar symbol that date back as far as the 15^th century in Germany and France. Still, I could not locate any that were a complete match. In the end I decided that it was a personal symbol for the entity (entities.) It served much the same way a signature does for a person, but instead an expression in its native written language.

After having communication with David Weatherly, my research took yet another turn. At the time he was researching cases for a book on the Djinn. I contacted both he and Rosemary Ellen Guiley in regard to this case and their answers were very similar. They both believed that there was a strong possibility that the activity was perpetrated by either a single Djinn or several. This resonated with me in a strong way once I stepped back and examined the phenomena from a distance. Capricious nature. Attachment to an individual or family. Capable of causing strong displays of paranormal phenomena. Djinn have been reported to cause all of the manifestations exhibited in this case. Looking at the symbols associated with various Djinn I found that stylistically they are similar to the “triangle with a tail” found all over the Moffitt home (even though I have still been unable to find an exact match.) With the dozens of possibilities on my list, this theory has risen to the top.



The main issue with researching a case in which the phenomena are no longer occurring is that you must rely on accounts that you cannot personally verify. In this case in particular, though, I much prefer to have some distance between myself and the events. I imagine my curiosity would be deadlocked with my sense of self-preservation.

When I read A Deadly Haunting I was at first taken aback by its fictionalization. In places it gave descriptions of events no one could have recounted. In others there were obvious embellishments to events. A few events were added in for dramatic effect that I found detracted from the core story. Still, it was entertaining and very readable. It took a casual pace and painted a picture that may have been easier to grasp for someone not intimately acquainted with the field of the paranormal. The truth at the core of the story is definitely in there.

Personally I found the actual events given to me mouth-to-ear far more interesting. It also gave me the opportunity to get to know Deborah personally. I have found her to be one of the most genuine, caring, and charming people I've had the pleasure of meeting. I hope from the bottom of my heart that neither she nor her family will have to endure anything like the events in A Deadly Haunting again. While I find it disheartening that I couldn't give a definitive answer as to exactly what caused this family's misery, I'm certainly glad that the phenomena have not been experienced in over twenty years. Perhaps the identity of “Mr. Entity” is better left in the past along with the alternately amazing and terrifying events that once plagued a kind, unsuspecting family.

adeadlyhaunting.com

Researching A Deadly Haunting - Part 1

My Paranormal Cold Case By Todd Hendrickson

I became acquainted with the unique case of the Moffitt family several months ago. For those unfamiliar with the story told in the book A Deadly Haunting, it centers around a family beset with some of the strangest and most frequent paranormal phenomena ever documented. Beginning in the mid 80's, the strangeness that plagued this family included such varied manifestations as written communication, physical contact, and apportation (the spontaneous appearance of physical objects.)

I undertook researching this case with a healthy dose of skepticism, which is my usual approach. Despite the numerous experiences I've had, I find it best to look at each aspect critically. I began the evaluation process by performing an interview in which I first filled out intake sheets consisting of questions used to determine mental states, consistency, and truthfulness. I determined that Daborah Moffitt (the experiencer) is sane, honest, and her answers were consistent with previous and similar questions without sounding rehearsed. This left me with two remaining conclusions: either the paranormal phenomena occurred as reported or the experiencer believed they did. My final conclusion and my subsequent research led me down a rabbit hole that has forced me to redefine the scope of my belief in the paranormal.

A brief synopsis of the events are as follows and shall be limited to reports that can be corroborated by first person accounts, physical evidence, or both. Between the years of 1987 and 1992 the experiencer and her family witnessed a series of phenomena that were both extreme and frequent. A transcribed account of her experiences has been provided thusly:

“When Bill and I married at the beginning of 1987, we made the choice to live with his parents due to his health issues. We stayed at Lee(Bill's Mother)'s home. On one side of Lee's house was the grandmother(Lee's Mother)'s old home and on the other was another house Bill had inherited from his aunt. We decided to rent out this house, but kept one room in the house for Bill's sports memorabilia. This room was kept locked. Unusual things started to occur after a young man moved in. Items in Bill's locked room disappeared and reappeared in seemingly random locations. Sometimes the tenant's belongings appeared in Lee's house, leading to several very uncomfortable situations. We naturally suspected the tenant but we couldn't figure out how or why he was doing it. A few weeks later the tenant announced that he was moving out. When we asked why he simply said he couldn't live there. He mentioned something about “strange things going on,” though he never went into any detail as to what.

Afterward we would visit the house to check on Bill's memorabilia. That was when we began to see items being moved around firsthand. It would happen in the blink of an eye. A household nicknack would suddenly be turned around or moved from its proper place. These occurrences began as confusing and nonthreatening. I began to lose some of my skepticism and noted that there seemed to be an intelligence behind the happenings. Out of curiosity I began to ask whatever it was doing this to move specific objects and within minutes or hours those objects moved.

Soon after we began to make plans to move to a new home. We ultimately decided it would be best to sell the rental properties. We figured that this would provide us with an opportunity to put all of the strangeness of the last few years behind us. We found a large house in the city of Alta Loma and slowly made the transition into our new home. We spent less and less time at Lee's original house. During our last week there activity spiked. One night while Bill and I were in Bed talking about the move all Hell broke loose. Suddenly we heard a tremendous explosion from the kitchen. Panicked and terrified we ran into the room and saw that the kitchen cabinets had been ripped apart, wood splinters everywhere. While we stood there trying to digest what had just happened another explosion sounded from the bedroom we were just in. A large picture window had been blown out covering the bushes outside with glass shards. Lee ran from the house. I grabbed her boxes and followed.”

Early on the entity established its presence among the family with little subtlety. Before written contact manifested, the predominant symbol associated with the entity was seen in various object formations in the rented home next to the Moffitt's. This “triangle with a tail” appeared more and more frequently as the phenomena progressed. While the final display intimated a staggeringly powerful level of physical manipulation, the truly disconcerting events were about to manifest in their new home.

“Once we settled into new home, no one talked about what had happened over the past several months. It seemed that those strange and frightening occurrences would fade away like bad memories. Unfortunately, the peace was short-lived. The same phenomena that had plagued our tenants now started affecting us. In the upstairs sitting room, pictures were being turned backwards. Objects were taken from shelves and tables only to be rearranged on the floor in shapes and patterns. These occurrences were harmless, but what they meant was terrifying: we had not escaped. Things began to escalate quickly. What happened next chilled us all to the bone. Written in soap, messages began appearing on mirror in the upstairs bathroom, warning us of danger in the attic. The writer referred to Lee by a childhood nickname. Lee immediately believed that this unseen presence was her late sister. When these warnings soon turned into threats, Lee realized that it never was her sister talking to her, and feared that something truly evil had invaded our home.”

At this point a dialogue was opened directly between the entity and the Moffitt family. A variety of messages were shared from casual banter to information that was highly improbable for anyone in the home to know. At first the family suspected that another of them were leaving the messages, which I found to be a natural assumption. This they ruled out by asking for a message and leaving the bathroom together. They would then stand together outside the door for a few seconds, open the door, and each time there was a fresh message left for them. The bathroom was on a second story with one door and a window far too small for anyone to get through, much less in a matter of seconds. The intelligence displayed by the entity was unique from any paranormal investigation I've previously researched, as was its conversant nature (except for a few poorly documented cases in particularly rural locations.)

Several experts in various paranormal fields were called in to investigate. Kerry Gaynor (previously a colleague of Thelma Moss' from the UCLA Parapsychology Lab) investigated for an extended period, as well as Loyd Auerbach, who is the current Director of the Office of Paranormal Investigations. A veritable parade of researchers, ghost hunters, and psychics conducted investigations for the next few years, including the demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. This has been confirmed through contacting several of the researchers and through photographic evidence of their presence in the Moffitt residence. One of particular noteworthiness was Dr. Evelyn Paglini, who became a close personal friend of the Moffitt family. Sadly, just a little over a month previous to writing this article Dr. Paglini passed away. Her contributions to the paranormal field were quite large and the assistance she gave to the Moffitt family was invaluable.

adeadlyhaunting.com

Scare Week - Shankill Castle

The final destination for Scare Week was Shankill Castle in Paulstown, Kilkenny. It was built near the ruins of an old church and has gone through many developments over the years. Each new generation brings new stories and the present day family are the Copes, most notably the famed artist Elizabeth Cope who is the lady of the house.

What made Shankill Castle different for us was that this time we’d be taking in the ghost tour, whereas in the other locations we’d been talked through the location, been given the stories and shot the footage we needed to shoot. This time, we were going to experience what the guests on the tours experienced and we were certainly excited.

The tour is led by Sybil Cope who actually lives in the house. She’s a fantastic story teller who keeps you hanging on every word which makes the scares even more frightening. You’re so engrossed with what Sybil is saying that you simply can’t predict that something is going to jump out on you.

You’re brought all through the house and learn of the various sightings that have been made. The children’s room in the attic is so eerie and creepy and by the time we got to the kitchen, Trish had enough and needed a break. We rejoined the tour as it headed out into the garden to see the ruins of the old church and this part was terrifying. Noises, howling, people screaming, chainsaws. The whole experience left us scared and shaken.

Of course the tour is pure entertainment but don’t let that fool you. There are ghosts in Shankill Castle and Sybil’s tales make you anxious to get a glimpse of something. Overall, it was a fascinating experience which we recommend you take in this Halloween season.

www.shankillcastle.com

Scare Week - Duckett’s Grove

Duckett’s Grove is an imposing building in County Carlow, Ireland - a 12,000 acre estate and home of the Duckett family for 300 years. The current house was built in 1830 by William Duckett and incorporates a number of towers and turrets in a gothic style. The entire house was destroyed in 1933 by fire and has been abandoned since, although a tea room has opened in a drive to bring tourists.

We recently visited Duckett’s Grove as part of Scare Week, a radio series we worked on with South East radio station Beat 102 103 and we were accompanied by Wexford Paranormal, one of the country’s top investigation groups. For us, it was our first time to attend a paranormal investigation and we were interested in knowing how it worked having seen Most Haunted and similar shows on TV.

We chose to investigate two main locations - The bottom of a tower where a growl had been heard and a window in which a figure of a lady had been seen. For the most part, nothing happened although we did hear the rattling of chains and went to investigate. When we went to edit the video, the footage of that part had vanished. Strange. Later we were told by listeners to the radio show that a dog can be seen at around the 3 minute mark in the video. Have a look and see what you think.

There are many stories told of paranormal activity in Duckett’s Grove and we were enthralled by each one. The estate is open to the public so it’s possible to visit and Wexford Paranormal conduct regular investigations which are always well worth getting involved in.

Scare Week - Enniscorthy Castle

Enniscorthy Castle has a wonderful history dating from the time as a keep, through events such as the 1798 Rebellion and the 1916 Rising right up to the present day. It has recently been restored and houses a visitor experience focussing on history both of the castle itself and the town of Enniscorthy as well as the period in which it was a private home.

With it being a working museum, and visiting in the middle of the day, there wasn’t a sense of foreboding like we had felt upon approaching Loftus Hall earlier in the week. In fact it was quite pleasant and we initially spent some time looking around, gathering information and getting our bearings.

Wexford Paranormal use the castle as one of their main focus points and we’ve heard from them many stories of encounters they’ve had while doing investigations there as well as stories told to them by the staff and visitors. They since asked us to accompany them on an investigation in the castle and we intend to do so as soon as is possible.

The castle is located in a central part of the town and the sound of traffic could be heard outside. On the floor where they display items from the last family that lived there, you do get a sense of something past. The children’s room is the eeriest part and certainly made us uneasy. The basement, while a little cold and bare, didn’t scare us all that much, maybe because there was two of us. We’ve heard stories of activity down there from Wexford Paranormal and it seems to be one of the main areas they concentrate on. The story of the picture on the wall is fascinating. 

If you are interested in looking at the paranormal side of the castle, we recommend getting in touch with Wexford Paranormal. They really know their stuff and we had the pleasure of accompanying them to Duckett’s Grove later in the week which you can read about here in a few days.

www.enniscorthycastle.ie
www.wexfordparanormal.com

Scare Week - Huntington Castle

Huntington Castle is located in Clonegall, Carlow and was built in the early 17th century as a plantation castle. It was eventually captured by Cromwell as he marched on Kilkenny.

We visited the castle as part of Scare Week which we worked on with radio station Beat 102 103. We had heard many wonderful stories of the ghost tours which take place around Halloween and were told it would be well worth a visit. We were especially intrigued about the stories of Olivia Robertson who was the famed high-priestess of the Fellowship Of Isis, a religion based on the divine female and started in the basement of Huntington Castle. Indeed the Temple to the goddess Isis remains and is fascinating to see. Have a look at the video and you’ll get some sense of how amazing it is. A visit reveals its full glory.

Again, just to point out that Scare Week was primarily an entertainment feature and not intended as an accurate portrayal of paranormal investigations etc. We wanted to hear the stories from the people involved, and like in Huntington Castle, the people were the family who owned the house. The Durdin-Roberstons conduct the Halloween tours and are fantastic guides as you can see in the video.

One of the problems we encountered was that we were creating a video meant to be eerie and unnerving but the day was sunny and bright so was hard to give a sense of “Halloween”. The house itself is old at nearly 400 years old and a lot of the original features exist. There’s a sense of history about the place although being there with the family meant we didn’t feel uneasy. The stories they told were fascinating and we’re planning to go back this year to do the ghost tour. We highly recommend you join us!

When we shot this video, Olivia Robertson was sick in hospital and sadly died in November 2013. She’s left a very lasting legacy and the Fellowship Of Isis lives on.

www.huntingtoncastle.com

Scare Week - House Of Horrors

Although it’s not an actual haunted location, for continuity sake in keeping with the Scare Week videos we’re sharing this week, I thought it might be as good an idea to add it to the blog regardless.

The House Of Horrors is a scare maze which was located in The Forum in Waterford City. It had a home in a much smaller building in a less accessible location for years but The Forum meant it could be expanded and the lighting effects already present in what is essentially a music venue could be utilised to full affect. The whole production is put together to raise money for a local youth charity so it’s good to see something like this prove to be so worthwhile.

The maze itself is quite intense and we didn’t even experience the full effects. For something that’s not permanent I was impressed and although I didn’t get as many frights as my female companions because I was holding the camera which had night vision, I still got that they had the life scared out of them.

Do places like this take away from actual haunted locations? It was asked of us during Scare Week however I don’t believe so. Our programme existed primarily as an entertainment piece. We were visiting locations alleged to be haunted, getting information on them and generally trying to give the listeners to radio programme a better sense of what they were listening to.

Scare Week - Loftus Hall

Loftus Hall has been called the most haunted building in Ireland by many and I can tell you first hand that it is scary. I’d heard many of the stories about it before I visited. I’d been told by people who’d been there, who’d been inside it at some stage and I’d heard the stories. The most famous one involves the devil himself.

One stormy night, a stranger called to the door having been shipwrecked on the rocks at nearby Hook Head and asked for shelter. He was invited in and dined with the family of the house and their guests. A game of cards began and having dropped a card, the master of the house bent down to get it only to see that the stranger had hooves. He then flew up through the roof and created a hole that has never been repaired. The story is similar to the one told of the Hellfire Club in the Dublin mountains.

The house has recently been bought and is now re-open as a tourist attraction. We were invited to visit to work on the Scare Week series and were delighted to finally see it.

The building itself is imposing. It comes into sight as you drive towards Hook Head and immediately grabs your attention. It’s eerie and definitely makes you feel on edge. The inside has decayed significantly having been left abandoned in the past but it is being restored in stages. We saw the infamous card room and the bedroom in which the mistress of the house is said to have been detained after she went mad due to the devil’s visit.

Overall, Loftus Hall was a fantastic start to Scare Week and well worth a visit.

Scare Week

Scare Week is a feature I worked on with South East radio station Beat 102 103 and over the next few days I’ll be posting the videos that accompanied the radio series, some of fantastic abandoned buildings including Loftus Hall which we’ve blogged about over on World Abandoned in the past. We visited locations throughout the South East of Ireland and enjoyed some really fantastic experiences.

We began in Loftus Hall in Wexford, regarded by many as the most haunted location in Ireland and built originally during the Black Death! The devil is said to have appeared during a stormy night long ago.

Although not an actual haunted location, we included the House Of Horrors in The Forum in Waterford as it was one of the many scare mazes operating in the area and we thought it could add some fun into the series. Lots of scares and thrills, smoke and mirrors indeed but a good experience and it just goes to show the effect ghosts and paranormal have on people.

Huntington Castle in Clonegal, Carlow is an old stately manor and is also home to the Temple Of Isis, a shrine to the ancient Egyptian goddess.

Enniscorthy Castle is the main base of Wexford Paranormal and is said to be home to a number of spirits. It’s now a museum but there have many reports of alleged activity.

Duckett’s Grove was part of a full paranormal investigation I took part in with Zara and Niall from the radio station and was a really fantastic experience. The house is mainly just a ruin but things certainly became interesting. We’ll tell you what some eagle eyed viewers saw after we put the video on YouTube.
Finally, we were very kindly invited to the haunted tour of Shankill Castle in Paulstown, Kilkenny and had a great time. The house has a number of reported spirits and the tour really ramps up the scare factor.

Keep an eye on World Haunted over the next few days as we go through the Scare Week locations one by one!

Halloween In Kazbar, Waterford

We’re open to readers guest posting here at World Haunted and we’d love to hear your stories and see your pictures or videos! If you’d like to write something on the site, mail us on info@worldhaunted.com.

Guest post by Richie Flynn
So my mates and I went out for a fancy dress party a week before Halloween in 2012. We ended up in the Kazbar Late Bar in John St, Waterford. Whilst there we went upstairs to the top bar. We took a load of pictures of ourselves that night but when I looked back on the photos I was shocked to see that we were been watched by something in the window behind us. At first I thought they were just paintings on the window but when you look closely the images are different in nearly every picture, plus the area behind the window was a stairway which was been unused. I can't explain what they are but the fact that it's a different face in each photo makes me wonder. Look at the images in the windows to the left of the pictures below.

So what do you make of the pictures? What could the faces in the window be?

Ghostwatch

One of the things that has been suggested for World Haunted is to blog about programmes and movies dealing with ghosts and haunted places and so we thought it only right to start with Ghostwatch. Broadcast by the BBC on Halloween night in 1992, the programme was a mockumentary based on the premise of a live broadcast from a haunted house with links to and from the studio.



The programme caused a severe amount of controversy at the time of broadcast with many people believing they were witnessing actual events. 30,000 calls were made to the BBC switchboard to complain. As a result of the controversy, Ghostwatch has never been repeated in the UK. It has since been released on VHS and DVD and a documentary entitled Ghostwatch: Behind The Curtains was released in 2013 taking a look at the impact the broadcast had. It is thought that the documentary style used and the use of BBC personalities playing themselves created a sense of realism that the public believed was really happening. The BBC very nearly pulled the broadcast beforehand, concerned at how the public would perceive it however they let it go ahead on the provision that the writer’s name be included at the start along with the Screen One intro. The British tabloids featured stories about the show on their front pages the day following the broadcast.

The idea behind the programme was that BBC reporters would conduct a live paranormal investigation of a supposed haunted house in London. Michael Parkinson anchored the show from the studio with expert Dr Pascoe. Mike Smith presented calls from the phone gallery while Sarah Greene and Craig Charles were on location at the house. The house was home to a mother and 2 daughters who have been subjected to poltergeist activity from a ghost they name Pipes. The story was based on the Enfield Poltergeist although was largely fictionalised.

It’s well worth a watch if you can get your hands on it, though not available on YouTube, it can be found elsewhere on the internet. You can also get it on Amazon from the link below.