| 'What would be the use of an old lady like me, waiting | | | | home to live inhabitants. On October 16th 1930, a first |
| to meet her maker, telling a whole lot of fairy stories?' | | | | cousin of the Bull family, the Reverend Lionel Foyster |
| The simple, clear and convincing words of Ethel Bull at | | | | took up residence with his wife, their adopted daughter |
| 93 years of age, when questioned about her previous | | | | and of course the many other spooky hangers-on |
| home being the most haunted house in England...Borley | | | | who refused to leave the rectory. |
| Rectory... | | | | The Foyster's lived at the Rectory for seven years. In |
| 'Walls which housed dark tales of ominous shadows - | | | | which time they endured relentless paranormal |
| slinking from room to room and claiming the sanity of | | | | incidents such as, objects being hurled across rooms, |
| all who defied their instincts and entered with | | | | windows breaking, eerie often unintelligible writing |
| skepticism through the sombre doors.' (J Reynolds) | | | | appearing on walls, which was addressed to the |
| In 1892 Ethel's father, the Reverend Henry Dawson | | | | Reverend's wife, Marianne. Two of the most readable |
| Ellis Bull died, leaving his son, Reverend Harry Bull in the | | | | were: |
| care of the family and to deal with the paranormal | | | | "Marianne, please help get" and another, "Pleas for help |
| phenomena which would soon manifest itself in | | | | and prayers". |
| greater proportions. | | | | Another terrifying event happened when the Foyster's |
| The first major sighting at Borley Rectory - located | | | | daughter, Adelaide was unable to open the door of her |
| near Sudbury on the Suffolk-Essex border - built by | | | | room even though this did not have a lock. She was |
| Reverend Henry Dawson Ellis Bull: | | | | later attacked by an evil presence, which she went on |
| On a late afternoon (July 28th 1900), Ethel Bull and two | | | | to describe as 'something horrible.' |
| of her sisters, having just spent part of the day at a | | | | The Reverend's wife, Marianne suffered increasing |
| party, strolled idly through the grounds of their home. In | | | | terror when she was tossed from her bed by an |
| the distance (approximately 40 yards away), they all | | | | unseen force. |
| became aware of what seemed to be a nun | | | | On two occasions the Reverend attempted |
| materializing before their eyes. The girls recoiled as | | | | exorcisms in the Rectory, which were unsuccessful, |
| they watched the ghostly apparition of the nun move | | | | especially during the first when he was hit by a large |
| in an eerie gliding motion by the stream. | | | | stone on his shoulder. |
| Another sister who was watching her sister's strange | | | | Each event was passed on by the Reverend to Harry |
| behaviour from the rectory hurriedly joined them. On | | | | Price who together with a number of other psychic |
| noticing the phantom, she seemed unfazed - bravely | | | | investigators examined the reports. After time spent at |
| approaching it, but then paused in her stride as the | | | | the rectory and observing the Foyster's the team |
| misty spectre faded into nothingness. | | | | came to a unanimous conclusion ...Marianne was the |
| Some say the apparitions are linked to a murky and | | | | most likely cause of the paranormal activity. |
| sad tale. It was thought that the rectory was built on | | | | Marianne later admitted to having an affair with the |
| the site of a thirteenth century monastery and was | | | | lodger, Frank Peerless and said she used paranormal |
| interconnected to a nearby convent in Bures. Legend | | | | activity as a cover in order to keep the affair a secret. |
| has it that a nun had fallen in love with a monk, but | | | | The paranormal activity (Reverend Foyster believed in |
| they had both been killed before eloping. | | | | the main to be of a genuine nature), and Marianne's |
| This story does tie in with the unearthing of part of the | | | | affair probably contributed to the Reverend's declining |
| walls of an earlier building dating to the time of the | | | | health, therefore the family vacated Borley rectory in |
| monastery. | | | | May 1937. |
| Although later accounts add more confusion, as they | | | | Harry Price's obsession with Borley rectory remained |
| state that the discovery of another house once | | | | and in 1937 he rented the rectory for a year from the |
| standing on the site of the rectory was revealed along | | | | true owners of the building, the 'Queen Anne's Bounty'. |
| with a female skull and jawbone. It is believed the skull | | | | Price placed an advertisement on 25th May 1937 in |
| belonged to a nun of French origin named, Marie Lairre, | | | | The Times newspaper asking for helpers who would |
| who had eloped to England with her lover, only to have | | | | be willing to study the activity at the rectory. After |
| been betrayed by him and murdered. He had then | | | | extensive interviews he recruited forty eight people, |
| buried her in the cellar of the house. | | | | mainly students who would carry out the investigations |
| Further sightings of the nun were reported on | | | | during weekend visits to the rectory. |
| numerous occasions. One of those times began as | | | | Although there were many unexplainable reports from |
| the night was breaking when Ethel and the family cook | | | | Price's helpers, the most notable event occurred on |
| were chatting outside. All of a sudden, an apparition of | | | | March 27th 1938 when the daughter of S J Glanville |
| the nun appeared leaning on the gate before fading | | | | one of Price's team, held a séance in |
| into obscurity. | | | | Streatham, south London. Price stated that Helen |
| Ethel also described a particularly terrifying experience | | | | Glanville and other witnesses received information |
| which took place in her bedroom. This time she awoke | | | | from two spirits. The first claimed to be a nun called, |
| to find an elongated man in a tall hat looming down on | | | | Marie Lairre who gave an account of her murder at |
| her as he stood over her bed. As soon as Ethel | | | | the site of Borley rectory in 1667. She told of her |
| reacted to the spirit, it disappeared. | | | | husband, Henry Waldegrave killing her after eloping |
| The Bull's paranormal experiences came to an end | | | | with him to England. |
| when Harry Bull died on June 9th 1927, leaving the | | | | The second spirit identified himself as 'Sunex Amures' |
| Rectory vacant for over a year. | | | | who warned that he would cause the rectory to burn |
| On October 2nd 1928, the Reverend Guy Eric Smith | | | | down the very same evening and a nun's remains |
| moved into the rectory with his wife. After | | | | would be unearthed from the ruins. Of course they all |
| experiencing a considerable amount of paranormal | | | | waited with nervous anticipation for the prediction to |
| phenomena, including servant bells ringing by | | | | come true, but nothing happened 'then'. |
| themselves, the Smiths contacted the Daily Mirror | | | | After Price's lease ran out, the rectory was taken |
| newspaper and asked if they could be put in touch | | | | over by a gentleman called, Captain Gregson, who |
| with the Society for Psychical Research. | | | | also witnessed paranormal activity and the |
| On June 10th 1929 the Daily Mirror sent a reporter to | | | | unexplainable disappearance of his two dogs. |
| interview the Smith's and on June 12th 1929, Harry | | | | On February 19th 1939 exactly eleven months after |
| Price was asked by the Mirror to investigate the | | | | the séance, Gregson was unpacking boxes in |
| rectory. Price was so impressed and convinced by the | | | | the hall of the rectory when the warning from the spirit |
| paranormal events at the rectory (believing most to be | | | | 'Sunex Amures' came true. An oil lamp unaccountably |
| associated with poltergeist activity); it would remain an | | | | fell off the stand and started a raging fire which |
| obsession in his life until his early death at the age of | | | | burned the building to the ground, claiming the existence |
| 67 years. | | | | of Borley rectory. |
| THE PSYCHIC INVESTIGATION OF BORLEY | | | | The insurance company were not convinced with |
| RECTORY | | | | Captain Gregson's explanation for the fire however |
| During Harry Price's first psychic investigation of Borley | | | | and it was deemed as fraudulent. |
| Rectory on June 12th 1929, he reported poltergeist | | | | Harry Price's curiosity would not settle after the fire |
| activity had occurred when stones, vases, and other | | | | and he returned to the site of Borley rectory in 1943, |
| objects had been thrown at him and the Reverand | | | | where he began an excavation of the cellars. Quite |
| Smith's wife. He also laid claim to receiving spirit | | | | remarkably he discovered the bones of a young |
| messages being tapped out from a mirror. | | | | woman and a necklace of Saint Ignatius. Price was |
| After Price left the rectory later that day, Mrs Smith | | | | certain this could not possibly be coincidental and that it |
| noted that this new type of poltergeist phenomena | | | | had to be part of the remains of the nun, Marie Lairre. |
| ceased as soon as Price stepped back over the | | | | He was also convinced it was her doing when the |
| threshold. She immediately wondered why this should | | | | scribed messages appeared on the Borley rectory |
| be the case and later had suspicions of Price's claims. | | | | walls for Marianne Foyster: |
| A short while after Price's visit to the rectory, the | | | | "Marianne, please help get". |
| Smith's made plans to leave the home they shared | | | | "Pleas for help and prayers". |
| with their unwelcome ghosts and on July 14th 1929 | | | | Price arranged for a Christian burial of the bones in |
| they bid Borley rectory a grateful farewell. | | | | Liston churchyard even though locals said they were |
| Over a year passed by before the rectory became | | | | probably the bones of a pig. |