tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post6985625152045504552..comments2022-04-06T01:15:20.862+10:00Comments on Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?: The Interview They Didn't Want You to See!Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-90100595190717637582009-07-12T14:31:59.114+10:002009-07-12T14:31:59.114+10:00Next time you try and post any of that plagiarised...Next time you try and post any of that plagiarised <a href="http://www.holygrail-church.fsnet.co.uk/Shroudeater.htm" rel="nofollow">copy-n-paste crap</a> on my blog again, your comments will be declined.<br /><br />Don't say you haven't been <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com/2009/01/gothic-revealed.html" rel="nofollow">warned</a>.<br /><br />Incidentally, it's nice to see that the VRS - who harp on about copyright infringement - had no qualm in violating my own copyright by copy and pasting the entire content of my interview on their website, without my permission.<br /><br />And, once again Deme, considering you're speaking about things outside your experience, pretty much everything you "said" (copy-n-pasted) was a load of hot air.Anthony Hogghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-49679094602141394252009-07-11T18:43:06.988+10:002009-07-11T18:43:06.988+10:00The concensus view four decades ago was that Farra...The concensus view four decades ago was that Farrant amounted to nothing more than a lone publicity-seeker in search of a convenient bandwagon to jump on. This opinion was reached due to the plethora of first-hand evidence from his contemporaries who knew his claims to be bogus. His publicity stunts nevertheless landed him in jail with a prison sentence of four years and eight months. <br /> <br />“Farrant was a fool. Fascinated by witchcraft … he couldn’t keep his interests to himself. He was a blatant publicist. He told this newspaper of his activities, sent photographs and articles describing his bizarre activities” (Peter Hounam, Editor, Hornsey Journal, 16 July 1974).<br /><br />Another newspaper reporting on a court appearance where Farrant had apparently orchestrated his own arrest (this time in a churchyard, where witchcraft had supplanted vampires as his vehicle for publicity) recorded: <br /><br />“Mr P J Bucknell, prosecuting, said Mr Farrant had painted circles on the ground, lit with candles, and had told reporters and possibly the police of what he was doing. ‘This appears to be a sordid attempt to obtain publicity,’ he said” (Hampstead & Highgate Express, 24 November 1972).<br /><br />After his brief stint as a lone “vampire hunter” which lasted barely six months, Farrant hung up his cross and stake and replaced them with pentagrams, voodoo dolls and ritual daggers. This led to more arrests and a stiff prison sentence. Far from showing any remorse for his behaviour, Farrant has exploited his criminal past to the full in a life devoted to phoney witchcraft and malicious pamphleteering.<br /><br />Selecting extracts from newspaper articles (and sometimes doctoring them) is what Farrant specialises in. He is willing to deny parts of his own letters printed in newspapers four decades ago! It would be interesting to learn how Brautigam has "gone through loads of material about the Highgate case" when he had no access to the case files and has spoken to none of the witnesses. When he spoke to Seán Manchester and Keith Maclean, both of whom are material witnesses to the supernaturalism at work in Highgate at the time, matters relating to the case were not raised once by him. He seemed in awe on each of the occasions he met Seán Manchester and stayed mostly silent as attested by those present.<br /><br />Coverage of David Farrant's activities tell a very different story to the one proffered by Rob Brautigam. What Brautigam is falsely claiming about Seán Manchester applies one thousandfold to Farrant who has waged vendettas and feuds with people all his life. Ask those who have fallen foul of Farrant and have been on the end of his threats and malice. The tiny number of people who support Farrant are themselves found to be unpleasant and always dismissive of anything vaguely supernatural. Their dislike of traditional Christians is also palpable.Vampirologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18273216532438440642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-63602570548756650032009-07-11T18:41:52.490+10:002009-07-11T18:41:52.490+10:00Some of Brautigam's claims smack of paranoia. ...Some of Brautigam's claims smack of paranoia. Far from wanting “control” of Brautigam’s amateur magazine, it is because Seán Manchester did not have the time or inclination to continue to contribute to it that Brautigam looked elsewhere for his Highgate Vampire fix. The term "vampirography" was used by him at the time because he was unfamiliar with "vampirology." He meant the same thing. He is Dutch and his command of English was never especially strong. Brautigam went out of his way to compliment Seán Manchester on his “truly magnificent The Highgate Vampire” which the Dutchman described as “a masterpiece of vampirography.” Brautigam continued in his letter written on 22 August 1990: “I have been rereading the book ever since I got it. And I am impatiently looking forward to the moment when the revised edition will be on the market.” When the updated and revised edition was published some months later, Brautigam enthusiastically sang its praises in his home-produced amateur magazine International Vampire and elsewhere in other fanzines. He loved the second edition.<br /><br />Seán Manchester actually showed Brautigam a copy of Farrant's first ever pamphlet which had just been released. Otherwise Brautigam in those pre-internet days would have not heard of it. Seán Manchester had absolutely no need to ask a friend of Brautigam's to "order a copy" for him. (Why a friend of Brautigam's?) Seán Manchester did not discuss Farrant with Brautigam beyond confirming that Farrant is an impostor who craves self-publicity. He warned Brautigam that Farrant was a bandwagoneer who should not be taken seriously where vampire research was concerned. There was no discussion of "Farrant's letter" and there was no going "beserk." Nor was Farrant ever described as a "subhuman satanic monster." <br /><br />Seán Manchester does not run a "club" with "subscriptions" and has never done so. Brautigam desperately wanted to become a member of the Vampire Research Society. His application was declined because he was unsuitable. Brautigam also sought contributions from Seán Manchester for his amateur magazine International Vampire. When Seán Manchester proved too busy to be making written contributions, Brautigam looked elsewhere. It did not take him long to seek out and find Farrant.<br /><br />It is revealing how Brautigam advises "Hey, if you doubt my words, please have a look at my website." On his website he sings the praises of David Farrant, someone with a schizotypal narcissistic personality disorder if ever there was!<br /><br />Brautigam never recovered from being refused membership of Seán Manchester's research society. Farrant is a compulsive publicity-seeker and will do and say anything to gain one inch of newsprint. Of course he bent over backwards to curry favour with Brautigam who was more than willing to provide this impostor with the publicity he craves. Farrant's fraudulent claim that he was somehow part of an investigation into the supernatural goings on at Highgate Cemetery is exposed to the light of day when anyone who actually knew him at the time is heard. Farrant's first wife, Mary, was certainly around and she gave testimony as a defence witness under oath at her husband's trials at the Old Bailey in June 1974. This is what was recorded in various newspapers by their court reporters:<br /> <br />“The wife of self-styled occult priest David Farrant told yesterday of giggles in the graveyard when the pubs had closed. ‘We would go in, frighten ourselves to death and come out again,’ she told an Old Bailey jury. Attractive Mary Farrant — she is separated from her husband and lives in Southampton — said they had often gone to London’s Highgate Cemetery with friends ‘for a bit of a laugh.’ But they never caused any damage. ‘It was just a silly sort of thing that you do after the pubs shut,’ she said. Mrs Farrant added that her husband’s friends who joined in the late night jaunts were not involved in witchcraft or the occult. She had been called as a defence witness by her 28-year-old husband. They have not lived together for three years” (The Sun, 21 June 1974).Vampirologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18273216532438440642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-59096046252299163782009-07-11T18:41:25.174+10:002009-07-11T18:41:25.174+10:00Rob Brautigam first made contact with Seán Manches...Rob Brautigam first made contact with Seán Manchester in June 1990. He has adopted Farrant’s usage of "Mr" in denial of the bishop's proper style and title. They met the following year. Brautigam was also invited to attend a special service of consecration in 1991 where Seán Manchester concelebrated Mass with two other bishops. Brautigam took photographs and attended the reception afterwards. At this stage Brautigam had not met David Farrant. Seán Manchester wrote a chapter titled "The Highgate Vampire" in Peter Underwood's anthology The Vampire's Bedside Companion (published in 1975). This chapter and its accompanying photographs were a major contribution to the book. The allegation regarding Sarah Manchester "jumping out of the bushes" to take photographs is completely false. Seán Manchester's face was not covered in "pancake" and the remainder of this sequence of nonsense has been fabricated.<br /><br />Seán Manchester is well acquainted with Jean Pateman, the chairperson of Friends of Highgate Cemetery, with whom he is on excellent terms and has never encountered any problem entering Highgate Cemetery. He did meet Brautigam at the cemetery but there the similarity with the latter's account ends. The late Diana Brewester was Seán Manchester's personal secretary at the time. In fact, she remained his personal secretary until her untimely death. Seán Manchester was not "dressed up as a priest." He was then and still remains a validly ordained priest. He is also a bishop (episcopally consecrated in October 1991). A cross that is not too large is nevertheless permitted to be worn by priests. The "old gentleman" and his flowers has also been invented for effect by Brautigam. The whole scenario is fabricated to portray Seán Manchester badly.<br /><br />Seán Manchester is only one of several named witnesses cited and innumerable others who remain by choice anonymous. Nothing was changed in the account. "The stake was not struck" is a reference to the failed exorcism in August 1970 where the stake was not struck. Instead a spoken exorcism in Latin was employed. When the first part of the story was told in Peter Underwood's anthology it only took the reader up to August 1970 when the stake was not struck. The full account takes the reader through the successful exorcism and beyond; culminating in 1982 when the Highgate vampire case was finally closed.<br /><br />Brautigam met Br Keith Maclean at a Mass (at which the latter assisted) concelebrated by Seán Manchester and two other bishops in 1991.<br /><br />Far from being "expurgated," the 1991 edition is actually enlarged to include more personal data and photographs; otherwise the two editions are the same. Farrant complained about photographs showing open coffins featured as evidence against him during his notorious Old Bailey trials in 1974. These pictures later became exhibits at the famous Black Museum. He also complained about a photograph showing him above one of the coffin images where he is brandishing a sharpened stake. Seán Manchester, though not legally obliged to do so, deleted these photographs from the second edition to avoid causing offence. They had appeared on pages 62 and 63 of The Highgate Vampire (published in 1985). One photograph shows Farrant emerging from a vault. It is captioned: "Home-made cross in hand, Farrant emerges from a burial chamber in Highgate Cemetery. His amateurism and obsessive publicity-seeking would earn him an undeserved term of imprisonment." Perhaps "undeserved" was the author being too charitable. Farrant nonetheless objected to these images. The second edition contains just one photograph of Farrant where he is seen in his familiar black mackintosh in Highgate Cemetery late at night wearing his "ghost" make-up to try and convince people that a ghost haunted the graveyard. Pictures of him brandishing stakes in "vampire hunting" mode amongst the graves of Highgate Cemetery can be found in The Vampire Hunter's Handbook.Vampirologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18273216532438440642noreply@blogger.com