tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66640651677454305752024-03-19T20:14:54.971+11:00Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.comBlogger300125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-13467278123989311292022-08-24T02:23:00.003+10:002022-08-24T02:47:51.743+10:00Patrick Sean Manchester's Reaction to Poll—He's Not Happy<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Patrick Sean Manchester negatively responded to a Facebook poll hosted on my Facebook group: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">who do you believe? Both David Farrant and Patrick Sean Manchester investigated the Highgate Vampire case. However, their accounts wildly differ and both accused the other of fakery. But who do you believe based on your own readings/watchings of the case? Choose your options, below." The options were: David Farrant, Manchester, Not sure, Neither, and A bit of both.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In response to a vote that has so far only swung between Farrant and Neither, Manchester had the following to say: "</span></span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The name of Hogg's group (identical to the name of one of my own groups) is paraphrased from a newspaper headline and article that introduced me and the Highgate case to the world a long time before Anthony Hogg was conceived, much less born, in far off Australia."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Regrettably, Mr. Manchester failed to mention that the group's name was identical to one of his because he had copied my group name. The group name—sharing its title with this blog, and initially used in 2006 as a MSN Spaces forum—was indeed based on a newspaper headline. However, Mr. Manchester did not disclose the relevance of my age and location.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">His post was accompanied by the following diatribe embedded into a screencap he took of the poll, despite previously acknowledging he has blocked my account thus indicating he should have no means to view it bar alternative identities: "Anthony Hogg has begun to run a poll on a Facebook group he uses to post abuse and misinformation about me [Mr. Manchester gave no examples of this alleged abuse and misinformation]. Anthony Hogg has begun to run a poll on a Facebook group he uses to post abuse and misinformation about me. It was opened a handful of hours ago and apparently nobody believes my account while 25% believe the late David Farrant's account regarding the Highgate Vampire case, which is curious view of the fact that Farrant didn't believe in the Highgate Vampire." Why Mr. Farrant would have been obliged to believe in the existence of a vampire to investigate a case was not disclosed.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mr. Manchester continues: "That notwithstanding, those who are members of Hogg's group are extremely hostile towards myself. That also applies to visitors to his group for the most part." Of the group's 252 members, only a handful post or comment in the group. Few are overtly hostile toward Mr. Manchester (the group's posts are viewable to readers due to its public setting). However, there is no standing policy against who may join save those who agree to follow the group rules. Indeed, Mr. Manchester has previously been invited to join the group himself but appears to be too frightened to do so.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mr. Manchester, a frequent visitor of the group, did not disclose how he determined visitors from members as only members may comment in the group. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Furthermore in his preamble above the poll," Mr. Manchester continues, "Hogg describes my name incorrectly. It is correctly described in all my documents that are used for identity, and not as Hogg would have it. The false addition comes from Farrant without whom Hogg would flounder." While the description of his name was derived from Mr. Farrant in a roundabout way (<span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">the divorce certificate included on Don Ecker's report on the Highgate Vampire was obtained by Ecker from Farrant), it has been independently verified from birth records viewable on ancestry.co.uk. Mr. Manchester's penchant for aliases has been remarked on this blog before.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Several hours later, Mr. Manchester posted another diatribe against the poll: "After nine hours, Anthony Hogg's poll reveals that 50% of all who voted believe David Farrant's version of events while 0% believe mine. However, this could be due to only six votes being cast on a group exceptionally antipathetic towards me." Far likelier the result reflects the implausibility of Mr. Manchester's account, riddled as it is with inconsistencies, revisions and a lack of reliable evidence.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mr. Manchester's grumble continued thusly: "One could almost name who those 'six' people who voted are. Hogg being one, McWilliams being another, and, of course, Fugly, <i>etc</i>. Morever, they all have multiple Facebook accounts." The easiest way for Mr. Manchester to avoid this uncharitable speculation is to vote on the poll himself:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72GTf77bdA1M-i-h_iTm1HHm3RIuX4s8BUJv9Q-wJZXnDXqpoGAmAYRvl8v3VQ3KEAgJulHCYPU4uBxnqFvGaAy1V12-viMik1dzLcbePmYI76prCLwNAfc8SpVzCLDyQvJvnfPbxUhNu7XLCOAJ3ftWAjgsFJ0VxZG2N-itAqNIC2KU56-vLhvAgVg/s697/Poll%20Results.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="697" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72GTf77bdA1M-i-h_iTm1HHm3RIuX4s8BUJv9Q-wJZXnDXqpoGAmAYRvl8v3VQ3KEAgJulHCYPU4uBxnqFvGaAy1V12-viMik1dzLcbePmYI76prCLwNAfc8SpVzCLDyQvJvnfPbxUhNu7XLCOAJ3ftWAjgsFJ0VxZG2N-itAqNIC2KU56-vLhvAgVg/w400-h381/Poll%20Results.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I have not actually voted on the poll, McWilliams has not voted (as of this writing) and no one named "Fugly" has. However, I suspect that "Fugly" is a pejorative for a member of the group (a portmanteau merging "fucking" a<span style="font-family: inherit;">nd "ugly") rather than an actual person's name<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">—a </span>somewhat jarring term employed by an alleged bishop.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">The hypocrisy of Manchester alluding to multiple accounts used by other persons (but with no evidence of the same person voting more than once), has been commented on many times before.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notes</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>"who do you believe?":</b> Hogg, "Poll time, everyone!," Facebook, August 23, 2022, </span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/posts/10166918240880494">https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/posts/10166918240880494</a>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>"</b></span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The name of Hogg's group":</b> Manchester [The Cross & the Stake, pseud.], Facebook, August 23, 2022, </span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/pfbid02GVUQAFsqdX8qy53Q2Yw3KQBvmYRiaSzVB87fnd2zD7r1fFYYQYSPWVdw88DVVj6Pl">https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/pfbid02GVUQAFsqdX8qy53Q2Yw3KQBvmYRiaSzVB87fnd2zD7r1fFYYQYSPWVdw88DVVj6Pl</a>. Subsequent quotations from Manchester are derived from this post unless otherwise noted.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">based on a newspaper headline:</b><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?," </span><i style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hampstead & Highgate Express</i><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, February 27, 1970, 1. In a book review written almost forty years after the story was published, the paper's then-editor, Gerald Isaamann, revealed "</span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">we played the story for laughs." Review of <i>London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World’s Most Vibrant City</i>, by Steve Roud, <i>Camden New Journal</i>, January 29, 2009, <a href="http://www.thecnj.com/review/2009/012909/books012909_01.html">http://www.thecnj.com/review/2009/012909/books012909_01.html</a>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Don Ecker's report on the Highgate Vampire:</b> see Ecker, "My Inquiry into the Highgate Vampire," <i>Paracast</i>, accessed August 24, 2022, [p. 16], </span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.theparacast.com/darkmatters/borisdocument.pdf">https://www.theparacast.com/darkmatters/borisdocument.pdf</a>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Mr. Manchester's penchant for aliases:</b> </span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">See <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com/search/label/Aliases">http://dawwih.blogspot.com/search/label/Aliases</a>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>"After nine hours, Anthony Hogg's poll reveals":</b> <span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Manchester [The Cross & the Stake, pseud.], Facebook, August 23, 2022, </span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/974672275997573/posts/2691335964331187/">https://www.facebook.com/974672275997573/posts/2691335964331187/</a></span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Subsequent quotations from Manchester are derived from this post unless otherwise noted.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>a lack of reliable evidence:</b> see, for instance, Erin Chapman, "5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn't Walk in Highgate Cemetery," <i>Vamped</i>, February 27, 2015, <a href="https://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reasons-why-a-wampyr-didnt-walk-in-highgate-cemetery/">https://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reasons-why-a-wampyr-didnt-walk-in-highgate-cemetery/</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>"Fugly" is a pejorative:</b> D.A.T, <i>Urban Dictionary</i>, s.v. Fugly, <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fugly">https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fugly</a>.</div>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-83253472961904515962022-08-07T23:15:00.000+10:002022-08-07T23:15:18.531+10:00A Response to Patrick Sean Manchester's Facebook Post<p><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgckAWkhFfexhldOKe6IOUbYOovUJ9rkkAe7QZFx1od3_uEpKgUZokw73eCgjtCeSS1z0bmrGCWaCeNaAF9j0QqxAxMEM3Zxy12sGHyf_5Og9Il6ki6gGvMsxE8ZVpnPyHlrR0JAYK-GYRTzErslVNRNRGrblKpZ41LpASpce7ISVnOg3MiGNog5lNEg/s662/WolfInSheepsClothing_ovqwv.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="650" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgckAWkhFfexhldOKe6IOUbYOovUJ9rkkAe7QZFx1od3_uEpKgUZokw73eCgjtCeSS1z0bmrGCWaCeNaAF9j0QqxAxMEM3Zxy12sGHyf_5Og9Il6ki6gGvMsxE8ZVpnPyHlrR0JAYK-GYRTzErslVNRNRGrblKpZ41LpASpce7ISVnOg3MiGNog5lNEg/w629-h640/WolfInSheepsClothing_ovqwv.gif" width="629" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gather for this tale of a wolf in sheep's clothing. Picture: <a href="https://www.coloringpages101.com/Wolf-coloring-pages/8690-Wolf-In-Sheeps-Clothing-coloring-page">ColouringPages101.com</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><p></p><p>One of Patrick Sean Manchester's<span style="background-color: transparent;">—aka Bishop Seán Manchester—favourite hobbies is slagging off people he doesn't like via the vast cornucopia of blogs and Facebook accounts he writes for. I am one of his frequent targets.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I usually respond to his diatribes via my Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/), but I've decided that sunshine is indeed the best disinfectant, so I'll be addressing his posts on this blog to ensure Mr. Manchester gains the audience he seeks.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently, after noting that Manchester </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">is utterly obsessed with his late nemesis, David Farrant, Manchester followed up with yet another diatribe about Farrant.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">He then followed that remark with all the Christian grace of a bull in a china shop:</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #050505;">The <i>"slimy behaviour and overt hostility"</i> of Hogg renders anything he has to say as invalid. Whatever vitriol he posts is nothing less than one might expect from a universally despised troll. So many have recorded the malice of this alcoholic with a penchant for foul language.</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have certainly been called a troll in my day (especially by people who don't like their lies being refuted), but "universally despised"? I'm not sure about that. I have my own fan group after all (</span><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1650940895149151</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">) and I admin many Facebook groups with thousands of members. I detect a whiff of jealousy.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do I swear? Yes. Am I an alcoholic? No. In fact, I barely drink (case in point: I had a single beer while at a Thai restaurant on Friday—literally my <i>only</i> alcoholic beverage that week). I honestly can't fathom why he said that. In the meantime, I suggest Mr. Manchester reacquaint himself with the Scripture he's supposed to be following. Namely Exodus 20:19.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not content with gunning for me, he turns his toward another DAWWIH Facebook group member:</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #050505;">Redmond McWilliams, however, should understand that if he doesn't want me to engage by posting ripostes, all he need do is not mention me in the material he publishes. I would have no need to clarify my position were reference to me not made in the first place. Almost all his posts and comments on Hogg's hate group contain a negative aside. Is he unable to raise a topic without including some barbed reference to me? Yet we have never met.</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have no problem with him posting a right of reply. He's more than entitled to it. The problem is, these "ripostes" are little more than personal attacks and mistruths (see "alcoholic" remark, above), not setting the record straight. And what makes them particularly peculiar is that Manchester has us both blocked on Facebook. So, <i>how is he seeing our posts</i>? </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Either way, an (allegedly) Christian bishop trying to pam off his hateful posting on us flies in the face of Christ's command that one "turn the other cheek" (</span></span><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matthew 5:39</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Whatever he posts is wholly his responsibility.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will admit that a lot of negative things are said about Manchester, though (readers are invited to visit/join the group to decide their extensiveness for themselves). But there's a good reason for it: he is an incredibly nasty person. Indeed, most of the replies are in response to things <i>he's said</i> first. Manchester thinks he can intimidate people into silence by personally attacking them behind his bewildering array of sockpuppet idents (like his "The Cross & the Stake" nom de plume his Facebook post was written under). </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">He is renowned for obsessively posts about people he doesn't like (despite allegedly devoting his live to the Church), which strikes me as distinctly <i>anti-Christian</i> behaviour. Indeed, as someone who has been subjected to over fifteen years of his stalking, it's no surprise as to why people don't have many kind things to say about him.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The "clarifying [his] position" angle would be fair <i>if</i> he was a truthful, credible person. But he isn't. He lies. A lot. That is literally why people speak up about him in the first place.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">To cap it off, mentioning he has never met McWilliams applies to a lot of people he attacks. Including me. Manchester has no place being on his high horse.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Manchester concludes his post with this </span><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">pièce de résistance:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><blockquote>When McWilliams chose to throw his lot in with Hogg it puzzled me at the time and still does now. He was a longstanding friend of David Farrant, and collaborated in many of Farrant's projects, <i>eg</i> the so-called symposium of July 2015. No sooner did he, of the blue, form an allegiance with Hogg than Farrant understandably dropped McWilliams like a hot potato. I don't comprehend disloyalty at the best of times, but this treacherous act by McWilliams terminated his friendship with Farrant (now in his final years), and the schism lasted until Farrant's death in April 2019. Not that Hogg, the sower of discord, was bothered.</blockquote><p></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My history with McWilliams (founder of the Highgate Cemetery Vampire Appreciation Society Facebook group) pre-dates his association with Farrant. We "met" via an online forum over a shared interest in bringing an independent voice the Highgate Vampire saga. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over time, McWilliams allowed himself to absorbed into Farrant's social circle (despite my concerns about him getting too close to his "subject") and yes, collaborated with him on various projects thereby shedding his ability to remain publicly objective (regarding</span></span> the "so-called symposium," though: strange wording aside, <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">it was an honest-to-goodness symposium that actually happened</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Indeed, his association lead to a falling out between us too when I defended a former friend, Angie Watkins, from being attacked on his group without a right of reply (my administration of the group was revoked without warning after she had added me to a Facebook group of hers without my knowledge). My defense of her even got me banned from the group, too. That certainly caused a lot of bitterness for me especially as I had worked on the group since its inception. And to show how far it had gone to the dogs, I was replaced by...Farrant's wife, Della, another person in his entourage with a grudge against me. So much for independence! </span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eventually, McWilliams and I did make amends when I opened up to him about the treasure trove of Highgate Vampire-related material I had been able to accumulate through the help of colleagues. Farrant became aware of this re-association, especially when I was readmitted into his Facebook group. Farrant was never a fan of mine because I often criticised his claims and behaviours, as he had spent decades doing to Manchester. However, Farrant's attempt at portraying me as a Manchester lackey didn't quite take because (as this blog post shows), I am not in the game of taking sides between these two.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, really, there was no "allegiance." I didn't demand fealty. I still don't. The ethos of this blog, the forum it sprung from and the Facebook group spin-off has always been about neutral turf. Whether the people on that turf want to stick to one side is up to them. But for me? I take neither side. After all, taking sides in something like this is a surefire way to kill critical thought and objectivity. I've seen it firsthand. And I've seen it used, deliberately, to this effect. The side I take is the truth.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Manchester's "disloyalty" spiel is a classic example of why this objectivity is needed. Preying on McWilliams' guilt over the fallout with Farrant is reminder that as objective as we may like to be, we are human. Feelings often get in the way of what we investigate. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">And people exploit that for their own ends. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Manchester's rhetoric is undermined by his own concept of "loyalty": not questioning his claims. Not inviting participation from the "other side" of his beefs. I can attest to this firsthand. This is especially risible for someone acting more like a cult leader than the head of an organisation dubbing itself the Vampire Research Society.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But on his last remark: am I bothered over their falling out? Honestly? Not really. After all, I didn't cause it. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If Farrant was willing to terminate his friendship with McWilliams because he let me back on a Facebook group </span><i style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">which I co-founded</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I don't think that spoke much for their friendship. I could go further and speculate that their connection must have been one of convenience, in that both were getting a "use" for the other that was no longer tenable once it became apparent that McWilliams was interacting with me (without even being able to clarify </span><i style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">why</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it was a problem in the first place). That said, on a human level, I would prefer they had buried the hatchet. A grudge is not a good thing to take to the grave.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">For my final word on their friendship, though: I wasn't part of it. That was between them. The only person who can speak for them is them</span><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">—and one of them is no longer around to do that. It's not my place to say how genuine it was. And certainly not Manchester's, who very obviously doesn't give a stuff. Therefore, his bottom-scraping tactic to attack McWilliams is just another example of the depths this alleged Christian bishop is prepared to go. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that, honestly, is a shame too, speaking as it does to the psychology of a man so deeply entrenched in hatred for people because they've questioned him or exposed his shenanigans, that he struggles to process his emotions in a productive way. I hope he seeks the help he sorely needs. </span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notes</span></span></h3><p><b><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Manchester </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">is utterly obsessed with his late nemesis, David Farrant:</span></b><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hogg, "In the latest edition of 'Where Is Your Church, Anyway, and Why Do You Keep Stalking Us?' . . .," Facebook, August 5, 2022, https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/posts/10166872067240494/.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>yet another diatribe about Farrant:</b></span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Manchester [The Cross & the Stake, pseud.], "Stewart Farrar said of Farrant . . .," Facebook, August 6, 2022, https://www.facebook.com/974672275997573/posts/2676860642445386/. Subsequent quotes, unless otherwise noted, are from this post.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>subjected to over fifteen years of his stalking:</b></span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hogg, "My Number One Fan," <i>The Vampirologist</i> (blog), April 30, 2014, https://thevampirologist.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/my-number-one-fan/.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>an honest-to-goodness symposium that actually happened:</b> Della Farrant, "THE HIGHGATE VAMPIRE SYMPOSIUM 2015," Harringay Online, latest activity June 12, 2015, </span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://harringayonline.com/events/the-highgate-vampire-symposium-2015. The event took place at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate Village, on July 19, 2015. McWilliams was one of the speakers.</span></span></p>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-26545142363023202242021-01-02T03:04:00.000+11:002021-01-02T03:04:03.557+11:00Mr. Manchester Does Not Want to Be Called "Mr." & Other Gripes—Part 2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrBPAXYnga6hr0Uq6wi6L4GIBdAHcxSqI5s2EMYxHUb_bqIS6zMyZF9jSw76QnNL3_BJ-s67O8eFR-d1WQ7Fouxlq9f-dJ1M-oaOM2r-QMgA3aHKA43bRvyR3AH8Fvb5TNlNmVeYvkxBD/s1069/Screenshot_20191024-154901_Chrome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="1069" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrBPAXYnga6hr0Uq6wi6L4GIBdAHcxSqI5s2EMYxHUb_bqIS6zMyZF9jSw76QnNL3_BJ-s67O8eFR-d1WQ7Fouxlq9f-dJ1M-oaOM2r-QMgA3aHKA43bRvyR3AH8Fvb5TNlNmVeYvkxBD/w400-h170/Screenshot_20191024-154901_Chrome.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dramatic representation of Patrick Sean Manchester's recent series of complaints about the author. Picture: Sony Pictures Releasing via <a href="https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2019/10/25/nerds-gets-spooky-be-careful-you-dont-get-eaten-by-the-monster-house/">Nerds and Beyond</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>At the time of writing most of the first instalment, I did not realise Mr. Patrick Sean Manchester had made several other posts about me on his Facebook group, The Cross & the Stake. I will now take the opportunity to address those, too.</div><div><div>First, there is his rebuttal to a blog post that delved into his extremist, far-right nationalist leanings and Nazi fetishism. Overlaid on an uncredited partial screencap of my post, Mr. Manchester writes "No, Hogg, you beg to differ, along with your Marxist chums, while more and more people are agreeing with †Seán Manchester that all war is pure and utter lunacy."</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I'm a pacifist myself, but this response needs some context. Mr. Manchester was blaming <i>Britain</i> for the Nazi devastation of Europe during World War 2, i.e. if they hadn't butted in, it would have been a lot less worse: "Had Great Britain not declared war on Germany in the wake of a conveniently manufactured agreement with Poland that was designed to be violated, perhaps the sixty million people killed, which was over 2.5% of the world population, might for the most part have survived? Hitler certainly did not want a war with Great Britain on whose Empire he modelled his Third Reich. My country's action resulted in the worst and deadliest military conflict in history. It should have been avoided by every measure available."</div><div><br /></div><div>That notion is, of course, utterly ridiculous considering Nazi Germany's <i>Lebensraum</i> ambitions, but not too surprising from a Nazi apologist. However, in the same post<span style="color: #4d5156; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"> </span></span>Mr. Manchester refutes this assessment: "I AM UTTERLY AMAZED THAT MY OPPOSITION TO WAR — INDEED, I HAVE PUBLICLY OPPOSED ALL WARS OCCURRING IN MY LIFETIME — CAN BE TWISTED BY ANTHONY HOGG INTO 'DEFENDING THE NAZI INVASION OF EUROPE.' I STAND BY MY WORDS (QUOTED ON TOP OF THE PAGE) AND SHALL CONTINUE TO PROUDLY ENDORSE THE SENTIMENTS THEY EXPRESS."</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd day blaming Britain for Nazi atrocities and the scale of WW2 can be reasonably qualified as "DEFENDING THE NAZI INVASION OF EUROPE" don't you? </div><div><br /></div><div>Later, in third person, Mr. Manchester remarks "BISHOP MANCHESTER IS NOBODY'S APOLOGIST; HOGG IS AN APOLOGIST FOR SATANISTS." Here, Mr. Manchester clearly has a flimsy grasp on the meaning of "apologetics," in not only overlooking his own defense of Nazi Germany at the expense of Great Britain, but also wildly casting the concept around to include a nonsense statement about me being an apologist for Satanists. In what capacity, he isn't clear. The only thing I'd defend is their right to practice their faith, as we all do in a free society, and salient points they make on the hypocrisies of religion in mainstream society (e.g. the trolling and counter-protests of the Satanic Temple).</div><div><br /></div><div>This, of course, is probably just another smokescreen for Mr. Manchester's own history with Satanism, a religion he practiced under the guise of "Lord Manchester."</div><div><br /></div><div>Next up is a lengthy diatribe by Mr. Manchester, screencapped from some uncited Facebook post, about me and my colleague, Erin Chapman (accompanied by a pic stolen from a <i>Vamped</i> article she wrote, tinted with some sepia filter). Now, since Mr. Manchester's post appears sans context, I will do my best to address what he might be getting at.</div><div><br /></div><div>It begins with a classic case of psychological projection from a man who regularly writes nasty comments and falsehoods about me: </div><div><blockquote>You write about me in the most negative, misleading and
distorted manner possible, and have done so for in excess of a decade. </blockquote></div><div>I dispute that. I think I hold Mr. Manchester's claims and behaviour to the light of day. As I'm doing with this post. I provide quotes, links and/or citations so readers may have a common reference point—if I'm distorting anything, readers can easily call me on it by checking the references for themselves. This is a courtesy Mr. Manchester does not provide me, often taking my comments and material out of context specifically to smear me, as shown in this very post.</div><div><blockquote>What about other people’s claims? How is it that you are not writing about them, save very infrequently, or in anything like the same abusive fashion?</blockquote></div><div>Yet another falsehood. First, just on the Highgate Vampire topic alone, nearly <i>all</i> the posts I made on this very blog about Manchester's nemesis, David Farrant, were critical. One can easily see that by clicking on the "David Farrant" label link on the sidebar of this blog (<a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/search/label/David%20Farrant">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/search/label/David%20Farrant</a>). That's one hundred and thirty posts in which he is a primary topic of discussion. I dispute Farrant's narrative, his criticisms, his recollection of events, the works. That's likely why Farrant wasn't a fan of mine, either.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here, Mr. Manchester is trying to play victim; framing fair criticism as a torrent of abuse. In my view, this is a ruse to throw people off the scent of his own appalling behaviour, falsehoods and dubious claims.</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote>When somebody confines entire websites, blogs and probably dozens
of Facebook groups to attacking just one person over a period of more than ten
years that, by any definition is indubitably obsessive. There is nothing “unChristian”
in what I have written. What you are doing, and have done over many years,
however, is unChristian. </blockquote><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The lies in that post are inexcusable. First, my primary website (not counting the site dedicated to my organisation, the Vampire Studies Association [<a href="https://vampirestudies.org/">https://vampirestudies.org/</a>], which will be undergoing some major redevelopment) is <i>Vamped</i> (<a href="https://vamped.org/">https://vamped.org/</a>), a general interest vampire site. Mr. Manchester has occasionally featured (<a href="https://vamped.org/tag/sean-manchester/">https://vamped.org/tag/sean-manchester/</a>), primarily in context with his "investigation" of the Highgate Vampire case, but he is not the website's primary topic.</p><p class="MsoNormal">As to blogs, I've created a handful over the years—none dedicated to a single person. This blog, for instance, focused on the Highgate Vampire case and the personalities involved. I previously wrote <i>Diary of an Amateur Vampirologist</i> (<a href="http://doaav.blogspot.com/">http://doaav.blogspot.com/</a>), which later morphed to <i>The Vampirologist</i> (<a href="http://thevampirologist.blogspot.com/">http://thevampirologist.blogspot.com/</a>) before landing on a Wordpress version of the blog (<a href="https://thevampirologist.wordpress.com/">https://thevampirologist.wordpress.com/</a>).</p><p class="MsoNormal">In what I can only class as yet another case of psychological projection gone wild, it's Mr. Manchester who has actually created blogs about other people; specifically his nemesis, David Farrant (e.g. <i>David Farrant Obituary</i>, <a href="https://davidfarrantobituary.blogspot.com/">https://davidfarrantobituary.blogspot.com/</a>), Kevin Chesham (e.g. <i>Kevin Chesham Q & A</i>, <a href="https://kev-chesham.blogspot.com/">https://kev-chesham.blogspot.com/</a>), various perceived enemies (<i>Antipathetic Voices</i>, <a href="http://antipatheticvoices.blogspot.com/">http://antipatheticvoices.blogspot.com/</a>) and, yes, even yours truly (<i>Hoggwatch</i>, http://hoggwatch.blogspot.co.uk/ [site discontinued]). Sidenote: Mr. Manchester launched that blog about me under a fake identity, before revealing himself to be the true author when he issued a copyright claim against me for posting a link to it (!) on Facebook.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I think it goes without saying that Mr. Manchester's remarks on the practice of my faith are more than a little hypocritical, but I accept the notion that my remarks can't always be considered Christ-like. The difference, of course, is that I acknowledge that; Mr. Manchester remains unrepentant. And he's a "bishop" (as he likes to keep reminding us).</p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Notes</h3><div><b>the first instalment:</b> Hogg, "Mr. Manchester Does Not Want to Be Called 'Mr.' & Other Gripes," <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), January 2, 2021, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2021/01/mr-manchester-does-not-want-to-be.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2021/01/mr-manchester-does-not-want-to-be.html</a>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>a blog post that delved into his extremist, far-right nationalist leanings:</b> Hogg, "Response to Patrick Sean Manchester's Remarks About My Political and Religious Views, and Purpose of My Facebook Group," <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), December 27, 2020, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2020/12/response-to-patrick-sean-manchesters.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2020/12/response-to-patrick-sean-manchesters.html</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>"No, Hogg, you beg to differ, along with your Marxist chums":</b> Manchester [The Cross & The Stake, pseud.], "No, Hogg, you beg to differ, along with your Marxist chums," Facebook, January 1, 2021, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2181196232011832">https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2181196232011832</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>"Had Great Britain not declared war on Germany":</b> Manchester, Manchester, "Detractors," <i>"The struggle can take many turns and directions." — Kevin Chesham (Dec 2009)</i> (blog), April 8, 2012, <a href="http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com/2012/04/detractors.html">http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com/2012/04/detractors.html</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>"I AM UTTERLY AMAZED THAT MY OPPOSITION TO WAR":</b> Manchester, "No, Hogg, you beg to differ." The comments follow an image a sieg heiling pig, with a Nazi armband, captioned "Pig Heil"—in what appears to be a childish dig at my surname—over another caption reading "The Anthony Hogg Nazi Smear [?] Campaign," offsided with a photo of me, used without my permission.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>"BISHOP MANCHESTER IS NOBODY'S APOLOGIST":</b> Manchester, "No, Hogg, you beg to differ."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>a religion he practiced under the guise of "Lord Manchester":</b> see plate captioned "Lord Manchester chargeant le poignard du sacrifice, au cours d’un rituel magique" in Jean-Paul Bourre, <i>Messes rouges et romantisme noir</i> (Nice: Editions Alain Lefeuvre, 1980).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>a pic stolen from a <i>Vamped</i> article:</b> Chapman, "Trip to Texas: The Vampire Studies Symposium and More," <i>Vamped</i>, April 9, 2016, <a href="https://vamped.org/2016/04/09/trip-to-texas-the-vampire-studies-symposium-and-more">https://vamped.org/2016/04/09/trip-to-texas-the-vampire-studies-symposium-and-more</a>. I took the picture.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>"You write about me in the most negative, misleading and distorted manner":</b> Manchester, "You write about me in the most negative, misleading and distorted manner," January 1, 2021, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/photos/a.974803782651089/2181200215344767">https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/photos/a.974803782651089/2181200215344767</a>. Unless otherwise noted, subsequent quotes are derived from this post.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>and, yes, even yours truly:</b> For a more detailed discussion of the blog, see Hogg, "My Number One Fan," <i>The Vampirologist</i> (blog), April 30, 2014, <a href="https://thevampirologist.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/my-number-one-fan">https://thevampirologist.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/my-number-one-fan</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>revealing himself to be the true author:</b> Hogg, "Suspended from Posting to Facebook for Three Days," <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), November 26, 2013, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2013/11/suspended-from-posting-to-facebook-for.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2013/11/suspended-from-posting-to-facebook-for.html</a>.</div>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-1136599865308453832021-01-02T00:56:00.006+11:002021-01-02T00:56:38.267+11:00Mr. Manchester Does Not Want to Be Called "Mr." & Other Gripes—Part 1<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Fd_aRQX8jtCekOQudC5Sm1LmqJ2u36btvNRs4kFE2AH2x8_eq34P8viEvoSU60BNTDpLOZhZzSfSU0Bv8dSDfW9kWzK5mSisYRLPHPEJSTq-NqhvNrDpnsVUAtF3WedadeyNqeIELvU7/s2048/old-man-cloud-HD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Fd_aRQX8jtCekOQudC5Sm1LmqJ2u36btvNRs4kFE2AH2x8_eq34P8viEvoSU60BNTDpLOZhZzSfSU0Bv8dSDfW9kWzK5mSisYRLPHPEJSTq-NqhvNrDpnsVUAtF3WedadeyNqeIELvU7/w400-h267/old-man-cloud-HD.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dramatic representation of Patrick Sean Manchester's recent series of complaints about the author. Picture: Disney–ABC Domestic Television via <a href="https://www.markgaler.com/angry-photographer-aka-old-man-yells-cloud">Mark Galer</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>In the past week, I have addressed two hostile postings Patrick Sean Manchester, under the guise of "The Cross & The Stake," made about me on his Facebook group. Mr. Manchester has made the group so toxic toward me, that merely being a Facebook friend of mine is enough to warrant a ban.</p><p>But this hasn't stopped Mr. Manchester from monitoring my group and "responding" to my posts without citing them. It hasn't stopped him using my pictures without my permission. Evidentially, Mr. Manchester has strived to create an echo chamber intended to turn members against me. This, from a supposed Christian bishop.</p><p>In the latest post made to his group, Mr. Manchester has sidestepped any effort to make amends, apologise or seek forgiveness for his malignant behaviour—despite my standing offer for him to join my group—instead, he has decided to focus on a narcissistic gripe: the title people refer to him by.</p><p>"People, largely out of ignorance," moans Mr. Manchester, "sometimes address me using the title 'Mr.' I am not a 'Mr.' The correct title when addressing me is 'Bishop.' I am Bishop Manchester. I am not Mr. Manchester. I would appreciate the appropriate title being affixed when using one. I do not mind if no title is used, but using the wrong one is borderline offensive."</p><p>The timing of the post, and the other posts it follows (directed me) suggests this passive aggressive diatribe is also intended for yours truly. So, I will address the matter head on. The reason why I refer to Manchester as "Mr." is because I have as much respect for his title as he does: none.</p><p>My use of "Mr." is a protest against abuse. While I am far from a perfect Christian, I do take the responsibility of priestly roles seriously. He doesn't. And never has except as a title; one no different from dubbing himself "Lord" during his Satanist phase. Or when he dubbed himself "The Magister" when performing an occult ritual at the home of David Farrant in 1973. </p><p>There was even the time he masqueraded as "The Commander" in 1977 where he pretended to be the leader of the imaginary League of Imperial Fascists, a neo-Nazi group in Barnet, before being exposed by journalist Frank Thorne. After being unraveled, Manchester claimed that the "Commander" was actually an Irish neo-Nazi named Terence Byrne (1942–1982)—a falsehood I exposed in my own sting, helped by photographs of the <i>real</i> Byrne obtained from Anti-Fascist Action Ireland.</p><p>In what should be a matter to be hashed out between him and a licensed therapist, Manchester clearly has a thing for representing himself in positions of authority without actually doing any serious legwork to earn the title. As far as I'm concerned, this includes his "bishop" title.</p><p>After all, Mr. Manchester does not operate anything recognisable as a church, with no identifiable priests operating under his wing; although he does boast of owning "three residences in the British Isles" and "three vehicles" with his only discernable income being his "bestselling" books—whose proceeds go to his church, according to their inscriptions.</p><p>The materialism of Mr. Manchester's lifestyle isn't the only sticking point; it's his constant falsehoods and baseless attacks. In the aforementioned posts written about me, Mr. Manchester falsely claimed I am</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>a supporter of [Marxist] terrorism</li><li>an atheist</li></ul><div>He also claimed my Facebook group (of the same name as this blog) "exists for one purpose, ie to stalk and troll †Seán Manchester," despite the variety of topics covered. Previously, he's even insinuated I am homosexual (I'm not).</div><div><br /></div><div>And it hasn't stopped there...</div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Notes</h3><p><b>I have addressed two hostile postings:</b> Hogg, "Response to Patrick Sean Manchester's Remarks About My Political and Religious Views, and Purpose of My Facebook Group," <i>Did a Wamypr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), December 27, 2020, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2020/12/response-to-patrick-sean-manchesters.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2020/12/response-to-patrick-sean-manchesters.html</a>; Hogg, "Response to Patrick Sean Manchester's Remarks About My Political and Religious Views, and Purpose of My Facebook Group (II)," <i>Did a Wamypr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), December 28, 2020, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2020/12/response-to-patrick-sean-manchesters_28.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2020/12/response-to-patrick-sean-manchesters_28.html</a>.</p><p><b>being a Facebook friend of mine:</b> Manchester [The Cross & The Stake, pseud.], "IF ANYONE IS FOUND TO BE A FB FRIEND OF ANTHONY HOGG," Facebook, December 24, 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/photos/a.974803782651089/2174647722666683">https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/photos/a.974803782651089/2174647722666683</a>.</p><p><b>"People, largely out of ignorance":</b> Manchester [The Cross & The Stake, pseud.], "People, largely out of ignorance," Facebook, December 30, 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2180377815427007">https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2180377815427007</a>.</p><p><b>during his Satanist phase:</b> see plate captioned "Lord Manchester chargeant le poignard du sacrifice, au cours d’un rituel magique" in Jean-Paul Bourre, <i>Messes rouges et romantisme noir</i> (Nice: Editions Alain Lefeuvre, 1980).</p><p><b>dubbed himself "The Magister":</b> David Farrant, "The Mysterious Magister," David Farrant, accessed December 30, 2020, <a href="http://www.davidfarrant.org/cabinet-of-curiosities/the-mysterious-magister">http://www.davidfarrant.org/cabinet-of-curiosities/the-mysterious-magister</a>.</p><p><b>exposed by journalist Frank Thorne:</b> Thorne, "We Unmask Phoney Nazis," <i>Sunday People</i> (London), October 9, 1977, 2–3.</p><p><b>a falsehood I exposed in my own sting:</b> Hogg, "The Byrne Identity," <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), December 19, 2013, http://dawwih.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/the-byrne-identity (site discontinued).</p><p><b>"three residences in the British Isles" and "three vehicles":</b> quoted in Hogg, "The Hypocricies [<i>sic</i>] of Bishop Manchester," <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), April 19, 2010, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2010/04/hypocricies-of-bishop-manchester.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2010/04/hypocricies-of-bishop-manchester.html</a>.</p><p><b>he insinuated I am homosexual:</b> Hogg, "Bishop Allows Derogatory, Hateful Comments on His Blog, but Censors Comments about His Own Deceitful Ways," <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), February 8, 2010, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2010/02/bishop-allows-derogatory-hateful.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2010/02/bishop-allows-derogatory-hateful.html</a>.</p>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-53578560883165374602020-12-28T03:35:00.002+11:002020-12-28T03:44:59.553+11:00Response to Patrick Sean Manchester's Remarks About My Political and Religious Views, and Purpose of My Facebook Group (II)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7hl3FFxSNI9tSdejJ1Ed3K4jtJGjQgy9vBp-C6CPdDv9ylSLSIkzw-K6qWjWb2I9UqxR9c1azJ-3fno_1XRNv63-TaPFbAAw-NoMgt6zTEK4AixJ9y4virXQrJLaheXe-iY3mwGsaw4a/s817/Celtic+Cross.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="817" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7hl3FFxSNI9tSdejJ1Ed3K4jtJGjQgy9vBp-C6CPdDv9ylSLSIkzw-K6qWjWb2I9UqxR9c1azJ-3fno_1XRNv63-TaPFbAAw-NoMgt6zTEK4AixJ9y4virXQrJLaheXe-iY3mwGsaw4a/w400-h198/Celtic+Cross.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excerpt from ADL's page on the Celtic Cross, a symbol often associated with white supremacist groups. A version of this symbol is seen on an armband Patrick Sean Manchester is wearing in a photograph in his infamous "Nazi room." Picture: <a href="https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/celtic-cross">ADL</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>In reference to my response to Mr. Patrick Sean Manchester's claims about me, in which I refuted his allegation that I support Marxist terrorist groups; the false claim that I am an atheist; a troll; the false representation of my Facebook group, Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate? (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks">https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks</a>), existing to "to stalk and troll †Seán Manchester," Mr. Manchester could only muster a single reply (after copy-pasting my response, sans credit). Unfortunately, it wasn't an apology.</p><p>Instead, he sought to address my reference to Mr. Manchester's far-right leanings and Nazi fetishism, by countering: "* 'far-right nationalist leanings and Nazi fetishism: As documented by Kevin Chesham' who is himself a Neo-Nazi with close associations to other far right extremists, eg Kerry Bolton. It would certainly seem to be the case that Hogg can only find Nazis and hardcore Satanists to source smears of †Seán Manchester being a 'Nazi feteshist.' Risible!"</p><p>Manchester supplemented this allegation against former friend, Kevin Chesham, with a link to Manchester's blog, <i>Kevin Chesham Q & A</i> (<a href="https://kev-chesham.blogspot.com/">https://kev-chesham.blogspot.com</a>). But this attempt at deflection is somewhat questionable.</p><p>Apart from not denying his own far-right leanings and Nazi fetishism, the blog's content is questionable at best. For example, in a blog post attempting to refute Mr. Manchester having a room dedicated to Nazism, he states "The room was not a Nazi room. It was a storeroom for books and items that had accumulated down the decades. My library is on the ground floor. These books were in a room on the first floor. They comprised mostly history books, biographies and autobiographies which concentrated on the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s."</p><p>However, a cursory scan of the room's contents expose the falsity of this counter-claim: the wall is mounted with Nazi/fascist regalia and photographs, the shelves lined with books on vampirism, British history, folklore, Nazism (including a copy of Hitler's <i>Mein Kampf</i>) and a few others. But most tellingly, a tabletop features a silver framed article cut-out: "One in Four Germans Admires the Nazis," <i>Daily Mail</i> (London), October 18, 2007. </p><p>Another wall features a photograph of a young Mr. Manchester (wearing sunglasses) in an armband representing the Christian Nationalist Movement. The Celtic cross symbol in Manchester's armband is associated with white supremacist groups. Indeed, Mr. Manchester's own pseudonym, "The Cross & the Stake" (the same name of a newsletter he used to edit) echoes <i>The Cross and the Flag</i>, a magazine published by the Christian Nationalist <i>Crusade</i> (my italics)—which promoted Holocaust denialism. </p><p>I should also point out that Mr. Manchester has previously dabbled in Nazi apologetics himself. On discussing the devastation wrought by World War 2, Mr. Manchester saw fit to lay the blame not on the Nazis who initiated the war, but a place closer to home: "Had Great Britain not declared war on Germany in the wake of a conveniently manufactured agreement with Poland that was designed to be violated, perhaps the sixty million people killed, which was over 2.5% of the world population, might for the most part have survived? Hitler certainly did not want a war with Great Britain on whose Empire he modelled his Third Reich. My country's action resulted in the worst and deadliest military conflict in history. It should have been avoided by every measure available."</p><p>History begs to differ.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Notes</h3><p><b>my response to Mr. Patrick Sean Manchester's claims about me:</b> Hogg, "Response to Patrick Sean Manchester's Remarks About My Political and Religious Views, and Purpose of My Facebook Group," <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), December 27, 2020, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2020/12/response-to-patrick-sean-manchesters.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2020/12/response-to-patrick-sean-manchesters.html</a>.</p><p><b>"* 'far-right nationalist leanings and Nazi fetishism":</b> Manchester [pseud. The Cross & The Stake], "* 'far-right nationalist leanings and Nazi fetishism," Facebook, December 28, 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2177265469071575">https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2177265469071575</a>.</p><p><b>"The room was not a Nazi room":</b> [Manchester], "Alleged 'Nazi' Room," <i>Kevin Chesham Q & A </i>(blog), May 30, 2019, <a href="https://kev-chesham.blogspot.com/2019/05/alleged-nazi-room.html">https://kev-chesham.blogspot.com/2019/05/alleged-nazi-room.html</a>.</p><p><b>a cursory scan of the room's contents:</b> see photos in "Kevin Chesham - The Autobiography - First Extract," Kevin Chesham - Triathlete, accessed December 27, 2020, <a href="http://kevchesham.blogspot.com/p/kevin-chesham-autobiography-first.html">http://kevchesham.blogspot.com/p/kevin-chesham-autobiography-first.html</a>.</p><p><b>a tabletop features a silver framed article cut-out:</b> Hogg, "Ja, mein Bischof!," <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highate?</i> (blog), March 5, 2012, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2012/03/ja-mein-bischof.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2012/03/ja-mein-bischof.html</a>.</p><p><b>which promoted Holocaust denialism:</b> Wikipedia, s.v. "Gerald L. K. Smith," last edited December 1, 2020, at 23:47, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_L._K._Smith">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_L._K._Smith</a>.</p><p><b>Celtic cross symbol in Manchester's armband:</b> "Let's Play Dressing Up!," Kevin Chesham - Triathlete, accessed December 28, 2020, <a href="http://kevchesham.blogspot.com/p/lets-play-dressing-up.html">http://kevchesham.blogspot.com/p/lets-play-dressing-up.html</a>; and "Celtic Cross," ADL, accessed December 28, 2020, <a href="https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/celtic-cross">https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/celtic-cross</a>.</p><p><b>"Had Great Britain not declared war on Germany":</b> Manchester, "Detractors," <i>"The struggle can take many turns and directions." — Kevin Chesham (Dec 2009)</i> (blog), April 8, 2012, <a href="http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com/2012/04/detractors.html">http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com/2012/04/detractors.html</a>. For further analysis of Mr. Manchester's use of racist sources and Nazi apologetics, see Hogg, "Rebutting the Nazi Room," <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i> (blog), April 9, 2012, <a href="https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2012/04/rebutting-nazi-room.html">https://dawwih.blogspot.com/2012/04/rebutting-nazi-room.html</a>.</p>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-46316425260871058422020-12-27T02:15:00.003+11:002020-12-27T02:15:47.683+11:00Response to Patrick Sean Manchester's Remarks About My Political and Religious Views, and Purpose of My Facebook Group<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVlbYuHThvhYDImf-Dk46EbNPsYmUk8amkmD9SufA0VnFujPY1FHQbZpim77UKNcg5rxYIv0RuRVMf_Uzvw9v3v9wQ-1SXI1Vc7rxOPju7Of_jf36yF-WBSQKcrSOKjZndVCIAFHeldIs/s597/Darkness+Suits+You.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="507" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVlbYuHThvhYDImf-Dk46EbNPsYmUk8amkmD9SufA0VnFujPY1FHQbZpim77UKNcg5rxYIv0RuRVMf_Uzvw9v3v9wQ-1SXI1Vc7rxOPju7Of_jf36yF-WBSQKcrSOKjZndVCIAFHeldIs/w544-h640/Darkness+Suits+You.png" width="544" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author posing with Drew Sinton (left), former proprietor of The Haunted Bookshop, Melbourne, at The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar, Melbourne, on September 21, 2019, posted on The Anthony Hogg Fan Group. Patrick Sean Manchester pinched this photograph for an overtly hostile diatribe against me on his Facebook group, The Cross & the Stake. Picture: Anthony Hogg/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnthonyHogg/permalink/2410407639202469/">The Anthony Hogg Fan Group</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I would like to take this opportunity to address several remarks made about me on Patrick Sean Manchester's Facebook group, The Cross & the Stake.</p><p></p><blockquote>Anthony Hogg supports the Marxist terrorist groups Black Lives Matter and ANTIFA, and, while unconvincingly pretending to be a non-conformist "Protestant," is actually an atheist sympathetic and supportive of Satanists, eg Drew Sinton and others. Sinton was a senior member of the Church of Satan, but resigned because it was not extreme enough. </blockquote><p></p><p>Lots to unpack here.</p><p>First, I don't support any terrorist groups. I support the Black Lives Matter movement and I support anti-fascist movements. Who wouldn't? Mr. Manchester, unfortunately, mischaracterizes both: neither Black Lives Matter or ANTIFA are "terrorist groups"; they are decentralised movements that, yes, have extremists within them. Like any movement. </p><p>I suspect Mr. Manchester's remarks stem from his own extremist, far-right nationalist leanings and Nazi fetishism.</p><p>On the claim that I am atheist; that is false. I am a non-denominational Christian. Mr. Manchester would do well to remember Exodus 20:16: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."</p><p>Regarding Mr. Sinton, Mr. Manchester has taken the matter out of context: the "support" I gave him were multiple efforts at averting the closure of The Haunted Bookshop, an establishment Mr. Sinton ran in Melbourne for twenty-two years (closing in 2019). I supported him for two main reasons: </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>nostalgia: my non-fiction vampire book collection was stocked by many books purchased from Mr. Sinton's shop many years ago, even though I had since moved onto buying books mostly online</li><li>principle: after facing closure from higher rent, Mr. Sinton pursued another prospective shop front in Melbourne, only to be turned away on religious grounds (citing his his Satanist beliefs). In our home state, Victoria, turning away prospective tenants on religious groups is illegal. I'm Christian, but I'm also an advocate for social justice.</li></ol><div>I know little of Mr. Sinton's background with the Church of Satan, so I'm not sure where Mr. Manchester has gotten that information from, or whether it is accurate. Regardless, unless Mr. Sinton was engaging in illegal activity, I don't see the relevance: I was trying to help prevent the closure of a Melbourne institution, not summoning the Dark Lord with him.</div><div><br /></div><div>The other support I gave Mr. Sinton (represented in a photograph I did not give Mr. Manchester permission to reproduce) was attending "Tonight! Haunted Bookshop Wake + The Narcoleptor 12"
launch," an event held at The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar, Melbourne, on September 21, 2019 to commemorate the closure of the shop. </div><div><br /></div><div>Before the shop closed, I also bought a batch of books for my non-fiction vampire collection, for old time's sake and to give a little financial support for the shop's closure.</div><p></p><p></p><div>But why Mr. Manchester conflates support and Satanism to me may be a switch and bait tactic intended to distract group members from Mr. Manchester's own background with Satanism—for a "spell" in the 1970s, Mr. Manchester dubbed himself "Lord Manchester" and identified as a Satanist, as documented in Jean-Paul Bourre's <i>Messes rouges et romantisme noir</i> (1980).</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p></p><blockquote>Hogg of Melbourne, Australia, is also an infamous troll, as well as being a Facebook friend of Jamie Farrant, the latter being a member of Hogg's FB group Did A Wampyr Walk In Highgate, which exists for one purpose, ie to stalk and troll †Seán Manchester. The group's title is poached from a newspaper headline, 27 February 1970, featuring †Seán Manchester. Hogg was not born at the time of that headline. Jamie Farrant would have been less than three years' old when it was published.</blockquote><p></p><p>While it's true I have a reputation as a "troll" in some circles (specifically among people who's views on vampirism and politics I have criticised), the remaining portion of Mr. Manchester's post is a pitiful attempt at orchestrating a conspiracy.</p><p>I am a Facebook friend of Jamie Farrant, the late David Farrant's son, but his membership on my group—and Mr. Manchester's characterisation of the group itself—is patently false. </p><p>My Facebook group, Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate? (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks">https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks</a>), is an offshoot of my blog of the same name (the one you're reading now). Its intent is the same as this blog's: to provide a neutral platform for those interested in the Highgate Vampire case, and to critically examine and discuss the events documented and claims made by people associated with it. Indeed, I have invited Mr. Manchester to join on multiple occasions—an offer that does not extend to me. </p><p>In fact, Mr. Manchester claims that not only am I banned from his Facebook groups (which doesn't stop him from repeatedly making hostile, negative remarks about me), but anyone who is also my friend on Facebook is also banned—further evidence of Mr. Manchester's extremist leanings.</p><p>As to the group's/blog's title it is, indeed, a reference to the headline article, "Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?," <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>, February 27, 1970. Which, sadly, is only one of two accurate statements made in the post. </p><p>The other accurate statement is the timeframe of my birth; it is true I was not born at the time the event was reported, but I also wasn't born when the <i>Titanic</i> sunk. That doesn't stop me from being aware of it or commenting on it. Indeed, Mr. Manchester does not seem to level this criticism on people who <i>believe</i> his claims about hunting a vampire at Highgate Cemetery (for which there is no reliable evidence), suggesting this reference was intended to be an attempt at undermining my research and commentary on the case, but only succeeds as an own goal.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Notes</h3><p><b>several remarks made about me on Patrick Sean Manchester's Facebook group:</b> Manchester [pseud. The Cross & The Stake], "Anthony Hogg supports the Marxist terrorist groups," Facebook, December 24, 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2173670736097715">https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2173670736097715</a>.</p><p><b>neither Black Lives Matter or ANTIFA are "terrorist groups":</b> See Ashley Cole, "Black Lives Matter: Decentralised Leadership and the
Problems of Online Organising," <i>The Conversation</i>, July 15, 2020, <a href="https://theconversation.com/black-lives-matter-decentralised-leadership-and-the-problems-of-online-organising-140897">https://theconversation.com/black-lives-matter-decentralised-leadership-and-the-problems-of-online-organising-140897</a>; and Stanislav Vysotsky, "What – or Who – Is Antifa?," <i>The Conversation</i>, June 9, 2020, <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-or-who-is-antifa-140147">https://theconversation.com/what-or-who-is-antifa-140147</a>.</p><p><b>far-right nationalist leanings and Nazi fetishism:</b> As documented in "Kevin Chesham - The Autobiography - First Extract," Kevin Chesham - Triathlete, accessed December 27, 2020, <a href="http://kevchesham.blogspot.com/p/kevin-chesham-autobiography-first.html">http://kevchesham.blogspot.com/p/kevin-chesham-autobiography-first.html</a>.</p><p><b>turning away prospective tenants on religious groups is illegal:</b> For further information on this case, see Josephine Winter, "Melbourne’s Haunted Bookshop Lease Not Renewed Because of
Landlord’s ‘Spiritual Beliefs,’” <i>Wild Hunt</i>, July 11, 2019, <a href="https://wildhunt.org/2019/07/melbournes-haunted-bookshop-lease-not-renewed-because-of-landlords-spiritual-beliefs.html">https://wildhunt.org/2019/07/melbournes-haunted-bookshop-lease-not-renewed-because-of-landlords-spiritual-beliefs.html</a>.</p><p><b>an event held at The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar:</b> Hogg, "Went to Tonight! Haunted Bookshop Wake + The
Narcoleptor 12" launch yesterday," Facebook, September 22, 2019, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnthonyHogg/permalink/2410407639202469">https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnthonyHogg/permalink/2410407639202469</a>. This is the post Mr. Manchester took the photo from, sans credit.</p><p><b>but anyone who is also my friend on Facebook is also banned:</b> Manchester [pseud. The Cross & The Stake], "IF ANYONE IS FOUND TO BE A FB FRIEND OF ANTHONY HOGG," Facebook, December 25, 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2174647759333346">https://www.facebook.com/VampireResearchSociety/posts/2174647759333346</a>.</p><p><b>for which there is no reliable evidence:</b> Erin Chapman, "5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn't Walk in Highate," <i>Vamped</i>, February 27, 2015, <a href="https://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reasons-why-a-wampyr-didnt-walk-in-highgate-cemetery">https://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reasons-why-a-wampyr-didnt-walk-in-highgate-cemetery</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-54912086430883521482020-05-31T01:45:00.000+10:002020-05-31T01:45:20.662+10:00Death Threats and Stalking and Vampiroids—Oh My!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPyvLZkOAdfZE_QX3MQduQYDI5nQEepgR1XOGwdi_S17RbgmI5O5vuZ1zy8yfpI00cwaTBzuPM02Pi4UIQLmzCb84W5voK7GLnI3XZYjZE0lPGhj3pFv_ItRnwb_7u3JrEDBDbs3h4Z4E/s1600/original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="384" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPyvLZkOAdfZE_QX3MQduQYDI5nQEepgR1XOGwdi_S17RbgmI5O5vuZ1zy8yfpI00cwaTBzuPM02Pi4UIQLmzCb84W5voK7GLnI3XZYjZE0lPGhj3pFv_ItRnwb_7u3JrEDBDbs3h4Z4E/s400/original.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sylvia Raven Nagel</b> aka Sylvia Maria Capringo aka Lady S. Raven Nagel, a self-identified witch and vampire who has stalked me for several years, made multiple death threats against me and even posted pictures of what she thought was my house—in the hope that I be bashed or murdered. Patrick Sean Manchester has shared the same photos on various blogs and Facebook groups. Seen here after a 1998 arrest. Picture: <a href="https://the-forrest-gump-of-witchcraft.com/wp/sylvia-raven-nagel/">The Forrest Gump of Witchcraft</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On the DAWWIH Facebook group, I recently discussed a member of Angie May Watkins' group, Sylvia Raven Nagel, making death threats against me. Instead of evicting Nagel from her group, Watkins evicted me instead.<br />
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<br />
Nagel, who identifies as a vampire, has obviously seen my post mentioning her and responded with this:<br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hello little troll!! I made tons of death threats. I’m still waiting for you, Tania Liddle and others to bring International charges against me, over comments made about you!! You really think that the authority of law gives two shits about you or me? Apparently so, if after all these years you just HAD to throw that line in. 😂😂😂 and it seems that your still running in fear. I can’t tag you to this post, it’s a public post, can’t get you connected at all. Those settings are on your end dumbass Troll!! Wait until I go unto the cloud I have more pictures to take a trip down memory lane with you. 😂😂😂 No worries someone will gladly let you know this is here. An you won’t have to search for pictures. I will tag the ones Kate [Gallwey] sent to me all those years ago. I believe Lady CG got a hold of them some how and they were eventually given to me, because I fear nothing or no one. Damn right I will post it. An now again!! Wimpy Vampirologist!! 😂😂😂 just put a plastic bag over your head and breathe deeply. That will help solve the dumb ass you are. LOL</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
Nagel accompanied this post with a series of overhead shots of someone's house. I'm not sure whose house it is, but it's not mine.<br />
<br />
For added clarity, Nagel's post refers to two other self-identified vampires: Kate Gallwey (<i>Being a Psychic Vampire</i>, self-pub., CreateSpace, 2015) and Barbara Kammerer aka "Lady CG" (<i>Practical Vampyrism for Modern Vampyres</i>, self-pub., Lulu, 2005).<br />
<br />
In 2016, both colluded to stalk me and share my personal information online so that I may befall physical harm or death from irate self-identified vampires—because I have expressed skepticism at their claim to be vampires. Indeed, Gallwey claimed to be be acting under the auspices of a shadowy organisation called Voices of the Vampire Community (VVC) (<a href="http://www.veritasvosliberabit.com/vvc.html">http://www.veritasvosliberabit.com/vvc.html</a>).<br />
<br />
Although Gallwey's claim was denied by the website's administrator, Merticus, Gallwey's membership was unaffected.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, Patrick Sean Manchester, has shared the same photos, via Nagel, on his Facebook groups and blogs. This, despite his own pronouncements on self-identified vampires like Nagel:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Some [vampiroids] actually believe themselves to be vampires, but, of course, they are not. How could they be when the definition of a vampire, upon examination, is revealed to be a dead body that issues forth from its tomb in the night to quaff the warm blood of the living, whereby it is nourished and preserved? Vampiroids, therefore, cannot be re-animated corpses with an awful supernatural existence beyond the grave. People who either believe themselves to be vampires, or want to become vampires and affect what they construe to be vampiristic lifestyles, even when this is taken to extremes, are invariably vampiroids.<br />
.<br />
But it is not even as simple as that because there are various categories of vampiroid, ranging from harmless poseurs to dangerous psychopaths. The former may be benign, but the latter are capable of murder. Thus the vampiroid is not a supernatural being, but a human who embraces what he or she assumes to be a lifestyle commensurate with vampirism as largely depicted in fictional films and literature. Whereas the true vampire partakes of the dark natures and possesses the terrible qualities of both apparition and demon, assuming the form of a dead body to suck the blood of the living.</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
So, what is Manchester, a self-professed "vampire hunter," and alleged bishop, doing playing along with a "vampiroid" (his words) and one who clearly fits Manchester's "dangerous psychopath" category? Sounds like collusion to me.</div>
<div>
<br />
Now, when these photos were shared several years ago via the method Nagel described, I did pretend they were mine—to throw Manchester, and the other stalkers involved, off the scent. After all, would <i>you</i> want them knowing where you live?</div>
<div>
<br />
But, clearly, that was a mistake on my part and I shouldn't have done it. Which is why I told them, multiple times, it wasn't my residence.</div>
<div>
<br />
That hasn't stopped them from sharing these images, though.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Notes</h4>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Instead of evicting Nagel from her group, Watkins evicted me instead:</b> Anthony Hogg, "My former friend . . .," Facebook, May 30, 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10163819392550494">https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10163819392550494</a>. Watkins' group is HIGHGATE! HIGHGATE! HIGHGATE!. I am uncertain if it's still active.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>"Hello little troll!":</b> Nagel, "Hello little troll!!," Facebook, May 30, 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sravennagel/posts/3537745086239121">https://www.facebook.com/sravennagel/posts/3537745086239121</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Although Gallwey's claim was denied by the website's administrator:</b> See Anthony Hogg, "How the VVC Handled a Complaint About Members Cyberstalking Me," Facebook, February 9, 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.2735341733219344&type=3">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.2735341733219344&type=3</a>.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>Patrick Sean Manchester, has shared the same photos, via Nagel, on his Facebook groups and blogs:</b> An example can be found in Manchester [FoBSM, pseud.], "Hogg's Trolling Days Are Numbered," <i>Portals to the Truth</i> (blog), October 31, 2016, <a href="https://fobsm.blogspot.com/2016/10/hoggs-trolling-days-are-numbered.html">https://fobsm.blogspot.com/2016/10/hoggs-trolling-days-are-numbered.html</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Some [vampiroids] actually believe themselves to be vampires:</b> Patrick Sean Manchester [Vampirologist, pseud.], "Vampiroidism aka False Vampirism," <i>Vampire Research Society</i> (blog), February 21, 2009, <a href="http://vampireresearchsociety.blogspot.com/2009/02/vampiroidism-aka-false-vampirism.html">http://vampireresearchsociety.blogspot.com/2009/02/vampiroidism-aka-false-vampirism.html</a>.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Files</h4>
<br />
Anthony Hogg, "Sylvia Raven Nagel Admits to Death Threats Against Anthony Hogg, Facebook, May 30, 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/download/preview/1605658612923044">https://www.facebook.com/download/preview/1605658612923044</a> (PDF).</div>
</div>
Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-77105004285966955592015-04-05T10:18:00.001+10:002015-04-05T10:18:30.935+10:00Staking the Highgate Vampire<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIYsUrR0B2HOI1_PumAQhzROTs5yso36WlvALz0SFs6GP-JQkvRRkD5AnprQVYf2UmWJ0eJ0855gGjDdNCnsdSxwiMw32QBuBxAlGw0rfyHKyLO92ptlFv6oGQaDbDwKnGpNp4D7uFNUP/s1600/gravedigger.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIYsUrR0B2HOI1_PumAQhzROTs5yso36WlvALz0SFs6GP-JQkvRRkD5AnprQVYf2UmWJ0eJ0855gGjDdNCnsdSxwiMw32QBuBxAlGw0rfyHKyLO92ptlFv6oGQaDbDwKnGpNp4D7uFNUP/s1600/gravedigger.png" height="258" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manchester's story is just as theatrical and filled holes. Illustration from a 1917 issue of <i>Punch</i>. (Photo: <a href="http://yankeeskeptic.com/2013/11/06/how-a-gravedigger-saved-shakespeare-or-life-is-an-ensemble-performance/">Yankee Skeptic</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm very pleased with the outcome of Erin Chapman's "<a href="http://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reasons-why-a-wampyr-didnt-walk-in-highgate-cemetery/">5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn't Walk in Highgate</a>" (Feb. 27, 2015): it was Vamped's most popular post for March and it's currently our site's second-most commented post.<br />
<br />
What you probably <i>didn't</i> know, is that the article took three months to write; there were many facts to confirm in order to bring a watertight case against Manchester's erroneous claims about the Highgate Vampire's movements in the cemetery. That's why we can conclusively say: he got it all wrong.<br />
<br />
But that article, itself, was actually a spin-off: there was much more we unearthed. So much, we had to refine the entire article's final subject because it wasn't always intended to specifically focus on Manchester's topographical errors. For more on the "making of," read Erin's blog post "<a href="http://vamped.org/2015/04/04/cemetery-logistics-how-i-tracked-the-highgate-vampire/">Cemetery Logistics: How I Tracked the Highgate Vampire</a>" (April 4, 2015).<br />
<br />
Her post doesn't just present the behind-the-scenes story of writing that article; you'll also see and appreciate the amount of work that went into it—and maybe pick up a few pointers along the way.<br />
<br />
I'm also happy to report that our other findings won't be staying on the cutting room floor: there's going to be a sequel to "5 Reasons," so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, happy digging!Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-60849453603419405742015-03-06T22:41:00.000+11:002015-03-07T02:28:57.926+11:00Outfoxing the Vampire Hunter<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA5nLrUpbqt52vCunbubcgaK8h3RPwCph_nfBh0XIrdE9ELrWdFhdhyx6kJuc85iBlLJyPyHV7BrJYAtbtEo3w2wvdzQgeQLad0sUb0K4trVaYpj9cUVJCXCQXL6cWLNQD1aoEN3Q1Q4A/s1600/CVBasilBrushbig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA5nLrUpbqt52vCunbubcgaK8h3RPwCph_nfBh0XIrdE9ELrWdFhdhyx6kJuc85iBlLJyPyHV7BrJYAtbtEo3w2wvdzQgeQLad0sUb0K4trVaYpj9cUVJCXCQXL6cWLNQD1aoEN3Q1Q4A/s1600/CVBasilBrushbig.jpg" height="215" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry, Basil's still with us. (Photo: <a href="https://www.cityvarieties.co.uk/Online/BasilBrush">City Varieties</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Forty five years ago, Sean Manchester and David Farrant made the <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>'s front page with a question readers didn't even know they'd asked: "Why Do the Foxes Die?" (March 6, 1970).<br />
<br />
That question will be explored further in an upcoming article for my website, <i>Vamped</i>, which also features an article Erin Chapman and I worked on together called: "<a href="http://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reasons-why-a-wampyr-didnt-walk-in-highgate-cemetery/">5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn't Walk in Highgate</a>" (Feb. 27, 2015).<br />
<br />
In it, Erin and I discovered that Manchester had little to no clue about Highgate Cemetery's geography, which means he's either a grossly incompetent investigator (at the time, he was supposedly President of the British Occult Society), or a grossly incompetent fraud who couldn't get his story straight. Take your pick.<br />
<br />
Coincidentally, the article was finished in time for the 45th anniversary of Manchester broadcasting his vampire theory through the <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>'s cover story: "Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?" (Feb. 27, 1970).<br />
<br />
We can count that date as the Highgate Vampire's birthday; after all, there was no reliable record of any vampire hauntings in the cemetery prior that date. Which I guess also makes Manchester its daddy. They certainly look alike, but that might not be so coincidental.<br />
<br />
Podcast radio host, Don Ecker, relates the following account told to him by an unidentified person, told by another unidentified person, who knew the "in's and out's" of the case, explaining how Manchester was able to create the "decomposing vampire" shots featured in his 1985 book, <i>The Highgate Vampire</i> and the 1991 revised edition (<a href="http://www.theparacast.com/darkmatters/borisdocument.pdf">Ecker n.d.</a>, [20–1]):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Well David [Farrant] has maintained all along that it's Manchester himself under the make up, but he didn't know how the effect was created. This new witness explained that when he had asked Manchester back in the 70's with a lot of praise for the effect, Manchester explained how he did it. Now it's important that you realize that Manchester had a photographic studio at the time; something he brags about given the chance and a knowledge of photography.<br />
<br />
The film is basically time lapse photography played in reverse.<br />
Manchester had a watery flour mixture on his face and a heater & fan set up nearby.The heat source melted the mixture and the fan blew it off of his face.Once the time lapse photography was finished, the effect was played in reverse.<br />
<br />
As the frame rate was so stilted, you wouldn't be able to see the blow off effect but simply a very basic face morph.<br />
<br />
It is a set a 3 pictures from his home movie, that made their way into his book and on his own website.<br />
3 very grainy pictures from someone who is supposed to be a professional photographer. The reason that they are so small, is that blowing up a cine film still, would leave too many artifacts in frame that would give the game away as to their origin.<br />
<br />
It's also why he refuses to allow people to host these pictures and threatens them with legal action (copyright) if they do not remove them from their websites.</blockquote>
Chilling Effects, a website that houses online copyright notices, testifies to Manchester's proclivity for reporting people either under <a href="https://www.chillingeffects.org/faceted_search?principal_name=Sean+Manchester">his own name</a>, or the name of his vanity publisher, <a href="https://www.chillingeffects.org/notices/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&sender_name_facet=Gothic+Press&principal_name=Sean+Manchester&principal_name-require-all=true">Gothic Press</a>. Yet Manchester sees no double standard flagrantly stealing creative works from other people, as his penchant for <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Plagiarism">plagiarism</a> reveals.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, can view a version of the photos from Manchester's website, which he's partially obscured with terribly distorted Photoshop effects (<a href="http://www.gothicpress.freeserve.co.uk/Highgate%20Vampire%20Picture.htm">"Highgate Vampire Picture Gallery" n.d.</a>).<br />
<br />
I'd share the image itself here, but Manchester's particularly keen on suppressing criticism, as demonstrated by his recent actions against Erin Chapman's article "<a href="http://vamped.org/2014/11/16/seeking-vampires-in-london/">Seeking Vampires in London</a>" (Nov. 16, 2014), where he contacted my website's host and forced the removal of two photos that prove he had misidentified two Highgate Cemetery locations. Erin and I have challenged Manchester's claim on "fair use" grounds (<a href="http://vamped.org/2014/11/27/vampire-hunter-hammers-stake-through-article/">Hogg 2014</a>).<br />
<br />
Fair use gives you "the right to reproduce or to authorize others to reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords," which is considered "fair" under certain contexts "such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research" (<a href="http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html">U.S. Copyright Office n.d.</a>)<br />
<br />
Manchester also recently tried to force Faustian Circle, who writes a blog of the same name, to remove two posts from his site after Manchester had been rumbled by commentators for using his "B.O.S." alias and in the wake of a series of incriminating phone transcripts between Manchester and Farrant, which were posted by Farrant on the blog. Faustian Circle wrote (<a href="http://faustiancircle.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/the-highgate-vampire-hunters-readers.html?showComment=1424210004133#c5870166592858357355">2015</a>):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We have received a message from Sean Manchester requesting that we remove both articles: "THE HIGHGATE VAMPIRE HUNTERS" and "THE HIGHGATE VAMPIRE HUNTERS: READER'S COMMENTS - PART 2".<br />
<br />
We replied: "Wouldn't it be better to respond to the articles and comments about yourself in the comments section of the articles, as you or your representative 'B.O.S.' (British Occult Society) have done so far? In the interests of free speech and debate we are extremely reluctant to remove the articles in question."<br />
<br />
If the articles are removed due to a DNS action via the internet, readers of this blog will know why.</blockquote>
Further transcripts have followed, Sean "B.O.S." Manchester has not added any further comments, clearly crestfallen that his usual suppressive tactics have not worked this time. Score one for free speech!<br />
<br />
<h3>
References</h3>
<br />
Chapman, Erin. 2014. "Seeking Vampires in London." <i>Vamped</i> (blog), Nov. 16. Accessed March 6, 2015. <a href="http://vamped.org/2014/11/16/seeking-vampires-in-london/">http://vamped.org/2014/11/16/seeking-vampires-in-london/</a>.<br />
<br />
———. 2015. "5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn't Walk in Highgate." <i>Vamped</i> (blog), Feb. 27. Accessed March 6, 2015. <a href="http://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reasons-why-a-wampyr-didnt-walk-in-highgate-cemetery/">http://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reasons-why-a-wampyr-didnt-walk-in-highgate-cemetery/</a>.<br />
<br />
Ecker, Don. n.d. "My Inquiry into the Highgate Vampire Case." <i>The Paracast</i>. Accessed March 6, 2015. <a href="http://www.theparacast.com/darkmatters/borisdocument.pdf">http://www.theparacast.com/darkmatters/borisdocument.pdf</a>.<br />
<br />
Faustian Circle. 2015. Comment on "The Highgate Vampire Hunters: Reader's Comments - Part 2," by Faustian Circle, February 17, 2015 at 13:53. <i>The Faustian Circle</i>, Feb. 4. Accessed March 6, 2015. <a href="http://faustiancircle.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/the-highgate-vampire-hunters-readers.html?showComment=1424210004133#c5870166592858357355">http://faustiancircle.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/the-highgate-vampire-hunters-readers.html?showComment=1424210004133#c5870166592858357355</a>.<br />
<br />
"Highgate Vampire Picture Gallery." n.d. <i>English Gothic</i>. Accessed March 6, 2015. <a href="http://www.gothicpress.freeserve.co.uk/Highgate%20Vampire%20Picture.htm">http://www.gothicpress.freeserve.co.uk/Highgate%20Vampire%20Picture.htm</a>.<br />
<br />
Hogg, Anthony. 2014. "'Vampire Hunter' Hammers Stake Through Article." <i>Vamped</i> (blog), Nov. 27. Accessed March 6, 2015. <a href="http://vamped.org/2014/11/27/vampire-hunter-hammers-stake-through-article/">http://vamped.org/2014/11/27/vampire-hunter-hammers-stake-through-article/</a>.<br />
<br />
U.S. Copyright Office. n.d. "Fair Use." <i>Copyright.gov</i>, reviewed June 2012. Accessed March 6, 2015. <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html">http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html</a>.<br />
<br />Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-91874100430185338152014-06-24T23:39:00.000+10:002014-06-24T23:39:31.777+10:00Shady Pagan Shenanigans?<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Friday, December 13, 1973, David Farrant and John Pope were arrested at an abandoned neo-gothic mansion in Crouch End locally known as the "House of Dracula." An article the week before spoke of "strange goings-on at night and mysterious noises and flickering lights in upper windows." It goes on to mention:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Later this week, Highgate Police appealed to anyone who sees anything suspicious in the deserted house or people entering, particularly at night, to call them. They promise they will act on the information immediately. (Simpson 1973)</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Interestingly, Farrant mentions "a series of 'mysterious witchcraft ceremonies' that took place in a deserted gothic mansion house in Crouch End, North London" that "began to unnerve the local residents." He adds that he and another coven member [John Pope], were there "conducting a magickal ceremony", specifically, a "Ritual to summon the nature God Pan" (<a href="http://davidfarrant.org/vintage-press-reports/what-goes-on-at-the-house-of-dracula-hornsey-journal-dec-7th-1973/">Farrant n.d.</a>). Elsewhere, he explains the mysterious "flickering lights" and the reason for their arrest:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We used a biscuit tin to make a small fire for heat and light, and there was an old people’s home opposite the house. I am not sure if they saw the flickering lights, or if the police had been tipped off, but all of a sudden there was a stampede coming up the stairs and the police burst in and charged me with arson. (quoted in <a href="http://andrewgough.co.uk/17q_farrant.html">Gough n.d.</a>)</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The charges didn't stick, though. Farrant and Pope "were later acquitted by High Court Judge Bruce Campbell, but warned to be careful in future as they were certainly acting in a manner that could have provided unwanted police attention." (<a href="http://davidfarrant.org/vintage-press-reports/what-goes-on-at-the-house-of-dracula-hornsey-journal-dec-7th-1973/">Farrant n.d.</a>)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What Farrant <i>doesn't</i> mention in those passages is that someone else accompanied their summoning rites—a woman Sean Manchester identifies as "Deborah Davis - a Californian blues singer . . . high on cocaine" who "did not participate in the third ritual because she was "so petrified by the past attempt that she refused to enter the house again."" (<a href="http://thehighgatevampire.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/one.html">2009a</a>). His blog post features a photograph of the trio, captioned "Farrant (centre) with Deborah Davis and Pope at the demon-raising ritual." (<a href="http://thehighgatevampire.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/one.html">Manchester 2009a</a>)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In that shot, they're clothed, but apparently, nudity was "essential" to the ritual, according to Farrant. "Yet Pope confirms that throughout these rituals Farrant failed to disrobe. Pope was not so coy and stood completely naked throughout the ceremony." (<a href="http://thehighgatevampire.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/one.html">Manchester 2009a</a>) Indeed, other pictures of the event in Manchester's blog feature Pope in the buff and Farrant fully-clothed. (<a href="http://thehighgatevampire.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/five.html">Manchester 2009b</a>)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So with Farrant conducting the ceremony and Pope getting his kit off for the cause, why did they need Davis? And for that matter, if all three were photographed while seated <i>who was taking the photos</i>? Pope recently had some interesting things to say about the event, Davis' presence there and the identity of the photographer, on my Facebook group, "Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?" On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10154208324230494/?comment_id=10154220816730494&offset=0&total_comments=31">June 12, 2014, 9:08pm</a>, he said:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
i was doing a rite from crowleys [sic] book to conjur [sic] up pan but I went into trance instead., I didf [sic] banish it after. but I think we had not started when Police arived [sic]. we had hyme [sic] to pan and banishing rite of the pentergram [sic]. it was all painted with crowlian [sic] symbols. I dont [sic] know for sure who did that. I never felt any thing sinnister [sic] there. but my rituals may have left something, of the pull of the other side. as gateway to other realms was opened.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I sought further clarification from Pope and decided to address a rumour I'd heard about the photographer's identity (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10154208324230494/?comment_id=10154220818535494&offset=0&total_comments=31">June 12, 2014, 9:010pm</a>):</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The gist of the story seems to be that the place was already haunted and that's why you and David were there in the first place. Also, there was a lady with you too. Oh, and apparently Manchester photographed the ritual. Is that right?</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pope responded and added something that caught me off guard (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10154208324230494/?comment_id=10154224143495494&offset=0&total_comments=31">June 13, 2014, 8:52pm</a>):</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
yes a french women friend of davids [sic], we were hopeing [sic] for soe [sic] fun but she was not up for it, I forget here name, she looked like a famouse [sic] acrtess [sic].</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He added (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10154208324230494/?comment_id=10154224155230494&offset=0&total_comments=31">June 13, 2014, 9:00pm</a>):</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
it was a funny case cops in court were asked by jury for evidence, and they said look at the photos jury said we understood house was bombed in war are you saying mr pope and farrent [sic] burnt it down, cops screamed just look at flameing [sic] photo, ie [sic] burnt out house, hence we found not guilty.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I wanted John to elaborate a little on certain things, so I asked (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10154208324230494/?comment_id=10154224582450494&offset=0&total_comments=31">June 14, 2014, 12:25am</a>):</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
"We were hoping for some fun" - are you saying you guys had her there, not so much to play an active role in the ceremony, so much as to get a "bit" from her? The tale of the vampire there seems mainly to have come from its nickname, "The House of Dracula." The Hornsey Journal report doesn't actually mention any vampiric activity in it, but something more akin to a standard haunting.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pope later provided the clincher (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10154208324230494/?comment_id=10154251668630494&offset=0&total_comments=32">June 20, 2014, 9:17pm</a>):</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0vwjOZ-Q_wvW4SyO_uAeLQce_gpvz9lwOQdL26kVMsZyK03okLBt4cGdBC-O-Z7i1uG9JbryAqb7cCFYKzMY34Kl2ZK7xcJsYUsgVN3KGHrN7L0uDPohJv0iFV7x_K3dMkdKPhIPlmHy/s1600/Did_a_Wampyr_Walk_in_Highgate_-_2014-06-24_22.56.52.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0vwjOZ-Q_wvW4SyO_uAeLQce_gpvz9lwOQdL26kVMsZyK03okLBt4cGdBC-O-Z7i1uG9JbryAqb7cCFYKzMY34Kl2ZK7xcJsYUsgVN3KGHrN7L0uDPohJv0iFV7x_K3dMkdKPhIPlmHy/s1600/Did_a_Wampyr_Walk_in_Highgate_-_2014-06-24_22.56.52.png" height="106" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's not the first time I've been made aware of a sordid angle to Farrant's rituals (<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/american-magazine.html">Hogg 2012</a>), so I can't say I'm too surprised by Pope's claim.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pope's reference to "a french women friend of davids" in lieu of the "Californian blues singer" Manchester mentions is possibly muddled,¹ but his later reference to "a full frontal of me sqoting [sic] holding a knife and my weding [sic] tacvkle [sic] for all to see" (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10154208324230494/?comment_id=10154263939520494&offset=0&total_comments=32">June 23, 2014, 10:36pm</a>) during the event is backed up by a photograph Manchester captioned "John Pope during a demon raising ritual in which Farrant participated" on his blog (<a href="http://thehighgatevampire.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/five.html">2009b</a>)—which indeed shows a nude Pope holding a knife to his rude bits.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So what of the photographer? Manchester's blog features a picture he's captioned "Pope and Farrant summon dark forces in December 1973" (<a href="http://thehighgatevampire.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/five.html">Manchester 2009b</a>), but the telling caption comes from the picture, itself, which has actually been lifted from an issue of <i>City Limits</i>. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The caption reads "Farrant (facing camera) in the picture"—but the rest of the caption has been conveniently blurred out. That's because the original reads: "Farrant (facing camera) in the picture sent in by his rival"; his rival, of course, being Manchester.</div>
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Notes</h4>
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¹ Though I have asked him for further clarity: "So, in short - what begins as a story of summoning Pan, turns out to be a story of nookie, with Manchester happily snapping away in yet another publicity stunt. Fair assessment, John?" (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10154208324230494/?comment_id=10154265632520494&offset=0&total_comments=32">June 24, 2014, 7:24am</a>) and "Oh, and are you sure the lady was French?" (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10154208324230494/?comment_id=10154267665620494&offset=0&total_comments=32">June 24, 2014, 10:44pm</a>)</div>
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
References</h4>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Farrant, David. n.d. "What Goes on at the ‘House of Dracula’? – Hornsey Journal, Dec 7th 1973." <i>David Farrant - Psychic Investigator</i>. Accessed June 24, 2014. http://davidfarrant.org/vintage-press-reports/what-goes-on-at-the-house-of-dracula-hornsey-journal-dec-7th-1973/.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Gough, Andrew. n.d. "17 Questions: David Farrant." <i>Andrew Gough's Arcadia</i>. Accessed June 24, 2014. http://andrewgough.co.uk/17q_farrant.html.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hogg, Anthony. 2012. "The American Magazine." <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i>, February 8. Accessed June 24, 2014. http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/american-magazine.html.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Manchester, Sean. [B.O.S., pseud.]. 2009a. "Hymn to Pan." <i>In the Shadow of the Highgate Vampire: The Life of a Lack-lustre Luciferian Layabout</i>, February 13. Accessed June 24, 2014. http://thehighgatevampire.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/one.html.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
———. 2009b. "Source of Falsification." <i>In the Shadow of the Highgate Vampire: The Life of a Lack-lustre Luciferian Layabout</i>, February 13. Accessed June 24, 2014. http://thehighgatevampire.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/five.html.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Simpson, Roger. 1973. "What Goes on at the 'House of Dracula'?" <i>Hornsey Journal</i>, December 7.</div>
Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-62485729441403093442014-04-25T10:24:00.000+10:002014-04-25T10:24:10.383+10:00A Must-Read Article<div style="text-align: justify;">
Unfortunately, scholarly studies into the Highgate Vampire are far and few between—notable exceptions include Ramsey Campbell's "The Strange Case of Sean Manchester" (1992), Bill Ellis' "The Highgate Cemetery Vampire Hunt: The Anglo-American Connection in Satanic Cult Lore" (1993), Kai Roberts' Highgate Vampire chapter in <i>Grave Concerns: The Follies and Folklore of Robin Hood's Final Resting Place</i> (2011) and W. Scott Poole's "The Vampire that Haunts Highgate: Theological Evil, Hammer Horror, and the Highgate Vampire Panic in Britain, 1963–1974" in <i>The Undead and Theology</i> (2012), edited by Kim Paffenroth and John W. Morehead.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL8jPnG1BxCdgAHaVUmro2scEqxwOJq2T_54mlHDa1nMOOBbgHkbvhc6llwgpdHYE88Qo71hpQ3qBB6PKbni_JzIpgSCSZ-6O_F4lzapvlZi86aRvNMBZOCi2Z-Eqa0Enm_Mo0rNliggL/s1600/HIGHGATE-VAMPIRE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL8jPnG1BxCdgAHaVUmro2scEqxwOJq2T_54mlHDa1nMOOBbgHkbvhc6llwgpdHYE88Qo71hpQ3qBB6PKbni_JzIpgSCSZ-6O_F4lzapvlZi86aRvNMBZOCi2Z-Eqa0Enm_Mo0rNliggL/s1600/HIGHGATE-VAMPIRE.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/vampires/HIGHGATEVAMPIRE.php">Haunted America Tours</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Instead, we must largely contend with the regurgitations; <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/vampire.html">buck-chasing</a>; scattered, out-of-context referencing and <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/tomb-aux-folles.html">dodgy parapsychological "investigations"</a> of the case's main protagonists, Sean Manchester and David Farrant. Fortunately, an antidote's recently been published online, giving us a taste of what studies on the subject <i>should</i> look like. In fact, it's one of the best write-ups on the case I've ever read. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the sake of disclosure, I'll mention that the article's author is a friend of mine; last year, he <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/my-first-podcast.html">interviewed me for a podcast</a> about the case. He has not told me to promote the article, I am only doing so on its own merits. Now, onto the write-up.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Trystan Swale's "<a href="http://mysterioustimes.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/the-highgate-vampire-an-exercise-in-deception/">The Highgate Vampire – An Exercise in Deception?</a>" was published on <i>Mysterious Times</i>, March 27, 2014, and pulls no punches. However, instead of the usual inflammatory commentary revelled in by the case's protagonists and their supporters, Swale presents a clean, balanced overview, highlighting flaws in Manchester <i>and</i> Farrant's account, also incorporating some startling claims made by John Pope, a man who's been on both sides of the Highgate Vampire fence. The article also features 50 citations, so you can double-check his sources for yourself. It's great stuff and highly recommended.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's also something I wasn't expecting from Swale, considering the informal, though still on-the-mark tone he uses for his blog, <i>Leaves that Wither</i>—which I'll discuss in another post. In the meantime, be sure to read his article. I hope you'll find it as enlightening and enriching as I do. For a concise, balanced overview of the case, it's hard to go past it.</div>
Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-25509888559955701532013-12-25T16:46:00.001+11:002013-12-25T16:46:58.919+11:00Merry Christmas!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWil6f-RsahiKnVWpEWRpHUYReSCsw6zj5nQAM47eayorrNWoVxSEEYKSeihmLOVHcd-bLD7OB8aBDcZ3Y-T2bEVe8w4PkXOeYLePiz5tYWqxnVMwg2crOZOjkXoI0vid-wSKXd-tMme7/s1600/santa+vampire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWil6f-RsahiKnVWpEWRpHUYReSCsw6zj5nQAM47eayorrNWoVxSEEYKSeihmLOVHcd-bLD7OB8aBDcZ3Y-T2bEVe8w4PkXOeYLePiz5tYWqxnVMwg2crOZOjkXoI0vid-wSKXd-tMme7/s200/santa+vampire.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://katejonez.com/hivj0if3ts2nkofufis3ijlxveddxi/2010/12/20/the-callicantzaro-vampires-love-christmas">Kate Jonez</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I wish a safe and Merry Christmas to my followers, subscribers, watchers and casual readers. And your loved ones, too. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
You guys are the bridge between me <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/awaiting-moderation-and-other-escapades.html">pissing in the wind</a> and having a reason to keep going with this thing. Thank you.</div>
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Special wishes to the members of my Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/">group</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Did-a-Wampyr-Walk-in-Highgate/337046163083278">page</a>. Thank you for your support. To anyone who hasn't joined yet, hope to see you there.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A special Yuletide greeting to my friends, Angie Watkins, Sam, Erin Chapman, Trystan Swale and Matthew Banks. Thank you for your support. I hope Santa rewards you favourably!</div>
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Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-5164234737831067042013-11-26T00:02:00.004+11:002013-11-26T00:14:36.112+11:00Suspended from Posting to Facebook for Three Days<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've just received an announcement from Facebook telling me I'm barred from posting for three days, due to an intellectual property claim issued against me.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A few days ago, I initiated a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/awampyrwalks/permalink/10153494855065494/">thread in my Facebook group discussing the recent death of Sylvia Browne</a>, comparing my plight with the one Robert S. Lancaster faced running his Stop Sylvia Browne website:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Not directly related to the Highgate Vampire, but Robert Lancaster is a man I admire and whose delvings into the claims of a paranormalist touches on things I've encountered, myself while writing about the case - the threats to dig up dirt, actual attempts, attempts at discrediting my work through negative rhetoric (Lancaster's website is called "nasty", whereas I am referred to as a "troll" and someone who doesn't ask "genuine questions", etc.) and so on. It's guys like him that inspire me.<br />
<br />
And in case you think I'm being tasteless by posting this in the immediate aftermath of Browne's death, it also serves to highlight why we shouldn't glorify the dead who were dodgy in life. Case in point: "And she said, as she says in some of her books, that she will live until she is eighty-eight years old, which is sixteen years from now [2008]." Browne was 77.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Right beneath that post, I posted a link to <a href="http://hoggwatch.blogspot.co.uk/"><i>Hoggwatch</i></a>, a blog dedicated to stalking me, to illustrate the kind of despicable tactics used to attack me and my research. The blog's byline was formerly credited to "Vebjørn Hästehufvud", who changed his account name to "B .O.S." in the immediate aftermath of <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-criticism-1.html">my exposé</a> of his dodgy behaviour (which includes using a variety of sockpuppets and stealing the <a href="http://www.leavesthatwither.co.uk/dawwih/we-were-first/">Highgate Cemetery Vampire Appreciation Society's name</a>).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Overlooking the irony of his action, the true author of the blog opted to report me for posting a link to <i>Hoggwatch</i>—not content from the link, mind you, just the link itself—and in doing so, revealed the actual person behind the sockpuppets:</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiHGZgsryEmZhnryY-gmmKttgjKU4_-aJ1UhVPGYZ9Y1M2g1eZ9U3V2y3bzas_YtBadn7Z1x5Jt2b9GxTRMEsvANNC15CkNsU40p3VjaAjRI4bKJp-jzvSE0A2ON1aNtnK8jz3E_lwVKP/s1600/Facebook+-+2013-11-25_23.50.27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiHGZgsryEmZhnryY-gmmKttgjKU4_-aJ1UhVPGYZ9Y1M2g1eZ9U3V2y3bzas_YtBadn7Z1x5Jt2b9GxTRMEsvANNC15CkNsU40p3VjaAjRI4bKJp-jzvSE0A2ON1aNtnK8jz3E_lwVKP/s400/Facebook+-+2013-11-25_23.50.27.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
That's right—Bishop Sean Manchester reported me to Facebook for posting a link to a blog he created, dedicated to stalking me. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the man whose jurisdiction English Old Catholics have placed themselves under. At least, <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/is-his-title-valid.html">in his own imagination</a>.<br />
<br />
I have also taken the liberty of e-mailing Manchester, in accordance with Facebook's request:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear Manchester,<br /><br />Re: you reporting me to Facebook on account of me posting a link to your blog<br /><br />I am writing in to ask you to restore the content to my Facebook group, i.e. a link to your blog, "Hoggwatch" accompanied by the caption "An example of an attempt at silencing my work". Facebook requests that you email them with your consent, along with the reference number.<br /><br />I can not fathom why you would report my post for hosting the link, unless you desired to incriminate yourself as its author—in which case, you've succeeded. Well done.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Anthony Hogg</blockquote>
I've done my part. Time for Manchester to do his. I look forward to his reply.</div>
Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-48305823169484624082013-09-09T13:35:00.002+10:002013-09-09T13:57:04.038+10:00Vampire$<div style="text-align: justify;">
In a <a href="http://www.spookyisles.com/2013/09/5-haunted-places-to-visit-in-highgate/">recent article</a> for <i>The Spooky Isles</i>, David Farrant reported:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have been researching stories of ghosts and legends in the area for over 45 years; indeed it was my own letter to a local newspaper in which I detailed a sighting of my own in 1969 which was to inadvertently spark off the vampire hysteria. I described seeing a ghost-like figure through the cemetery gates one night, and within months this had been distorted into a full-blown bloodsucking vampire with which it would forever be confused. This media manipulation was engineered by certain people with no interest in genuine paranormal research, but a very shrewd awareness of the vampire ‘pound’ which was such a lucrative form of currency for freelance journalists and publicity seekers back then – and to the present day.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While Farrant's letter may have "inadvertently" assisted the propagation of the Highgate Vampire legend, Farrant's far from the backseat driver he makes himself out to be. As to "media manipulation", it's true many issues were misrepresented by the press—but Farrant could just as easily be talking about himself.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Firstly, if Farrant has been researching "ghosts and legends in the area for over 45 years"—which takes us just past 1968—he made no disclosure of his prior research when he wrote his original letter to the "local newspaper", actually the <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>. It was published in the paper's 6 February 1970 issue and titled "Ghostly Walks in Highgate." Rather than present himself as a paranormal investigator, he took the tone of a layman—exemplified by his closing statement:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
SOME NIGHTS I walk home past the gates of Highgate Cemetery.<br />
<br />
On three occasions I have seen what appeared to be a ghost-like figure inside the gates at the top of Swains Lane. The first occasion was on Christmas Eve. I saw a grey figure for a few seconds before it disappeared into the darkness. The second sighting, a week later, was also brief.<br />
<br />
Last week the figure appeared, only a few yards inside the gates. This time it was there long enough for me to see it much more clearly, and now I can think of no other explanation than this apparition being supernatural.<br />
<br />
I have no knowledge in this field and I would be interested to hear if any other readers have seen anything of this nature.</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Even the number of sightings has been distorted—"three occasions", not "one night". </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Second, it didn't take "months" for Farrant's ghost to morph into a vampire. Within three weeks of the letter's publication, Sean Manchester, representing himself as the President of the British Occult Society, proclaimed that the ghost seen about the cemetery was actually a vampire in the Count Dracula mould; a "King Vampire of the Undead, originally a nobleman who dabbled in black magic in medieval Wallachia". Manchester's theory was published as the <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>'s 27 February 1970 cover story, "Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The vampire angle overshadowed Farrant's ghost. The following week, the paper published another front page story, "Why Do the Foxes Die?" (6 March 1970). This time, Manchester and Farrant appeared together to discuss the connection between dead foxes found in the cemetery in relation to Manchester's vampire theory:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Several other foxes have also been found dead in the cemetery," he said at his home in Priestwood Mansions, Archway Road, Highgate. "The odd thing is there was no outward sign of how they died.<br />
<br />
"Much remains unexplained, but what I have recently learnt all points to the vampire theory being the most likely answer. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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"Should this be so, I for one am prepared to pursue it, taking whatever means might be necessary so that we can all rest."</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
These comments were apparently made to "<a href="http://andrewgough.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=50685&sid=1fa1ebd13c3472d30cb4bb959124bf4c#p50685">humour some over-zealous reporter</a>". If his "ghost-like figure" had been "distorted" into a vampire, Farrant was clearly a willing participant.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The events of Friday, 13 March 1970 cemented the Highgate Vampire's infamy. On that night, a large group of people invaded the cemetery in search of the vampire. Shortly before that, Farrant and Manchester were interviewed for ITV's <i>Today</i> program. <a href="http://www.holygrail-church.fsnet.co.uk/24Hours.htm">Here's what Farrant had to say</a>:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sandra Harris: Did you get any feeling from it? Did you feel that it was evil?<br />
<br />
David Farrant: Yes, I did feel it was evil because the last time I actually saw its face, and it looked like it had been dead for a long time.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Sandra Harris: What do you mean by that?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
David Farrant: Well, I mean it certainly wasn’t human.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Shortly afterward, mail order clerk, Barry Edwards, 24, stepped forward saying <i>he</i> was the vampire people had been searching for. His role as a vampire—in an amateur film for the Hellfire Film Club—had apparently triggered the sightings (<i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>, 20 March 1970, p. 1).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After Edwards' claim—disputed by Manchester and Farrant—coverage of the case died down. That is, until 7 August 1970, when evidence of tomb desecration and Satanic ceremonies was covered in another front page story by the <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the night of August 17, Farrant was arrested, apparently with the intent to hunt the vampire. The case was trialled at Clerkenwell, but Farrant was acquitted on September 29.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Soon afterward, on October 15, Farrant was interviewed by Laurence Picethly for BBC's <i>24 Hours</i>. So what did Farrant do after his ghost had "been distorted into a full-blown bloodsucking vampire with which it would forever be confused"? <a href="http://www.holygrail-church.fsnet.co.uk/24Hours.htm">He encouraged it</a>:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
David Farrant: We have been keeping watch in the cemetery for … [pauses] … since my court case ended, and we still found signs of their ceremonies. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Laurence Picethly: Have you ever seen this vampire?<br />
<br />
David Farrant: I have seen it, yes. I saw it last February, and saw it on two occasions. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Laurence Picethly: What was it like? </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
David Farrant: It took the form of a tall, grey figure, and it … [pauses] … seemed to glide off the path without making any noise.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The interview was preluded by a re-enactment of what Farrant was doing on the night of his arrest. Watch it from the 2:35 minute mark onward:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-VcUq-ohXVY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The following day, the <i>Evening News</i> published Barry Simmons' story, "<a href="http://davidfarrant.org/midnight-vigil-for-the-highgate-vampire-evening-news-oct-16th-1970/">Midnight Vigil for the Highgate Vampire</a>." Once again, Farrant romped about the cemetery, armed with cross and stake: "David, 24, was all set, kitted out with all the gear required by an self-respecting vampire hunter. Clutched under his arm, in a Sainsbury's carrier bag, he held the tools of his trade."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In light of these shenanigans, what should we make of Farrant's statement that "media manipulation was engineered by certain people with no
interest in genuine paranormal research, but a very shrewd awareness of
the vampire ‘pound’ which was such a lucrative form of currency for
freelance journalists and publicity seekers back then – and to the
present day"?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, let's look at a <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/pretender-to-throne.html">statement Farrant made in 2011</a>:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The worst I did was to go along with another person's innane wild assertions about a 'blood-sucking vampire', but again, this was only because this was the 'angle' the Press and television wanted at the time - 'vampires' apparently selling more newspapers or attracting more interested audiences for TV.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The "vampire 'pound'" is not just a "lucrative form of currency for freelance journalists and publicity seekers"—unless he's lumping himself in that crowd, too. Take a stroll through Farrant's publications and note how many are devoted—or allude—to his involvement in the Highgate Vampire case:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYTGo0fRNJ1RjphOq7a1gvLZZ1PUhstq987UKzl5XU81COmGUlyqg7NYIekWvDZbGKOpyvGxOpiR9i7krrlRChInX4pvDqzMoels8Hbh4U9P4DXybAswVw9doV_tV5GvQxLilaxcdMHT9/s1600/Publications_davidfarrant.org_20130909-130300.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYTGo0fRNJ1RjphOq7a1gvLZZ1PUhstq987UKzl5XU81COmGUlyqg7NYIekWvDZbGKOpyvGxOpiR9i7krrlRChInX4pvDqzMoels8Hbh4U9P4DXybAswVw9doV_tV5GvQxLilaxcdMHT9/s1600/Publications_davidfarrant.org_20130909-130300.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://davidfarrant.org/publications/">David Farrant - Psychic Investigator</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The Spooky Isles</i> article, itself, was obviously written to promote an upcoming talk for London Haunts and Horrors as attested in its postscript. The talk's subject?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMAnxN-fMqsP9oAI8Mb0i_99oe6h2UVQhLuPRQtAPRjMt6YzwZCL5vrt1CvCLCTPrcZk4KEosAjAJLaGX2CCQk2Mbfbx6O9LqZpY3IJpjj1cYZoSlCRfMp0bBOWHSt7_OaA3gGwpBh7Xe/s1600/The+Highgate+Vampire_Fact+or+Fiction_Talk+with+David...+Tickets,+London+Borough+of+Islington+-+Eventbrite_20130909-132225.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMAnxN-fMqsP9oAI8Mb0i_99oe6h2UVQhLuPRQtAPRjMt6YzwZCL5vrt1CvCLCTPrcZk4KEosAjAJLaGX2CCQk2Mbfbx6O9LqZpY3IJpjj1cYZoSlCRfMp0bBOWHSt7_OaA3gGwpBh7Xe/s400/The+Highgate+Vampire_Fact+or+Fiction_Talk+with+David...+Tickets,+London+Borough+of+Islington+-+Eventbrite_20130909-132225.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><a href="https://highgatevampiretalk.eventbrite.co.uk/">Eventbrite</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While Farrant might lament his association with the Highgate Vampire case, as he <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/TheHumanTouch/seriously-strange/">recently did after giving a talk at the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena's Seriously Strange Conference</a>—"Unfortunately, the Highgate ‘vampire’ case being so complicated time seemed to slip by so quickly, and there was only time left for two questions at the end"—it's facetious and duplicitous to castigate "freelance journalists and publicity seekers" for chasing the "vampire 'pound'", when he's clearly been doing the same thing for several decades.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, though. I've got no issue with Farrant wanting to turn a quid off the thing or enhance his own publicity through it. But at least be honest about it. Don't pass the buck onto others while holding your own hand out, too. Don't <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/the-hand-that-feeds.html">bite the hand that feeds</a>. </div>
Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-77051555764475085192013-09-01T21:46:00.000+10:002013-09-01T21:47:53.298+10:00Release the Tapes!<div style="text-align: justify;">
For several years, Manchester and his sockpuppets have discussed a supposedly incriminating tape in their possession, featuring a discussion between David Farrant and Anthony Arthur "Tony" Hill. It <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/outright-hoax.html">apparently captured Farrant's intent to hoax a ghost story for the local press</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Shortly after covering the controversy on this blog, I confronted Farrant with the claim. He <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/farrant-responds-to-hills-hoax-boasts.html">stated that the allegations were untrue</a>, and apparently concocted as revenge for Farrant discussing Hill and Manchester's intent to hoax a vampire story for the press—the one that became the Highgate Vampire case. Considering the magnitude of this allegation, I've wondered why Manchester—or his sockpuppets—have never released the tapes. It'd blow the lid right off their archnemesis, Farrant's, claims and vindicate their frequent, extensive, repetitious and negative commentary about him. To that effect, I also <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/prevalence-of-secret-recordings.html">told them to put their money where their mouth was</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, Farrant's laid down the guantlet, himself: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/502796539750958/permalink/632766833420594/">he's openly challenged Manchester to release the tapes</a>:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Many readers here will be aware of a vindictive claim being desperately circulated on the Internet by a very mentally disturbed person masquerading as a ‘bishop’ and a ‘vampire hunter’ (and who is widely known by the nickname ‘Bonky’ [Farrant's nickname for Sean Manchester] by his friends and enemies alike), that I hoaxed the Highgate Vampire story back in 1970. The fake story being put around by this bonky individual is, that I colluded with one [Anthony] Arthur “Eggmanne” Hill (a close friend and associate of this bonky person) to invent this vampire story and he (the ‘bonky one’) was given a tape recording of myself (secretly recorded by Hill) which could prove this allegation. Well, despite being challenged by many and various people to publish this tape (or tapes) and do just this, the ‘Bonky one’ has declined to do so. Why? - one can only ask! </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Could it be that this is because this tape simply does not exist? Or if there exists such a tape its content is entirely different from the falsified interpretation being circulated by ‘Bonky’? </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
People will have to make their own minds up about that if – or when – this alleged recording is ever released. I have no objection to its release. Indeed, I welcome it…But I fear that the only person it could incriminate is the very person who is now admitting to having such a recording.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, Farrant's given his approval for the public release of these alleged recordings. The ball's in Manchester—and his sockpuppet's—court. If they <i>still</i> refuse to release the recordings despite permission being granted, they should immediately retract their claim, apologise, stop promoting it on various blogs and blog comments, and get off Farrant's back about it.</div>
Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-76511484539128264692013-06-18T12:26:00.000+10:002013-06-18T12:26:40.260+10:00The Hand That Feeds<div style="text-align: justify;">
On <a href="http://www.andrewgough.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=53558&sid=14fc421e42254c39f4bcdb650dd7ecf7#p53558">1 February 2010</a>, David Farrant wrote: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As to your quip . . . “Without the Highgate vampire case they wouldn’t be talking here at all”, etc, I rather think that relates more to yourself Anthony! You seem unable to talk about little else; notwithstanding its 40-year old history! It is YOURSELF who keeps incessantly referring to this case Anthony – almost like you’ve got some sort of obsession with it! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am really not interested in that particular case anymore, Anthony, It is DEAD (excuse the pun!) there are far more many genuine cases of psychic phenomena to be investigated apart from that one!</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For someone "really not interested" in the Highgate Vampire case, he certainly doesn't mind cashing off and promoting it, as this item posted on <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/TheHumanTouch/bram-and-jerusalem/">16 June 2013</a> reveals:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I gave a Talk on the Highgate Vampire on Thursday evening for the Gothic Valley Women’s Institute (WI) based in North London. It was at a quiet pub on Hornsey Road where they regularly hold their monthly meetings. I’m not too sure why they invited myself (although I have heard a rumour that my wife Della ‘loaned’ me to them for the night for an undisclosed sum); but it was probably because I was always considered central to that case when it first broke in the news in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s. A ‘real life’ vampire lurked in the dark decaying Victorian tombs in Highgate Cemetery – at least, according to some. Although never to myself. The British Psychic and Occult Society had only been investigating sightings of a ghost that had been sighted there by several local witnesses: it was certain other people who had approached the local Press at that time claimed that this reported figure was in fact a ‘blood-sucking vampire’, despite them knowing full well that this was a figment of their own imaginations designed to attract the sensationalist Press.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Though Farrant denies association with the vampire theory, he actually presented himself as <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/pretender-to-throne.html">one of its proponents</a> in 1970. At least, to the "sensationalist Press" he hypocritically chastises:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The worst I did was to go along with another person's innane [sic] wild
assertions about a 'blood-sucking vampire', but again, this was only
because this was the 'angle' the Press and television wanted at the time
- 'vampires' apparently selling more newspapers or attracting more
interested audiences for TV. </div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The other person alluded to is Sean Manchester. Manchester broadcast the vampire theory in the <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>'s 27 February 1970 article, "Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?" On 6 March 1970, he and Farrant appeared alongside each other in an article called "Why Do the Foxes Die?":</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Tobacconist, Mr. David Farrant, 24, who first reported seeing the ghost last month, returned to the spot last weekend and discovered a dead fox.<br /><br />"Several other foxes have also been found dead in the cemetery." he said at his home in Priestwood Mansions, Archway Road, Highgate. "The odd thing is there was no outward sign of how they died.<br /><br />"Much remains unexplained, but what I have recently learnt all points to the vampire theory being the most likely answer.<br /><br />"Should this be so, I for one am prepared to pursue it, taking whatever means might be necessary so that we can all rest."</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The double standard displayed by Farrant regarding his talk to the Gothic Valley Women's Institute was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/296880100441475/permalink/347653718697446/?comment_id=347848212011330&offset=0&total_comments=2">remarked on</a> by Blackorchid AngieWatkins (Angie Watkins):</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yes,well,you have to ignore all that-its part of the Farrants silly affected "false modesty"!I mean the bloke and his wife are publicity mad,so why pretend youre [sic] not?Why not be open and tell the truth about it-if you wish to be in the public eye,come out and say so!Its all phoneyness [sic].</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A fair point. Indeed, Farrant's "false modesty" is undermined by the fact that he is: </div>
<ul>
<li>President of the Highgate Vampire Society</li>
<li>A member of "The Highgate Cemetery Vampire Appreciation Society" Facebook group (his wife serves as its co-administrator)</li>
<li>The author of <i>Beyond the Highgate Vampire</i> (1991, 1992, 1997), <i>The Vampyre Syndrome</i> (2000), <i>In the Shadow of the Highgate Vampire</i> (2009) and interviewed for <i>Return of the Vampire Hunter</i> (2003)</li>
<li>Published Patsy Langley's <i>The Highgate Vampire Casebook</i> (2007, 2010) and Don Ecker's <i>Don Ecker's Final Report on the Highgate Vampire</i> (2010)</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/publications/">the list goes on</a>. It's clear that the Highgate Vampire is Farrant's "bread and butter", so his "false modesty" is duplicitous in the extreme. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Going back to Farrant's 1 February 2010 comment–"You seem unable to talk about little else; notwithstanding its 40-year
old history! It is YOURSELF who keeps incessantly referring to this case
Anthony – almost like you’ve got some sort of obsession with it!"–obviously applies to Farrant, himself. A classic case of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection">psychological projection</a>. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Not only does he still gives talks on the subject, but he's also presently involved in an upcoming film with Kevin Crace called, <i>The Highgate Vampire Chronicles</i>. Indeed, Farrant's comment was made on a forum discussing, yep, you got it: the Highgate Vampire.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This adds another twist to the tale: Farrant's been banking off the Highgate Vampire since 1970. That means he owes his nemesis–Sean Manchester–a huge favour. After all, if Manchester hadn't changed Farrant's <a href="http://www.leavesthatwither.co.uk/dawwih/spectral-consistency/">ghost</a> into a vampire, would anyone really know who Farrant was? Would he be invited to talks, give lectures, participate in TV shows, documentaries, recycle content in his books?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If Farrant's a victim of the publicity generated by Vampire, he's also the one sticking his neck out for it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANTExVmfXTdkObp_HrcfSFIJNtV8AbfMREgxkSf8uxXTIw4Rz2vb-sNOjyk5tOlo1r_LoK3Sr7KFZjYocXPoJTpnE5EBQqnCYURBJYxrS5MZo4QiKEcIMmscPBZOeZh2Et-d_gtoyT1Cu/s1600/Why+Do+the+Foxes+Die.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANTExVmfXTdkObp_HrcfSFIJNtV8AbfMREgxkSf8uxXTIw4Rz2vb-sNOjyk5tOlo1r_LoK3Sr7KFZjYocXPoJTpnE5EBQqnCYURBJYxrS5MZo4QiKEcIMmscPBZOeZh2Et-d_gtoyT1Cu/s400/Why+Do+the+Foxes+Die.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-30058634083321844422013-03-15T02:58:00.000+11:002013-03-15T03:05:57.335+11:00Podcast criticism (1)<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the wake of my (first ever!) <a href="http://www.leavesthatwither.co.uk/forteanradio/episode-3-anthony-hogg/">podcast</a>, criticism's been relatively minor–a good thing, as far as I'm concerned! I believe I presented a fair and balanced assessment of the Highgate Vampire case overall; but I did make <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-goes-live.html">a few slip-ups</a>. Nothing major.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However, one long-standing critic–Vebjørn Hästehufvud–suggests my interview was a total disaster. Before I discuss Hästehufvud's criticisms, I'd like to tell you a little more about him.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
Notes on Vebjørn Hästehufvud</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Likewise, Vebjørn Hästehufvud is my real name, contrary to what a
certain person obsessed with the Highgate Vampire falsely alleges. You
will not find me using any name other than my real one.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: right;">
– Vebjørn Hästehufvud, "<a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/296880100441475/permalink/297203813742437/?comment_id=297218593740959&offset=0&total_comments=3">HIGHGATE! HIGHGATE! HIGHGATE!</a>", 26 February 2013.</div>
</blockquote>
Hästehufvud actually writes under several usernames, including "Vampirologist", "Demonologist", "Gothic", "Dennis Crawford", "The Overseer" (not to be confused with my former username) and "<a href="http://www.uncarved.org/blog/2007/04/ebay-diary-part-four/#comment-1254">Arminius Vámbéry</a>" (Fig. 1; Fig. 2). Not bad in its own right for privacy's sake–except Hästehufvud also pretends they're other people and uses each one to attack critics of Manchester's account. Also, the latter alias was cribbed from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81rmin_V%C3%A1mb%C3%A9ry">a real person</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWGVc3xC5PYVA3nOP3ZbNJOkxNotUS27SysC_jmuYOe-_gSOejdUJVG0sV2_gwFK7t4yg8rzobPxlAgS71js3NUal89LSsPTsxoBgf-lHJZV9Ph9Irdy9KnYGNYOv5JQNNYAi9CzbPvQf/s1600/uncarved.org+blog+%C2%BB+Blog+Archive+%C2%BB+ebay+diary_part+four_20130314-024225.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWGVc3xC5PYVA3nOP3ZbNJOkxNotUS27SysC_jmuYOe-_gSOejdUJVG0sV2_gwFK7t4yg8rzobPxlAgS71js3NUal89LSsPTsxoBgf-lHJZV9Ph9Irdy9KnYGNYOv5JQNNYAi9CzbPvQf/s400/uncarved.org+blog+%C2%BB+Blog+Archive+%C2%BB+ebay+diary_part+four_20130314-024225.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fig. 1.</b> Vebjørn Hästehufvud posting under the alias, the alias "Arminius Vámbéry". Source: <i>uncarved.org blog</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhyphenhyphenTlaf8c_gMlMyU_gXnU60h618kWEdGYgVWEjvfyxB55xqx1-JoqQ3R57S8JsIaF5Yb3NGm998Cm_9ZOcctKuFRJPn4g0kxL6qflgw3Mp_7NgEJFEcBYgqcs6roTiIkPy654x3rRsaAb/s1600/theinhumantouch,+Highgate+Cemetery+-+Gravatar+Profile_20130314-024929.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhyphenhyphenTlaf8c_gMlMyU_gXnU60h618kWEdGYgVWEjvfyxB55xqx1-JoqQ3R57S8JsIaF5Yb3NGm998Cm_9ZOcctKuFRJPn4g0kxL6qflgw3Mp_7NgEJFEcBYgqcs6roTiIkPy654x3rRsaAb/s400/theinhumantouch,+Highgate+Cemetery+-+Gravatar+Profile_20130314-024929.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fig. 2.</b> Clicking on the <a href="http://en.gravatar.com/theinhumantouch">Gravatar profile</a> Hästehufvud used to comment on <i>uncarved.org blog</i> as "Arminius Vámbéry" unravels the deception. </td></tr>
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Hästehufvud was a member of "The Highgate Cemetery Vampire Appreciation Society" Facebook group, but was banned for excessive trolling. Soon afterward, he founded his own Highgate Vampire Facebook group called... "<a href="http://www.leavesthatwither.co.uk/dawwih/invasion-of-the-body-snatcher/">The Highgate Cemetery Vampire Appreciation Society</a>". It was co-admined by "Arminius Vámbéry", i.e. himself.<br />
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The group is presently administrated by Hästehufvud, "Veritas Aequitas" and Bishop Seán Manchester. Manchester accepted administrative duties, despite <a href="http://www.leavesthatwither.co.uk/dawwih/we-were-first/">knowing its name was stolen</a>.</div>
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Hästehufvud describes himself as an "independent researcher", but is strongly pro-Manchester (whom he <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/296880100441475/permalink/296881990441286/?comment_id=297317230397762&offset=0&total_comments=10">calls</a> a "friend") and virulently anti-David Farrant. Under his present alias, Hästehufvud writes blogs targeting critics of Manchester's account. I'll highlight two of them.</div>
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The first is the <a href="http://theinhumantouch.wordpress.com/"><i>The Inhuman Touch</i></a>, whose title mocks Farrant's blog, <i>The Human Touch</i>. In this case, I use the term "write" very loosely as it's primarily composed of random press clippings supposedly "exposing" Farrant. The entries feature no accompanying text. The scans are reproduced sans citation, context and often incomplete. They were also copied from the Vampire Research Society's "archive".</div>
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His other notable blog, <i>Hoggwatch</i>–complete with a picture "found on" my "Microsoft messenger profile" (even though I've never corresponded with with Hästehufvud by email)–is <a href="http://hoggwatch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/mission-statement.html">supposedly intended</a> to </div>
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monitor this troll's libellous and malicious allegations about Bishop Seán Manchester which appear every day of the year across the internet, invading other people's blogs and forums when he is not posting abuse on his own. Evidence will also be amassed to assist with any future action at law when his location is finally pinpointed to proceed with a prosecution. Any help that could be given in assisting with the locating of Hogg would be greatly appreciated.</div>
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Why Hästehufvud needs a blog to "monitor" me is not explained. Hästehufvud's allegation that I post "libellous and malicious allegations about Bishop Seán Manchester" on a daily basis is undermined by the fact that it presently features a single blog entry (30 November 2012) ripe with selective quotes, misrepresentation and deliberate lack of citations, lest the reader appreciate context and double-checking sources. I may address its content at a later time.</div>
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In the meantime, I will clarify that the only legal action Manchester has taken against me–even though I've written about the case since 2006–was <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/downfall.html">a string of DMCA takedown notices</a> hypocritically issued against my WordPress blog. Hypocritical in the sense that Manchester frequently violates copyrights, himself.<br />
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Hästehufvud vigilantism implies he is acting acting on Manchester's behalf, yet Manchester <a href="http://therightreverendseanmanchester.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/from-dna-to-demons.html">makes clear</a> that "Nobody is authorised to speak in my stead." Indeed, Manchester has not publicly revealed any desire to pursue an "action at law" against me. Therefore, it's safe to say Hästehufvud has two angles with <i>Hoggwatch</i>: the first is to discredit me through misrepresentation. The second, is to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberbullying">obtain and post personal information about me online</a>. The "location" mention gives the game away.<br />
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Hästehufvud has a history of stalking Manchester's critics in this manner, as demonstrated by his blog, <a href="http://della-farrant.blogspot.com.au/"><i>The Strange Case of Della Farrant</i></a>, written under his "Arminius Vámbéry" <i>nom de plume</i>. However, the former approach bears greater relevance to his criticism of my podcast.</div>
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Hästehufvud's Criticism of My Podcast</h3>
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On 5 March 2013, Hästehufvud posted two extensive criticisms of my podcast on Angie Watkins' Facebook group, "HIGHGATE! HIGHGATE! HIGHGATE!". The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/296880100441475/permalink/296896467106505/?comment_id=300257950103690&offset=0&total_comments=38">first</a> will be dealt with in this blog entry. It opens with "On his first and so far only audio interview, Hogg makes no serious criticism of David Farrant and spends his entire time (rather like Farrant himself) attacking Seán Manchester."</div>
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Hästehufvud must've overlooked the episode's topic: the Highgate Vampire. Farrant doesn't believe in its existence, <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/pretender-to-throne.html">despite contemporaneously giving that impression to the press</a>. Farrant's account is also decidedly less-detailed. Manchester, however, promotes it as a real entity. He literally wrote the book on the subject: <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2009/03/corrections-revisions-omissions-oh-my.html"><i>The Highgate Vampire</i></a> (1985; rev. edn. 1991). If the interview was skewed in Manchester's direction, that'd be the main reason.</div>
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As to "attacking Seán Manchester", Hästehufvud did not clarify <i>what</i> attacks I made–therefore, I can not address the "attacks" directly. His use of the emotive term suggests I vilified him in someway or attacked him, personally. I didn't.<br />
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Until he elaborates further, I conclude Hästehufvud confused "attacks" with <i>criticism</i>. I was <i>critical</i> of Manchester's account and credibility–but gave a context for my stance with specific examples. It's a perfectly reasonable approach and entirely consistent with my writings on the case: I <i>critique</i> it.<br />
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Let's take the <a href="http://spamosphere.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/bram-stoker-vs-highgate-vampire.html">Draculesque elements</a> in Manchester's account and his <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Plagiarism">proclivity for plagiarism</a> as two examples I honed in on. Making references to these traits isn't an "attack": they're criticisms validated by evidence and offered in conjunction with what I was being asked about Manchester's account and credibility. Indeed, at one point, I was asked if Manchester was a "liar". The fact is, Manchester's account <i>is</i> Draculesque and he <i>does</i> plagiarise. It's not an "attack" to discuss facts in context.</div>
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Hästehufvud added, "The mistakes Hogg makes are legion. I would need something the size of a small book to address them all." Thing is, Hästehufvud <i>does</i> have "something the size of a small book": his blog, <i>Hoggwatch</i>. I invite Hästehufvud to catalogue the "legion" of mistakes, because his subsequent examples doesn't do the allegation justice.</div>
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"For example," Hästehufvud continues, "he talks about the derisory cartoons that feature him without mentioning the somewhat important fact that they are published and distributed by David Farrant and that Seán Manchester is personally and abusively attacked in these self-published booklets under the "BPOS" imprint more than anyone else." This omission wasn't a "mistake". </div>
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I was asked about a character called "<a href="http://bishopbonkers.blogspot.com.au/p/cast.html">Cousin Hoggy</a>" who appears in satirical comic strip, <i>The Adventures of Bishop Bonkers</i>. A mistake implies I slipped-up. I didn't. Instead, it simply didn't occur to me to mention. I was focused on discussing the character on its own terms. The podcast wasn't about a comic book. That said, <i>should</i> I have mentioned that the comic was published through Farrant's imprint, the British Psychic and Occult Society? Maybe. But did I commit a cardinal sin by <i>not</i> mentioning it? No.<br />
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There's nothing sinister involved. No cover-up. Hästehufvud may not have known–or deliberately avoided mentioning–that I've previously <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/sigh-another-impersonator.html">discussed</a> the comic and its origins on this very blog: "Farrant went onto publish the a 12 page collation of the comics that same year [2007], through his vanity press, British Psychic and Occult Society under the false pretext of 'free speech'. I say 'false pretext' because free speech is not something he adheres to." </div>
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"Such details are clearly considered irrelevant by Hogg," Hästehufvud rambled on, "especially as the context of him mentioning the derogatory cartoons occurs during one of his tirades against Seán Manchester." Nonsense. I was asked about a character in the comic; I answered. Hästehufvud suggests that the "cartoons" only targeted Manchester. They don't. Indeed, "Cousin Hoggy" is portrayed as Manchester's sockpuppet; his porcine "Australian cousin" who lives in a billabong. This character is later butchered, eaten by Manchester and Farrant, then gets sent to Hell. If Manchester is treated in a "derogatory" fashion, spare a thought for poor "Cousin Hoggy"!</div>
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"Hogg also claims that both Seán Manchester and David Farrant stood as local councillors (being very careful not to identify what they stood for)." Not true. I didn't <i>deliberately</i> avoid mentioning their respective platforms–I <i>offhandedly</i> mentioned their respective standings while discussing the divisiveness of the case; that it's like a "two-party political system" between Manchester and Farrant. Once again, context is important. It wasn't an episode of <i>Meet the Press</i>.<br />
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However, if you're curious about what Hästehufvud thinks I should've elaborated on, here goes.<br />
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Farrant ran for election under the Wicca Workers Party banner (<a href="http://friendsofbishopseanmanchester.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/don-ecker.html">FoBSM version</a>; <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/wicca-workers-party/">Farrant version</a>) in 1978. As Farrant notes, "One of the main policies in the manifesto was to make Wicca the official state religion. To this end I called for more power to the Monarchy and a ban on communism, which everyone knows is opposed to any belief in God or religious worship." The FoBSM/Manchester version holds that Farrant's party had fascistic ties. <br />
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Manchester, however, stood as an independent under the pseudonym "George Byron". His official aim was to deter development of the South East corner of the Great Northern Cemetery, New Southgate, under the pretext of "conservation" in 1981.<br />
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However, according to Manchester's later account, his <i>actual</i> aim was to afford himself more time to locate a suspected "undead lair", "Otherwise, all manner of dilettante would descend upon the place, which would only suspend the young vampire's wanderings and make it dormant until it stirred with some future generation."<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-criticism-1.html#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup> The "young vampire" was (spoiler alert!) "<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/interesting-find.html">Lusia</a>".</div>
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Hästehufvud didn't just take issue with offhand mentions, though. He also tried demonstrating the "paucity" of my "knowledge" about the Highgate Vampire case in my "interview with Trystan Swale (another friend of Farrant)". This–I shit you not–is the actual example he provided:<br />
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He claims that Seán Manchester "played sax" at The Woodman, Highgate, in
a group called "The Southlanders." Wrong. He played saxophone in a
modern jazz group at The Woodman on just a couple of occasions. "The
Southlanders" were a completely different bunch of musicians (a
showband, in fact) with whom he played regularly at dance hall venues.</blockquote>
Firstly, I'll confess I'm not exactly sure what Swale's relationship with Farrant is, but "friend" doesn't automatically suggest a conspiratorial alliance or lock-step thought process. Swale is not a vocal supporter of Farrant's claims. But if friendship implies collaboration and conspiracy, then Manchester's "friend", Hästehufvud, has a lot to answer for. </div>
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Second, how does Hästehufvud <i>know</i> how many times Manchester played at The Woodman? How does he <i>know</i> that the band Manchester played with at The Woodman wasn't The Southlanders? He didn't say. Then again, neither did Manchester:</div>
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It was whilst blowing a long jazz solo on the tenor saxophone in <i>The Woodman</i>, Highgate, where his wife worked some evenings as a barmaid, that Farrant first caught sight of me in 1968. I would remain oblivious to him, however, until the beginning of the next decade. Who knows what went through his mind as he listened to my improvised harmonic structures, accompanied by a perspiring rhythm section, in that dimly lit venue for modern jazz aficionados?<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-criticism-1.html#fn2" id="ref2">2</a></sup> </div>
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Until Manchester speaks up, it'll remain unconfirmed. In the meantime, I'll clarify The Southlanders issue. Swale and I briefly discussed the first time Manchester and Farrant met. To elaborate further, Farrant claims Manchester approached him in the late 1960s; Manchester claims he was "oblivious" to Farrant's presence there was while he was blowing his "improvised harmonic structures". However, both agree their paths first crossed at The Woodman while Manchester played gigs there. I said the name of Manchester's band was The Southlanders. That's it. <i>That's</i> Hästehufvud's evidence for saying I barely know anything Highgate Vampire case. You couldn't make this stuff up, folks.<br />
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So, what was my Southlanders reference? A picture Manchester captioned "The <i>Southlanders</i> showband for whom I played tenor saxophone" ("<a href="http://seanmanchester.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/blog-post_6110.html">The Sixties</a>", <i>Metaphysical Meanderings</i>). Same decade, same sax type. Bit of a leap, sure, but not a huge one. If I'm wrong, no biggie.</div>
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Hästehufvud then sashayed from pathetic trivialities to swipes at my geographic location: "If internet users are going to rely on the retelling of history through the voice of somebody on the other side of the world like Anthony Hogg who has never set eyes on England and has never met one person involved in the Highgate Vampire case, then heaven help us all."<br />
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Yes, I've never "set eyes on England". I've never met anyone involved in the Highgate Vampire case. Know how I make up for that? Corresponding with people involved and reading what they've written about the case. I also consult <a href="http://www.leavesthatwither.co.uk/dawwih/what-im-working-with/">various sources</a> (that's a partial list), then compare and contrast what's being said. Weight it up. Seek verification. If needed, I'll also make further queries. It's called "research" and "investigation". Hästehufvud doesn't understand these concepts, as he's content regurgitating pro-Manchester material under various aliases.</div>
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Hästehufvud concludes the first round of his criticism with "Anthony
Hogg is a complete waste of time. He is someone trying to make a name
for himself off the back of public figures already known in their own
right."Am I, though? </div>
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When I began writing about the case, I didn't seek fame. When I started <a href="http://wampyrinhighgate.multiply.com/">my own forum</a> on 22 September 2006 I wrote posts as "The Overseer". On the <i>very same day</i>, <a href="http://wampyrinhighgate.multiply.com/journal/item/21/21">my forum title was stolen and my username copied</a>. That was the first obvious sign this wasn't gonna be an easy patch of grass to maintain.<br />
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Nonetheless, I carried my username and title over to this blog. I viewed the case as a hobby; something to banter about, seek info on, that kind of thing. At that point, interaction was sparse. I'd barely get comments on this blog–I thought I was pissing in the wind. But that didn't matter, because I wrote about this thing out of personal interest. Little did I know how many other people were reading it, too. That became apparent when I installed the "Total Pageviews" gadget. I'd gotten <i>thousands of hits</i>. Even so, I didn't want to relinquish my privacy. I'd still likely be using an alias–if my real name hadn't been <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2008/10/vrs-has-no-problem-disseminating.html">publicly revealed under malicious circumstances</a>.<br />
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They'd obviously tried–like Hästehufvud and his stalker blog–to deter my investigations into the case by violating something I hold dear: my privacy. It's the Highgate Vampire case version of Scientology's "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Game_%28Scientology%29">Fair Game</a>" policy. In this case, you get blogs like <a href="http://friends--of--david--farrant.blogspot.com.au/"><i>Friends of David Farrant</i></a> and <a href="http://friendsofbishopseanmanchester.blogspot.com.au/"><i>Friends of Bishop Seán Manchester</i></a>. I'm featured on both. If I'm "trying to make a name" for myself "off the back of public figures already known in their own right", then they ripped me from the bowels of obscurity and cast me into the spotlight. Thanks, guys!<br />
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This free publicity is a double-edged sword. On one hand, I'll garner negative attention. <i>Hoggwatch</i> was created to make sure I do. On the other, it means my name gets "out there" and people gain a greater familiarity with my work. Kai Roberts didn't consult some random when he asked me to look over the Highgate Vampire chapter in his 2011 book, <i>Grave Concerns: The Follies and Folklore of Robin Hood's Final Resting Place</i>. Trystan Swale didn't pick me out of a hat for a podcast. If I wanted "fame" for anything, it's the merit of my work. To that effect, what I do is successful.<br />
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In the meantime, stay tuned for the next thrilling instalment of "Podcast Criticism"! <br />
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<sup id="fn1">1. Sean Manchester, <i>The Highgate Vampire: The Infernal World of the Undead Unearthed at London's Famous Highgate Cemetery and Environs</i> (London: British Occult Society, 1985), 121–130.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-criticism-1.html#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩</a></sup><br />
<sup id="fn1"> </sup>
<br />
<sup id="fn2">2. Seán Manchester, <i>The Vampire Hunter's Handbook: A Concise Vampirological Guide</i> (London: Gothic Press, 1997), 10–11.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-criticism-1.html#ref2" title="Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.">↩</a></sup>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-14180483230636361302013-03-04T03:11:00.002+11:002013-03-04T03:17:20.259+11:00Podcast goes live!<div style="text-align: justify;">
My podcast interview with Trystan Swale is <a href="http://www.leavesthatwither.co.uk/forteanradio/episode-3-anthony-hogg/">now online</a>. Give it a listen, tell me what you think. But first, some criticism! </div>
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As I noted in the <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/my-first-podcast.html">previous entry</a>, 'Writing about the case is one thing–especially with immediate access to materials–but speaking about it 'live', is another, especially as I'm put on the spot'–not that I'm making excuses here, but I did get a few things wrong. If readers spot any more, feel free to add them to the comments section. </div>
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The date of David Farrant's letter</h3>
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David Farrant's initial letter to the <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i> was published on 6 February 1970, not 7 February.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGqyF70tGO8y2IAkwUPKK72nrMuTQVBnUMcW6N-5qwcTW3sJGKpmxGWx9FmtYwaChshs3WQLP8UQDj2-70B1VMO-sQSk-Ky1GZwdtftD_alltOrUIhuCOPk-ZIfLIgTddVoW6Gg0EqpCn/s1600/ghostly-walks-in-highgate1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGqyF70tGO8y2IAkwUPKK72nrMuTQVBnUMcW6N-5qwcTW3sJGKpmxGWx9FmtYwaChshs3WQLP8UQDj2-70B1VMO-sQSk-Ky1GZwdtftD_alltOrUIhuCOPk-ZIfLIgTddVoW6Gg0EqpCn/s640/ghostly-walks-in-highgate1.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption">David Farrat, 'Ghostly walks in Highgate', <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>, 6 February 1970, p. 26.</td></tr>
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The (revised) date of David Farrant's initial sighting</h3>
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I also referred to two dates for Farrant's initial sighting of the 'vampire', mentioning Christmas Eve, 1969 (as mentioned in Farrant's letter, above) in contrast with his <a href="http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/greater-london/hauntings/the-highgate-vampire-how-it-all-began-by-david-farrant.html">latter-day revision</a>, 21 December 1969: 'The date chosen was December 21st - the eve of the winter Solstice and a traditional time (due to the maximum hours of darkness) when potent psychic forces have easy access to the 'earthly plane'.' I said the Solstice was in 'November' instead of the December date. Oops!</div>
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The Wojdyla attack</h3>
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Elizabeth Wojdyla was attacked by the vampire in 1969, not 1967. I got my dates jumbled up. In 1967, Wojdyla was walking past Highgate Cemetery with her friend, Barbara. Both were 16 year old students of La Sainte Union Convent. Highgate. They passed the north gate and supposedly saw, 'this scene of graves directly in front of us. And the graves were opening up: and the people were rising. We were not conscious of walking down the lane. We were only conscious of this graveyard scene.'<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-goes-live.html#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup></div>
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She was subsequently plagued by nightmares of something evil trying to creep into her room. Its face was 'deathly pale'. If the implication here is that Wojdyla was being visited by the vampire, then it must've been a remarkably patient fiend, as it seemingly waited two years to get really stuck into her.</div>
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The allusion in Manchester's account holds that the attacks proper began in 1969–as dealt with in the interview. Manchester re-encountered Wojdyla by 'chance meeting', and it was her pallid, sickly state, followed by a stereotypical vampire victim diagnosis–'She appeared to be suffering a pernicious form of anaemia'<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-goes-live.html#fn2" id="ref2">2</a></sup>–that compelled him to re-establish their acquaintance. It was via this re-acquaintance that Manchester first came to meet her boyfriend, Keith Maclean.</div>
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A Sean Manchester blog title</h3>
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While discussing Manchester's tendency to steal other people's work, I referred to Manchester's blog as 'Ask Bishop Manchester' by way of example: it's a plagiaristic hotbed. However, his blog's actually called <i>Bishop † Seán † Manchester: questions & answers</i>. Concerning a specific example I mentioned–involving Manchester stealing material from a British National Party blog–see: '<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/manchester-vs-google.html">Manchester vs. Google</a>'.</div>
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<sup id="fn1">1. Sean Manchester, "The Highgate Vampire," in <i>The Vampire's Bedsite Companion: The Amazing World of Vampires in Fact and Fiction</i>, ed. Peter Underwood (London: Leslie Frewin, 1975), 90.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-goes-live.html#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩</a></sup>
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<sup id="fn2">2. ibid., 94.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/podcast-goes-live.html#ref2" title="Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.">↩</a></sup>
Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-65920053699365506032013-02-28T03:19:00.000+11:002013-03-02T15:18:30.123+11:00My first podcast<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gombQEJEzyWNIhDbg_pmXQpWLWgfRbXM5uZUM2bmojRDGp3Yi2sCZiibr3MDBbI0wRyzATE9eOIQanX9Ymh_cE3f0KNBTVINOdKWloI7dDWhIyXUckrdd9Te3K48pEKYbSbdlg7QHkIr/s1600/Shadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gombQEJEzyWNIhDbg_pmXQpWLWgfRbXM5uZUM2bmojRDGp3Yi2sCZiibr3MDBbI0wRyzATE9eOIQanX9Ymh_cE3f0KNBTVINOdKWloI7dDWhIyXUckrdd9Te3K48pEKYbSbdlg7QHkIr/s200/Shadow.jpg" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://unseenfilms.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/shadow-shorts-1931-2.html">Unseen films</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_441551513"></span><span id="goog_441551514"></span>On Valentine's Day at 11am, I was interviewed by Trystan Swale for <i>Fortean radio</i>. As you may've gathered from its mention here, we discussed the Highgate Vampire case. It's the first podcast I've ever done–hell, it's the first time I've <i>ever</i> been interviewed about the case.</div>
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Apart from nerves, and learning how to use Skype, my main concern with the interview was not having enough to say. Writing about the case is one thing–especially with immediate access to materials–but speaking about it 'live', is another, especially as I'm put on the spot.</div>
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Thankfully, years of reading about this thing prepared me well. It turns out my brain <i>isn't</i> like a sieve; it's just that I'm not used to talking about it 'out loud'. You see, my friends have an idea about what I do–some have read my blogs and are aware of the way I've been stalked on account of my criticisms–but as they're generally not interested in that sort of thing, so I keep mum about it. Most of my discussion about the case is online.</div>
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It's even weird saying 'David Farrant' and 'Sean Manchester' out loud, too, like they're hushed words discussed in the darkest recesses of the 'net.</div>
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Nonetheless, I think I handled myself well. If anything, I probably had <i>too</i> much to say. There are so many twists, turns and details about the case, I had to try making it as comprehensive, comprehensible and linear as possible. That's hard to do, when you've got two primary conflicting narratives; not to mention a raft of peripheral material to draw upon.</div>
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Thankfully, Trystan put me at ease–not only in the lead-up to it, but afterward, too. By that point, I felt like I needed a stiff drink. Anyway, I hope you like it. <a href="http://www.leavesthatwither.co.uk/forteanradio/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/forteanradio3trailer.mp3">Here's a teaser</a>. The interview will be out on 1 March. I'll post up the link when it's ready. Stay tuned!<br />
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<h3>
Update (2 March 2013)</h3>
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The podcast's release is now scheduled for 3 March. </div>
Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-18568340072289198912013-01-19T02:07:00.000+11:002013-01-19T02:08:09.671+11:00Downfall<div style="text-align: justify;">
This blog has been dormant because I decided to concentrate my writings to a WordPress blog, also called <i>Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?</i>. Unfortunately, that won't be happening any more.</div>
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While I was on a trip to Adelaide between 5–12 Janaury, I tried accessing my blog, only to be greeted <a href="http://dawwih.wordpress.com/">with this</a>:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgbEQsB-Bz279AJcMGDsPigcyLCH9E4NMfiCHeNcAd9n87Yv3YYVlUYr8CGuQWfaIB3n0N5Va_BsU0ZvlYZrSSvPsv2RcVa788LygnyP84Kp7nyqwSEiQP22IcX-iPbpqJKFTfeFF1xqK/s1600/dawwih.wordpress.com+is+no+longer+available.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgbEQsB-Bz279AJcMGDsPigcyLCH9E4NMfiCHeNcAd9n87Yv3YYVlUYr8CGuQWfaIB3n0N5Va_BsU0ZvlYZrSSvPsv2RcVa788LygnyP84Kp7nyqwSEiQP22IcX-iPbpqJKFTfeFF1xqK/s400/dawwih.wordpress.com+is+no+longer+available.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Let's say, I wasn't pleased by this turn of events. Nonetheless, I was touched by words of support from my readers. One SMSed me (07-Jan-13 12:34am):</div>
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Hi Bud, is everything ok, I see the blogs gone.....was it the potty prelate?</div>
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To which I replied (07-Jan-13 8:02am):</div>
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I'm looking into that but yes it was him</div>
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The reader wrote back (07-Jan-13 9:40am),</div>
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What a wanker , can you put it back up somewhere else?</div>
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I replied (07-Jan-13 9:50am),</div>
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I have to count on it being backed up by wordpress or I have to start from scratch </div>
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The reader added (07-Jan-13 1:40pm),</div>
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Hope it is mate...the bloke really is a total cock, I honestly dont know how he can be such a blatant hypocrite!</div>
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I'm not going to disclose the identity of this 'potty prelate', 'wanker', 'total cock' and 'blatant hypocrite'. On an unrelated note, in the lead up to my blog's closure, I was subjected to repeated DMCA takedown notices issued by Sean Manchester.</div>
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It began when I critiqued Manchester's 'Tamás Ország' entry for his blog, <i>Bishop † Seán † Manchester: questions & answers</i> (21 December 2012). Manchester's entry discussed candidates for the identity of the Highgate Vampire. One of them was 'a Russian immigrant shoemaker/leather worker called Mikhail Oleg Ostrog'.<br />
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My critique, 'Jack the Vampire?' (22 December 2012), exposed several anomalies in Manchester's entry: firstly, it had been plagiarised from ProBoards group, <i>The Highgate Vampire</i>. Second, 'Mikhail Oleg Ostrog' is actually Michael Ostrog: a <a href="http://www.casebook.org/suspects/ostrog.html">Jack the Ripper suspect</a>; something Manchester hadn't realised. Third, the Ostrog timeline was at odds with the 18th century date Manchester has suggested for his vampire's origins. Fourth, Ostrog's appearance didn't match his vampire, either.<br />
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To illustrate the latter point, I contrasted a photograph included in Manchester's book, <i>The Highgate Vampire</i> (1991)<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/downfall.html#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup> with contemporary pictures of Ostrog. As the reproduction was smaller than the picture's original resolution, and it was being used for critical purposes, I thought I'd be automatically safe on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use">Fair Use</a> principles. Nonetheless, that picture's inclusion triggered Manchester's initial takedown notice against me (DMCA #1414831).<br />
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Shortly after receiving the claim, I noticed some substantial–and undisclosed–revisions had taken place on Manchester's 'Tamás Ország' blog entry. Not only did he now dispute the likelihood of Ostrog's connection to the Highgate Vampire, but he also included the same source (<i>Casebook: Jack the Ripper</i>) and primary image I did in my post, to refute their association! In other words, Manchester was content with not only forcing me to remove and image off my blog–he also stole my findings!<br />
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I didn't mince words with my follow-up entry, 'Bishop reports me for copyright violation; then steals my findings' (27 December 2012). To illustrate the difference between Manchester's original entry and the post-DMCA takedown notice version, I posted screencaps of the original and updated notice.<br />
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Soon afterward, I received another DMCA takedown notice (#1418569), demanding the two screencaps be removed. Manchester had reported me. Again.<br />
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Evidentially, the final straw for WordPress.com came when I included a photograph of Manchester in my 3 January 2013 post, 'Lie detector developments'. The picture was sent to me by Manchester's former friend, Kevin Chesham. It showed Manchester, in a cowboy hat, on his 63rd birthday. Chesham assured me the picture was his copyright.<br />
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Despite clearly captioning the photo with relevant copyright info, Manchester issued <i>another</i> DMCA takedown notice against me–which was evidentially one too many for WordPress.com, who promptly suspended my blog.<br />
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I should mention that I did <i>try</i> challenging these notices, but I was repeatedly placed a very difficult position: in order to file a DMCA counter-notice, one is required to forward their personal details along (home address, etc.), which is then passed onto the claimant. As much as I know Manchester would <i>love</i> having my details because <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2008/10/vrs-has-no-problem-disseminating.html">I'm sure he wouldn't abuse them</a>, I declined. Purely on those grounds, not because I didn't feel I had a right to reproduce any of the imagery discussed.<br />
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In the first two instances, I wound up removing the pictures. I also (literally) blacked out the screencaps. Each was overlaid with an explanatory message explaining the reason for removal of the originals.<br />
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There wasn't anything I could do with the latest claim, because by that point, my blog was no longer publicly accessible. Even providing Chesham's details in lieu of mine–which he said was ok–wasn't good enough for them.<br />
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I suggested handing my details over to a third party (WordPress.com). They didn't go for it. How about removing the Cowboy Manchester pic and refraining from publishing potentially DMCA-violating images in future? No dice.<br />
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And that's where we're at: my WordPress blog–dawwih.wordpress.com–which had been active since 2009, is dead. Long live the blog!<br />
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My primary concern throughout all this, however, was preserving my content. It's not like I could go back and save the pages, as I do for the items I link to. I really should've done that, in hindsight.<br />
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Anyway, through the darkness, a saving grace emerged. It turns out WordPress.com allows a special file to be saved in the event of blog closures. A special file that preserves text (but not pictures unfortunately), should the owner of the blog want their writing hosted elsewhere... <br />
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That's why my WordPress blog <a href="http://www.parafort.com/dawwih/">lives, breathes and jumps again</a>.You can read '<a href="http://www.parafort.com/dawwih/?p=934">Jack the Vampire?</a>' and '<a href="http://www.parafort.com/dawwih/?p=1040">Bishop reports me for copyright violation; then steals my findings</a>' over there. '<a href="http://www.parafort.com/dawwih/?p=1184">Lie detector developments</a>' is there, too–albeit with no picture. For now.<br />
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So, nice try Sean–but you can't suppress the truth. It always finds a way.<br />
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<sup id="fn1">1. Photo captioned, 'Pictures showing the vampire in stages of rapid decomposition which were televised in 1990. Only after exorcism was capture on film possible', S Manchester, <i>The Highgate vampire: the infernal world of the undead unearthed at London’s Highgate Cemetery and environs</i>, rev. edn, Gothic Press, London, 1991, p. 144.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/downfall.html#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩</a></sup>
Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-5701561693605984852012-04-09T15:56:00.002+10:002012-04-09T16:03:47.885+10:00Rebutting the Nazi Room<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://www.historyguide.org/europe/munich.html">The history guide</a></td></tr>
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The latest controversy involving figures involved in the Highgate Vampire case are the <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/ja-mein-bischof.html"><b>Nazi Room allegations</b></a> made by <b>Sean Manchester</b>'s former friend, <b>Kevin Chesham</b>. </div>
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Chesham alleges Manchester secretly admires Nazis and collects associated paraphernalia. There have been two primary rebuttals to Chesham's claims. The first comes from spider-blogger, <b>Steatoda Nobilis</b>. His blog, <a href="http://kevinchesham.blogspot.com.au/"><b><i>Kevin Chesham - Triathlete - Fascist</i></b></a>, features doctored pictures, Nazi-related images and a letter reportedly from Chesham to an unnamed 'Brother', extolling the virtues of British fascist, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_Mosley"><b>Oswald Mosley</b></a> (1896–1980). Interestingly, Manchester refers to 'Br. Kevin Chesham' in his 1995 book documenting the founding of his church<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/rebutting-nazi-room.html#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup>; despite Chesham's Buddhist beliefs.</div>
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The second rebuttal comes from Manchester, himself. It's titled, well—as of this writing, it doesn't actually have a title. Instead, it features a quote from Chesham: "<b><a href="http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com.au/">The struggle can take many turns and directions</a></b>", balanced off with a quote from <b>William Shakespeare</b>'s <i>Henry VI, part III</i>: 'The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on.'</div>
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Manchester dismisses the contents of the 'Nazi room' with <a href="http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/militaria.html"><b>militaria</b></a> from other periods. There are two allusions to the Nazi stuff, firstly: 'German militaria is by far the most popular and most expensive. There
are, however, certain items from World War Two that were given me by
folk I knew when I was very young (who brought them back from Europe) on
the proviso that I did not sell them on. I shall honour that request.' Secondly, 'I have in the past displayed my twentieth century militaria, largely but
not exclusively Second World War, in a place where they could be viewed
by visitors for inspection.' Militaria is <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/militaria"><b>defined</b></a> as 'collected or collectible military objects, as uniforms and firearms, having historical interest.'</div>
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One must question the 'militaria' claim on closer inspection of the <a href="http://kevchesham.blogspot.com.au/p/kevin-chesham-autobiography-first.html"><b>room's contents</b></a>. For instance, a silver-framed picture of <b>Adolf Hitler</b> adorns the wall. Second, a newspaper article—also silver-framed—sits on the desk. It's titled, 'One in four Germans admires the Nazis'. The article does not date from World War 2: it was published in <i>The Daily Mail</i>'s 18 October 2007 issue. Indeed, the Nazi room pictures were taken that same year. Manchester's bookshelf, also pictured, is lined with books on Nazism.</div>
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Yet Manchester alleges that <i>Chesham</i>—and his wife, <b>Beverley Mason</b>—are fascists. Not him. Manchester <a href="http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/fascism_03.html"><b>believes</b></a> Chesham 'became drawn to me because I had met Sir Oswald and Lady Diana Mosley in the early 1960s and, like Kevin, found their incarceration without trial during the Second World War to be unjust.' Manchester also mentions his association with people of far-right—and far-left—views, but omits <b>John Pope</b>, who was embroiled in Manchester's 'phoney Nazis' <a href="http://plan9.150m.com/god%20save%20the%20queen%203.htm"><b>debacle</b></a>. '<b>Raggety Ricketts</b>' notes Manchester has <a href="http://kevchesham.blogspot.com.au/p/lets-play-dressing-up.html"><b>retained</b></a> associated items from this period. For all this, it is Chesham's friendship with David Farrant, that has rendered him a '<a href="http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/betrayal.html"><b>Judas</b></a>'.</div>
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Speaking of which, Manchester's 'archenemy', <b>Farrant</b>, also cops a serve, with his preferences allegedly given to the National Front during the 1978 general election. This, in turn, has been <a href="http://plan9.150m.com/wwpod.htm"><b>refuted</b></a> elsewhere.</div>
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I am also lumped with Manchester's '<a href="http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/detractors.html"><b>detractors</b></a>'. My posts on <i>The supernatural world forums</i> have been reproduced, sans citation, i.e. <a href="http://www.thesupernaturalworld.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=26507&st=0"><b>this thread</b></a> and <b><a href="http://www.thesupernaturalworld.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=26496&st=45">this one</a></b>. I commented on Manchester's anti-'just war' policy—which is derived from <i>The Grail Church</i> (1995)—and juxtaposed this stance against his pro-self-defence advocacy, 'the implication being that the Brits should've let the Nazis goose-step all over them and Europe during WW2.' Manchester said, 'I fail to follow that logic'. After defending the right to personal defence, he provided a strange amendment to Britain's involvement in World War 2:</div>
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Had Great Britain not declared war on Germany in the wake of a conveniently manufactured agreement with Poland that was designed to be violated, perhaps the sixty million people killed, which was over 2.5% of the world population, might for the most part have survived? Hitler certainly did not want a war with Great Britain on whose Empire he modelled his Third Reich. My country's action resulted in the worst and deadliest military conflict in history. It should have been avoided by every measure available.</div>
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At best, this is an incredibly naive stance; Nazi apologia, at worst. Despite Manchester's sizable collection of World War 2 books, he fails to conceive—or deliberately overlooks—that with or without Britain's involvement, Hitler's 'plans' for Europe were <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensraum"><b>quite clear</b></a> from the get-go. Indeed, Britain was seen as a major obstacle to their aim, despite attempts to <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2033502/Revealed-Chamberlains-secret-bid-reach-deal-Hitler.html"><b>avoid war with Germany</b></a>. This, of course, culminated with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion"><b>Operation: Sea Lion</b></a>. Rather than model his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Reich"><b>Third Reich</b></a> on Britain's empire, he was inspired by the ancient Roman template. Thus the criticism Manchester levels at Britain, is stretching the bounds of credulity.</div>
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All up, it doesn't paint a pretty picture for Manchester's rebuttals. If Chesham was, indeed, pro-fascist as Manchester alleges, a similar charge could be levelled at Manchester, consistent with Chesham's own allegations. Add Manchester's <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/manchester-vs-google.html"><b>pro-BNP sympathies</b></a> and <a href="http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/introduction.html"><b>nationalist leanings</b></a> to the mix, and you've got a heady cocktail.</div>
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What makes these tendencies especially unusual, is Manchester's support for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and <a href="http://kevin-chesham.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/allegations.html"><b>criticism</b></a> of the National Front. You'd think he'd know better. It just goes to show that when it comes to Highgate matters and its associates, things aren't always so clear-cut.</div>
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<sup id="fn1">1. S Manchester, <i>The Grail Church: its ancient tradition and renewed flowering</i>, Penmachno, UK, 1995, p. 128.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/rebutting-nazi-room.html#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩</a></sup>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-72035513575121253272012-04-06T04:08:00.000+10:002012-04-06T04:39:22.536+10:00Caught in the headlights<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgwCu8jOC7XJui7RBS4LmvmGxhyphenhyphenPSSPjxVutCKaXj1Tc4fuknXflgPaGnFBs-53ERi20rpwSPfIwqaEvLlIW9VUAURd2jpLJqNEYw8Lj_WlEwq4La-UVSNsfTWL3H-9RcQqpTLcx8bNfz/s1600/review_Christine_10-thumb-500x375-40448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgwCu8jOC7XJui7RBS4LmvmGxhyphenhyphenPSSPjxVutCKaXj1Tc4fuknXflgPaGnFBs-53ERi20rpwSPfIwqaEvLlIW9VUAURd2jpLJqNEYw8Lj_WlEwq4La-UVSNsfTWL3H-9RcQqpTLcx8bNfz/s200/review_Christine_10-thumb-500x375-40448.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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One notable aspect of the Highgate Vampire case is what I call the 'caught in headlights' trope. Several variants are related by <b>David Farrant</b> and <b>Sean Manchester</b>. They all share the same characteristics: a person is walking past the cemetery at night, they are attacked by a supernatural force, but 'saved' by the the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.</div>
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The earliest version I'm familiar with, appeared in the <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>, 15 October 1971:</div>
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Mr. Farrant said that last March a girl waslking past the cemetery in Swains Lane was knocked to the ground by a tall, shadowy figure which then disappeared as a car arrived. The road was lined by 12-foot high walls at that point. </div>
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The girl reported the attack to police, who could find no trace of her attacker. She had abrasions on her arms and knees but no other marks.<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup></div>
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In 1975, he expanded the account in an article for <i>New Witchcraft</i>:</div>
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A young girl who was walking past the cemetery in the early hours of the morning was suddenly thrown to the ground with tremendous force by "a tall dark figure" which had appeared behind her from nowhere. Luckily at that moment a car came along, and the girl was taken to Highgate Police Station suffering from shock and abrasions to her legs and elbows. The police immediately made a complete search of the area (the road is bordered by 12ft high walls) but were unable to find any trace of her attacker. The figure had "vanished" in the glare of the headlights.<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#fn2" id="ref2">2</a></sup></div>
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In 2005, her vocation was <a href="http://www.ipcress.org.uk/truth_out/farrant_highgate.html"><b>revealed</b></a> as nurse. The account is expanded, further still, on the <a href="http://thebritishpsychicandoccultsociety.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/highgate-investigation-part-3.html"><b><i>Friends of David Farrant</i></b></a>:</div>
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Reports were coming into the Society that a young nurse had been 'attacked' by the 'vampire' in Swains Lane which runs alongside the cemetery. Eventually, the girl's identity was discovered and I arranged a meeting with her. Although reluctant to discuss the matter at first, I assured her anonymity and she gave the following account:</div>
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She was returning home in the early hours walking down Swain's Lane. As she passed the cemetery, a little way further on, she was suddenly 'thrown to the ground' with tremendous force by a 'tall black figure' with a 'deathly white face'. At that moment, a car stopped to help her and the figure 'vanished' in the glare of the headlights. She was taken to Highgate Police Station in a state of severe shock suffering abrasions to her knees and elbows. The police immediately made a thorough search of the area but could find no trace of her attacker. More mysterious still was the fact that where the figure had vanished, the cemetery was lined by 15 foot high walls.</div>
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However, in 1973, Manchester published a similar account of his own. 'Jacqui Frances, a pretty 22- year-old blonde'—who I've <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/interesting-find.html"><b>previously mentioned</b></a>—had been visiting friends in Highgate Village and was making her way 'down the lane past the graveyard', i.e. Swains Lane. She passed the cemetery gate, turned, and saw a 'tall figure of a man with a deathly-white face' staring at her 'from within the cemetery'. She began walking faster, only to notice that the figure had seemingly materialised from the gate and started following her a few yards behind.<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#fn3" id="ref3">3</a></sup></div>
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As it closed in, she noted it stood about 7 feet tall and was 'darkly clad'. It also seemed to be hypnotising her. 'Had it not been for the roar of a sports car tearing down the lane, I might have entered a hypnotic trance there and then.'<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#fn4" id="ref4">4</a></sup> As with Farrant's account, the spectre disappeared with the car's headlights—except, in this case, it <i>reappeared</i> once the car was gone. When Francis ran to get away, she inadvertently dropped a 'large silver crucifix' she wore. The last 'sign' of the spectre was a hissing sound—atypical of vampire movies—and 'a glimpse of him as he faded in the darkness of the graveyard's 12 foot high brick wall.'<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#fn5" id="ref5">5</a></sup></div>
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No date for this attack is mentioned, but we can pinpoint it to 1970, as it is mentioned in conjunction with media coverage given to the case that same year. Strangely, Manchester didn't include Francis' account in his contribution to Peter Underwood's 1975 vampire anthology. Instead, the victim appears to have undergone a sex-change:<br />
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In first week of February 1970, a twenty-four-year-old man was knocked to the ground and attacked by something which "seemed to glide" from the cemetery. He was much too shaken to write to the press, but it, nevertheless came to my attention <i>via</i> someone he confided in. The description of a "tall figure which swooped" down upon him with the countenance of a "wild animal" was somehow not altogether unfamiliar.<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#fn6" id="ref6">6</a></sup></blockquote>
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He, too, was 'saved' by the headlights of an oncoming car. </div>
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On the surface, it seems Manchester's borrowed Farrant's account for his own and changed a few details. But Manchester's saved from this conclusion by the disclosure of <i>another</i> similar account. Last year, Farrant <a href="http://www.thesupernaturalworld.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25683&view=findpost&p=480256"><b>mentioned</b></a> the following on <i>The supernatural world forums</i>:</div>
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The BPOS into the frequently witnessed seen in and around Highgate Cemetery had in fact been in progress since early 1969. During the course of this, many local people were interviewed that year, and indeed, I published some of these accounts in my first book on that case in 1991. During 1969, the figure repoprted [sic] at Highgate Cemetery was that of a ghost - albeit a fairly malevolent one. The local newspaper (the Ham & High) had taken a serious interest in all the local 'ghost reports', maybe helped by the fact that a similar 'tall dark figure' had been reported locally just a few years earlier. That was said to haunt the Flash [sic] public house and Ye Olde Gatehouse pub. I told that newspaper at that time, that these reports might well be connected.</div>
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Then in January a Ham & High reporter contacted me to say they'd received a Press Release to the effect that a lone student (I was only told his name was 'Richard') had been 'attacked' one night by a spectre as he was passing the gates of Highgate Cemetery. The newspaper automatically contacted myself assuming it had come from my Society, but it had not. You surely don't need three guesses to know who was really responsible! This report was never published to my knowledge, although the person responsible for it was to acknowledge this occurrence about a year later on BBC television. This begs the question, of course, as to how hw [sic] could have known about the Ham&High notification if this had never been published?</div>
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He <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/73252286004/10150463763736005/?comment_id=10150464977391005">elaborated</a></b> on the Richard account on his Facebook forum, <i>The Highgate Vampire Society</i>:</div>
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I know of 3 incidents back from the early 1970’s of people being ‘attacked’ in – or just outside – Highgate Cemetery. The first one occurred in January 1970 and I know about this because a reporter from the local Ham & High newspaper telephoned to ask if my Society knew anything about this. In fact, we didn’t but I was given basic details by this reporter who told me that he was a young student called Richard who attended the North London Polytechnic (as it then was). He had been knocked to the ground quite violently (in Swains Lane just outside the cemetery) by a ‘tall dark figure” which then just promptly disappeared.</div>
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The 'person responsible', i.e. Manchester's appearance 'on BBC television' is our lead. Farrant is clearly referring to the 15 October 1970 episode of <i>24 hours</i>. Here's <a href="http://plan9.150m.com/24hrs.htm"><b>what Manchester said</b></a> on the matter: 'As far as we know, it has only physically attacked one
male person who had passed by the gate.'</div>
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In making a making a correlation between Manchester's comment with the Richard account, Farrant acknowledges that the Richard account actually <i>pre-dates</i> his own with the 'young girl'/'nurse'. Therefore, what I said about the possibility of Manchester borrowing from Farrant's account, now applies to Farrant, instead. We're left with two possibilities. </div>
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Either one of them 'borrowed' the other's account and added their own embellishments, or two separate people encountered an entity—or entities—along Swains Lane, which they were saved from, in nearly identical circumstances. What do you think happened?<br />
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<i>I'd like to thank Redmond McWilliams for his assistance in writing this blog entry. Cheers, mate! </i></div>
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<sup id="fn1">1. 'Nude exorcists sought vampire', <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i>, 15 October 1971, p. 3.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩</a></sup>
<sup id="fn2"> </sup></div>
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<sup id="fn2">2. D Farrant, 'Invoking the vampire', <i>New Witchcraft</i>, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 33–4.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#ref2" title="Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.">↩</a></sup>
<sup id="fn3"> </sup></div>
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<sup id="fn3">3. S Manchester, 'The world of the vampire', <i>Witchcraft</i>, vol. 2, no. 8, 1973, pp. 53–4.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#ref3" title="Jump back to footnote 3 in the text.">↩</a></sup> <sup id="fn4"> </sup></div>
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<sup id="fn4">4. ibid., p. 54.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#ref4" title="Jump back to footnote 4 in the text.">↩</a></sup>
<sup id="fn5"> </sup></div>
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<sup id="fn5">5. ibid.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#ref5" title="Jump back to footnote 5 in the text.">↩</a></sup>
<sup id="fn6"> </sup></div>
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<sup id="fn6">6. S Manchester, 'The Highgate vampire', in P Underwood (ed.), <i>The vampire’s bedside companion: the amazing world of vampires in fact and fiction</i>, Leslie Frewin, London, 1975, pp. 105–6.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/caught-in-headlights.html#ref6" title="Jump back to footnote 6 in the text.">↩</a></sup></div>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-58639527255628897072012-03-20T02:18:00.000+11:002012-03-20T02:21:27.500+11:00Bananaskins<div style="text-align: justify;">
I <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/war-on-chapter-6.html"><b>recently discussed</b></a> <b>Della Farrant</b>'s comments on <b>Kai Roberts</b>' write-up of the Highgate vampire case. She took issue with the coverage Roberts gave to <b>David Farrant</b>'s 1970 trial for being in an 'enclosed area for an unlawful purpose', i.e. intending on breaking into tombs [to stake a vampire] at Highgate Cemetery.</div>
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I contrasted her criticism—'. . . when referring to David Farrant’s arrest for ‘vampire hunting’ in 1970, Kai omits a crucial point. David was, as everybody will remember, acquitted of this charge. The charge itself was being [caught] in an enclosed area for an unlawful purpose'—with what he actually wrote, and quoted a relevant passage.</div>
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However, my counter was a bit short-sighted. Roberts wrote more on the case than I realised at the time of writing the blog entry. I should've paid closer attention to his text. My goof. Anyway, here's what he added:</div>
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When Farrant's case finally came to trial, he was discharged after his lawyer successfully argued that hunting a vampire was not in itself unlawful and that a cemetery did not satisfy the legal definition of an enclosed space.<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/bananaskins.html#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup></div>
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It's this particular definition Della was unsatisfied with, which is why <a href="http://dellafarrant.org/?p=140"><b>she added</b></a>:</div>
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Kai was apparently misinformed when he summarises that David was acquitted on 2 technicalities, namely the definition of an enclosed area, and the fact that it is not actually illegal to hunt a vampire. This was not in fact the case. The main indictment in that case was the element of unlawful purpose. That was the only reason David was arrested by police who attempted to persuade the court that his purpose was to break open coffins in search of the reputed vampire. The police evidence (again given under oath) was that David had later told the arresting officer that he intended to drive a wooden stake through the vampire’s heart and then ‘run away’ . . . However…David denied making this statement, in court, and the stipendary [sic] magistrate obviously did not believe the police evidence and so the unlawful purpose element was thrown out of court. The conclusion is clear: that David was not acquitted because it is not illegal to hunt vampires, but because the court did not believe that he was trying to do so in the first place. To inadvertently misguide the reader over this important point is regrettable, as it contrasts sharply with many of Kai’s other points which he has investigated thoroughly.</div>
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If Roberts was 'apparently misinformed' about this matter, the 'blame' falls squarely on his source: 'Ellis, p26'<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/bananaskins.html#fn2" id="ref2">2</a></sup>, i.e. <b>Bill Ellis</b>' 'The Highgate Cemetery vampire hunt: the Anglo-American connection in satanic cult lore' (1993). Though the source isn't directly correlated with her critique, he <i>does</i> cop a serve—on an entirely different matter: his 'angle regarding
the validity of contemporary claims that most of the damage at Highgate
Cemetery during the late 1960s and early 1970s was caused by “adolescent
gangs expressing rebellion to adult norms or carrying out dares or
hoaxes.”'</div>
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While her criticism of the way Roberts covered Farrant's acquittal seems reasonable, one can only wonder why she sidestepped Roberts' coverage of the trial's <i>aftermath</i>. After focusing so much on this aspect of the case, you'd think she'd have something to say about it:</div>
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Following his acquittal, Farrant made his intention to continue hunting the vampire perfectly clear. The ensuing blaze of publicity saw him holding a nocturnal vigil in the cemetery, accompanied by a reporter [Barrie Simmons] from the <i>Evening News</i>. The article was published on 16th October under the headline "Midnight date with Highgate's Vampire", alongside photographs of Farrant wielding a cross and stake.<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/bananaskins.html#fn3" id="ref3">3</a></sup></div>
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Indeed, Farrant's 10 January 2012 comment to a <a href="http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/highgate_vampire_brought_back_to_life_1_1162423"><b>recent</b></a> <i>Hampstead & Highgate Express</i> article boasts this event as the first time the cemetery's undead denizen was explicitly labelled the 'Highgate Vampire':</div>
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As a matter of interest, the title “The Highgate Vampire” first appeared in an article published in connection with myself in the London Evening News on October 16th 1970. This headline ran “Midnight Vigil for the Highgate Vampire” [sic] and followed a BBC television transmission the evening before which featured myself and my investigation into a ‘vampire-like figure’ that had been sighted in and around Highgate Cemetery.</div>
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Roberts mentions the transmission—and Farrant's 'investigation', too:</div>
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The previous day, the BBC had broadcast a segment on events at the cemetery as part of their flagship current affairs programme, <i>24 Hours</i>. It featured reconstructions of both Manchester's exorcism in the vault and Farrant's fateful vampire hunt of 17th August, in which he is once again seen brandishing a cross and stake.<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/bananaskins.html#fn4" id="ref4">4</a></sup></div>
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Farrant's YouTube channel features relevant 'excerpts' from this episode—with Manchester's participation cut-out: </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-VcUq-ohXVY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Fortunately, <b>Kev Demant</b>'s website provides a <a href="http://plan9.150m.com/24hrs.htm"><b>full transcript</b></a> of the vampire segment. Instead of an 'investigation into a "vampire-like figure" that had been sighted in and around Highgate Cemetery', the clip features a much more literal rendering: 'Now, in spite of all attempts by the cemetery owners to bar him Farrant and his friends still maintain a regular vigil (of the ?) catacombs in the hope of sighting either the vampire or the Satanists.' <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/staking-himself-in-foot.html"><b>Not the first time</b></a> Farrant's commentary on contemporary coverage doesn't tally with what's represented.</div>
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That said, the Simmons article appears to be the first public source to confirm Farrant's unbelief in vampires. At least in 'the commercial sense of the word'; mainly because Farrant clearly believes in a <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/vampires-demons-in-sack.html"><b>different type of vampire</b></a>. This explains why he repeatedly emphasises 'bloodsucking vampires' when ridiculing Manchester's account; to take the heat off his own vampiric allusions and <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/pretender-to-throne.html"><b>publicity-seeking antics</b></a>. Perhaps Della's critique should've been asking: who was 'inadvertently' misguiding who?<br />
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<sup id="fn1">1. K Roberts, <i>Grave concerns: the follies and folklore of Robin Hood's final resting place</i>, CFZ Press, Bideford, U.K, 2011, p. 96.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/bananaskins.html#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩</a></sup>
<sup id="fn2"> </sup></div>
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<sup id="fn2">2. ibid., p. 196, n 39.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/bananaskins.html#ref2" title="Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.">↩</a></sup> </div>
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<sup id="fn3">3. ibid., p. 96.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/bananaskins.html#ref3" title="Jump back to footnote 3 in the text.">↩</a></sup> </div>
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<sup id="fn4">4. ibid.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/bananaskins.html#ref4" title="Jump back to footnote 4 in the text.">↩</a></sup></div>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-36950904398938836722012-03-05T00:34:00.001+11:002012-03-05T00:43:31.693+11:00Ja, mein Bischof!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUAfF2Ja01jMFECi93ANmJxzJMvZ_2msi7FRdADnG-kxnXnbyUdRZ7hbt_j9o7C-G4_GDw9AZpqWq5skF4p8niyo0W47QAwgrxSkGdtt-OEJqxEfG6Xn_lC0wBS9RQzPMpt-zYOqAnpTH/s1600/British_Aquathlon_003+brit+won.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUAfF2Ja01jMFECi93ANmJxzJMvZ_2msi7FRdADnG-kxnXnbyUdRZ7hbt_j9o7C-G4_GDw9AZpqWq5skF4p8niyo0W47QAwgrxSkGdtt-OEJqxEfG6Xn_lC0wBS9RQzPMpt-zYOqAnpTH/s200/British_Aquathlon_003+brit+won.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://kevchesham.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/british-triathlon-aquathlon-2011.html">Kevin Chesham - Triathlete </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There've long been rumours of a 'nazi room' in <b>Sean Manchester</b>'s house. In a <b><a href="http://chatty-gef.blogspot.com/2011/07/cut-above.html?showComment=1310952113917#c6616465250826320493">comment</a></b> on his son's blog, <b>David Farrant</b> says: 'The mysterious 'black magic Nazi room' is of course an open secret by now and has been witnessed by many many people, the nazi paraphernalia included.'</div>
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However, little has been provided in the way of evidence—no witnesses are named; no photographs shown. Indeed, it's difficult to determine how this rumour began. </div>
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About the best 'proof' I've seen for Manchester's Right-wing sympathies was his involvement in the 'phoney Nazi scandal'—<b><a href="http://plan9.150m.com/godsave.htm">covered</a></b> by Kev Demant—and his <b><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/manchester-vs-google.html">plagiarised blog entry</a></b> about US President, <b>Barack Obama</b>. The subsequent <b><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/bishop-allows-derogatory-hateful.html">cover-up</a></b> didn't help Manchester's case, either.</div>
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Until recently, it's been slim pickings, evidence-wise. But the ante's been raised by <b>Kevin Chesham</b>—a former friend of Manchester's—with the publication of the <b><a href="http://kevchesham.blogspot.com.au/p/kevin-chesham-autobiography-first.html">first extract</a></b> from his upcoming autobiography. His allegations are startling, to say the least: </div>
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Sean was a fellow lifeguard and we became friendly. The season at Finchley ended in September and the pool closed. Sean went back to his milk round, but he was sacked and reinvented himself as Lord Manchester, attempting to take candid photographs of passers by, and accosting them for money. He was pitched up on Holloway Road next to a newspaper stall run by a friend of his, known locally as the Eggmane.<sup><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/ja-mein-bischof.html#fn1" id="ref1">1</a></sup> Sean was told by the police to cease this behaviour on pain of arrest; he then came to me (I was now working at Hornsey Road Public Baths) asking if I could get him a job as a lifeguard.</div>
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And that's the tip of the iceberg. From thereon in, Chesham's recollections become decidedly more sinister:</div>
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He [Sean] was a great coach but a hard taskmaster. If I was not training hard enough he used to shout "Schnell, schnell ...dummkopfen English, eggs and bacon Englishman”, and when he really got angry..."You vill be shot at dawn"... At the time, I thought it was just his strange sense of humour, although I did find it somewhat disturbing, and it was certainly embarrassing as he often shouted this sort of thing in public (at that stage).</div>
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We're then lead to the 'phoney Nazi scandal', coverage of his Church's membership and his animosity toward Farrant. Chesham claims Manchester 'was always very reluctant to discuss the Highgate Vampire case at group dinners et cetera', but I'm aware of <b><a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/prevalence-of-secret-recordings.html">one notorious exception</a></b>. What's particularly disturbing, however, is the kind of table talk Manchester (allegedly) <i>would</i> make:</div>
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but I do remember that often, just when the conversation was being diverted away, he would find some reason to slip in one of his favourite Goebbels quotes; that is: "<i>If you tell a big enough lie and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.</i>" I never had much interest in the vampire business by which Sean made his name, but I do recall that whenever he used this phrase, even in unrelated contexts, he and Eggmanne would smile and exchange knowing looks, which made the rest of the party feel rather left out and uncomfortable through their ignorance.</div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Goebbels"><b>Joseph Goebbels</b></a> (1897–1945)—for those not-in-the-know—was the Minister for Propaganda under the Nazi regime and 'one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers'.</div>
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It gets worse from there. Chesham claims Manchester implied violent actions should be taken against Farrant, 'as long as there was no actual involvement or come back for him.' There's also a discussion on alleged 'cyber warfare': <br />
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He boasted about the list of aliases inscribed upon it, and how he used them regularly in a form of cyber warfare, in that, as he described it, he would search the internet for any forum which mentioned himself, David Farrant, or the Highgate Vampire. His modus operandi as he described it was to create an argument, then argue against it under up to 4 or 5 aliases until the conversation got so heated that the forum was closed down.</blockquote>
This certainly puts <b>Craig Adams</b>' <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/is-dennis-crawford-actually-fake.html"><b>compilation of usernames</b></a> in a whole new light. In internet lingo, such 'identities' are called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sock_puppet_%28internet%29"><b>sockpuppets</b></a>; 'online identit[ies] used for purposes of deception.'<br />
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At this point, you might be wondering why Chesham still chose to remain friends with Manchester, if these allegations hold water. According to him, the turning point came when he and his wife were visiting Manchester for Christmas dinner in 2007. While there, they were invited to a 'locked room upstairs' and—take a look at the photos in Chesham's extract. You'll see for yourself.<br />
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As of this writing, Manchester hasn't commented on Chesham's allegations, but is certainly aware of them. But a blogger named '<b>Steatoda Nobilis</b>' has risen to the challenge. Previously known for their blog, <a href="http://friends--of--david--farrant.blogspot.com.au/"><b><i>Friends of David Farrant</i></b></a>, a compilation of photographs publicly identifying many of Farrant's alleged friends—many of which have been cribbed from Facebook pages—recently created a blog called <a href="http://kevinchesham.blogspot.com.au/"><b><i>Kevin Chesham — Triathlete</i></b></a> (not to be confused with Chesham's blog of the same name). It is frequently revised, but clearly intends to give the impression that Chesham, himself, has—or had—fascist sympathies, too.<br />
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The anonymous blogger's counter-'evidence', however, is flimsy at best. For instance, <a href="http://kevinchesham.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/kevin-chesham-kerry-bolton-connection.html"><b>one entry</b></a> states, 'Kevin Chesham paying homage to Adolf Hitler in Berlin, a place he has visited many times', but the only 'homage' shown, is Chesham standing next to a picture of Hitler.<br />
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Interestingly, the blogger suggests a personal familiarity with Chesham, even though no such thing is disclosed in their <b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/07683485293768523132">profile</a></b> or in the blog. Apart from reproducing pictures not found in other online sources, Nobilis is even able to <a href="http://kevinchesham.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/kevin-chesham.html"><b>provide dates</b></a> ('Kevin Chesham posing in a blackshirt alongside Third Reich militaria in 2003') and <a href="http://kevinchesham.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/kevin-cheshams-fascist-inspiration.html"><b>reproduces a letter</b></a> allegedly written by Chesham in 1998. Unfortunately, many of the images are tainted by Nobilis's horrible 'photoshop' skills.<br />
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Interestingly, Nobilis' profile mentions spiders of their genus are 'have a reputation for biting people, although in truth, this is quite a rare occurrence', adding, 'You would need to be very unlucky, or go out of your way to be bitten. They only bite if mishandled or provoked.' What Chesham—or Farrant's friends, for that matter—have done to 'mishandle' or 'provoke' Nobilis, remains unclear. <br />
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Further counter-allegations have been made by a member of the Facebook group I co-admin, <i>The Highgate Cemetery Vampire Appreciation Society</i>. <b>Vebjørn Hästehufvud</b>, despite professing no affinity with Manchester, also makes tends to make claims on his behalf, like the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/thcvas/277051249035110/?comment_id=277535458986689"><b>following explanation</b></a> for the prevalence of Nazi paraphernalia in Manchester's house: <br />
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He has militaria from medieval times right up to the two world wars. From what I can see, there is little space given to 20th century militaria by comparison to previous centuries of similar material. Anyone visiting would obviously know that, and pictures taken in most of the larger rooms (which he has uploaded) show the 19th century predominating. </blockquote>
This doesn't explain the silver frames surrounding a picture of <b>Adolf Hitler</b> and an article titled 'One in four Germans admires the Nazis' (<i>Daily Mail</i>, 18 October 2007). Nor does it explain the prevalence of Nazi paraphernalia or books. Hästehufvud's idea of a 'little space' is an entire wall and bookshelf crammed with writings about der Führer; mingled with works on vampirism, horror and the occult, no less.<br />
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Interestingly, one of the photographs features a portrait of Manchester wearing an armband representing the Christian Nationalist Movement. '<b>Raggety</b>', a contributor to Chesham's blog <a href="http://kevchesham.blogspot.com.au/p/lets-play-shops.html"><b>suggests</b></a> the picture was taken 'opposite the house of Br [sic] Sean’s late parents!' This, despite Manchester's <a href="http://therightreverendseanmanchester.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/political-affiliation.html"><b>claim</b></a> that 'at no time owed political affiliation to any party', adding 'I have absolutely no faith in the political system and suspect I would be found unacceptable to most parties making an approach today as my allegiance is not to Caesar but to God.'<br />
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In that case, you gotta wonder why Manchester's name <a href="http://www.causes.com/profiles/16158646/causes"><b>appears here</b></a>, especially as he's also the patron of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-English-Society/227073897386091"><b>The English Society</b></a>, which was 'Inspired by a love for English culture, language, history, heritage and Christian Faith with a sense of pride in all that is unique and wonderful about England and the English people', and lined with alarmist articles.<br />
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According to Raggety's comments on Chesham's extract, the final work will be '<span lang="EN-GB">a free E-Book', although a publication date has not been set.</span><br />
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<sup id="fn1">1. 'Eggmanne' [sic] is mentioned several times in Chesham's extract. I'm not sure why Chesham sticks to the pseudonym, as 'Eggmanne''s identity was already established in Seán Manchester's <i>The vampire hunter's handbook: a concise vampirological guide</i>, Gothic Press, London, pp. 62–3: Tony Hill [Anthony Arthur Robert Hill]. The book is also cited on Manchester's Holy Grail Church website. See: <a href="http://www.holygrail-church.fsnet.co.uk/FarrantFacts.htm">http://www.holygrail-church.fsnet.co.uk/FarrantFacts.htm</a>. </sup><sup id="fn1"></sup><sup id="fn1"> </sup></div>
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<sup id="fn1">Demant also discusses the Hill-Eggman connection—see: <a href="http://plan9.150m.com/whiteghost.htm">http://plan9.150m.com/whiteghost.htm</a>—and Farrant refers to 'The Eggmanne' as 'an old friend of mine', see: <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/TheHumanTouch/?p=645">http://davidfarrant.org/TheHumanTouch/?p=645</a>.<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/ja-mein-bischof.html#ref1" title="Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.">↩</a></sup></div>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6664065167745430575.post-56881555706618950842012-02-10T06:33:00.000+11:002012-02-10T06:41:34.436+11:00Diminishing responsibility<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoWC1YXi0_aXb9TaM2IPs_0aHxCPv0rvQuUO66UFsbp4MYAiJlD3BfiTwbxllXR0EhyZdv5Y2qGH_2-u_cIIXHmw2x5R3L5Ycvny4gXkk0oBsxhpRlo7yQK6ZTYgAYcNyJfVp9f3A-91c/s1600/shooting_the_final_arrow_200_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoWC1YXi0_aXb9TaM2IPs_0aHxCPv0rvQuUO66UFsbp4MYAiJlD3BfiTwbxllXR0EhyZdv5Y2qGH_2-u_cIIXHmw2x5R3L5Ycvny4gXkk0oBsxhpRlo7yQK6ZTYgAYcNyJfVp9f3A-91c/s200/shooting_the_final_arrow_200_01.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/features/2003/10/shooting_the_final_arrow.shtml">BBC</a></td></tr>
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It seems <b>Della Farrant</b>'s got an axe to grind with <b>Barbara Green</b>. For some reason.</div>
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Green's president of the Yorkshire Robin Hood Society and believes <b>Robin Hood</b> was buried at Kirklees Hall Estate.<br />
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She also has the rare distinction of being aligning with both sides of the Highgate vampire case's feuding overlords, <b>Sean Manchester</b> and <b>David Farrant</b>. They've both served as Patrons of the YRHS; the latter as part of a 'calculated snub', in <b>Kai Roberts</b>' <b><a href="http://lowercalderlegends.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/robin-hoods-grave-kirklees-park-part-two/">opinion</a></b>.</div>
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As of this writing, Della's devoted three blog entries to Green's 2001 book, <i>Secrets of the grave</i> (<a href="http://dellafarrant.org/?p=140"><b>here</b></a>, <a href="http://dellafarrant.org/?p=148"><b>here</b></a> and <a href="http://dellafarrant.org/?p=165"><b>here</b></a>), all of which take potshots at her; increasingly personal in attack. Indeed, the latter post makes several jibes about her mental state—'Anyway, a parting treat is presented below for any of you who can stomach it – it might help if you are a fan of the film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’'—etc.</div>
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Della never really explains her 'beef', but perhaps the clue's in her aggrandising coverage of David's role as patron. She 'lets him off' scott-free: 'As a well known psychic investigator of some standing, and ‘considered the sane one of the bunch’ viz the YRHS, David Farrant (who was at one stage persuaded against his better judgement to act as Patron for said ‘society’) has benefited from a mutually reciprocal relationship over the years with Dr David Hepworth, a close friend and practical and academic advisor of Lady Armytage (referred to by some as her manager).'</div>
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It's rather strange she'd give her husband 'innocent fair maiden' status, chaste as the driven snow, as 'persuaded' waylays the reader into thinking he was somehow <i>conned</i> into the role. Far from it, it's something he openly embraced. </div>
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I'm sure, for instance, that no one <i>made</i> him take part in a 'blessing ceremony' at the gravesite on 20 April 2005 in the presence of film cameras, any more than anyone <i>made</i> him pen <a href="http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/community/your-say/letters-and-emails/robin_hood_sites_are_our_heritage_1_1914543"><b>this letter</b></a> to the <i>Halifax Courier</i> in 2008. I'm equally sure no one <i>made</i> him <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/TheHumanTouch/?p=420"><b>promote</b></a> Green's article on the supposed Kirklees conspirary in 2009—even though he pooh-poohed the idea <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/TheHumanTouch/?p=85"><b>two years before</b></a>, voicing scepticism the <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/TheHumanTouch/?p=86"><b>day after that post</b></a>, yet still choosing to be the society's patron.</div>
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Della also overlooks the fact that he attempted to arrange <i>another</i> visit to the gravesite—in 2010 (<a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/grave-intent-pt-1.html"><b>part 1</b></a>; <a href="http://dawwih.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/grave-intent-pt-2.html"><b>part 2</b></a>). If these were mere blips in David's 'better judgement', then let me remind you he maintained his role as the YRHS's patron over a <i>ten year</i> period.</div>
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Indeed, the tenth year, 2010, marked a turning point. He was replaced—David <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/TheHumanTouch/?p=1272"><b>says</b></a> he 'resigned'—by a <a href="http://www.openzine.com/aspx/ReadMore.aspx?ID=94581&lid=89&IssueID=15356&zineID=0&divid=425"><b>new Patron</b></a>: <b>John Pope de Locksley</b>, better-known as <b>John Pope</b>.</div>
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Could this all stem from a case of 'sour grapes'? If not, why did David align himself with the society for so long? Perhaps the answer's in his <a href="http://davidfarrant.org/TheHumanTouch/?p=1573"><b>latest post</b></a> on his involvement with the YRHS: 'There has also been renewed activity on the filmed project involving Gareth J. Medway, Barbara Green and a couple of other assistants on the subject of Robin Hood’s (reputed) grave at Kirklees. I understand this film is now near completion, and will be released publicly later this year. Maybe even at the Brighouse Gala? – and I cannot think of a more glamorous and appropriate setting for its debut.'<br />
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It's the same film for which the camera's rolled on David's blessing ceremony in 20 April 2005. </div>Anthony Hogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17960694581776199125noreply@blogger.com0