Grave Intent, Pt. 1

I don't usually discuss the Kirklees Vampire Case on this blog, but the latest rumblings of a proposed "investigation" are notable for their sheer audacity.

On April 22, 1990, Sean Manchester conducted an "unofficial vampire hunt" at the Kirklees Hall Estate, to determine the source of alleged supernatural phenomena reported in the area. He had previously requested permission to hold a "vigil" on the grounds from its owner, Lady Margarete Armytage. When this wasn't granted, he proceeded with the hunt, anyway. This act was subsequently watered down by the Vampire Research Society.

Nearly 15 years later, the site was trespassed by another group. It was lead by Barbara Green, president and founder of the Yorkshire Robin Hood Society (YRHS). Also present were Catherine Fearnley, Gareth J. Medway and David Farrant, the Society's Patron. Their intent: to "conduct a full-scale exorcism at the grave". This occurred on April 20, 2005.

So, what's the Robin Hood connection? The grave in question is (allegedly) the last resting place of the legendary outlaw. However, the evidence for this claim is incredibly flimsy (see: here, here and here). Yet, it's not Robin's ghost who's meant to haunt the area, but a "wicked prioress" who (allegedly) bled him to death at Kirklees Gatehouse, nearby. Historical record is noticeably silent on this (alleged) murderess.

Back to the "exorcism". What's the connection between this spectre to the grave? Sightings of a strange apparition have been reported there, and according to Farrant, Green, herself, actually witnessed it "pointing" at the tomb. Armed with this "proof", the following rationale and course of action took place:

Stories and controversy continued to surround the grave until, in the latter part of 2004, the Yorkshire Robin Hood Society decided that perhaps the best way to 'quiet' the restless phenomenon said to haunt the grave, and to thereby put at rest the fears of many local residents in the process, was to conduct an official exorcism at the gravesite to dispel the malevolent force - or forces - there.

The nature of this "malevolent force" has wavered over time. Indeed, despite Farrant's dismissals of the vampire hypothesis in the same article, Green previously gave it some serious consideration. At one point, after Manchester offered his patronage to the YRHS, he had proposed a vampire theory to her, concerning Robin Hood's death. When she was interviewed by Rosemary Ellen Guiley for Vampires Among Us (New York: Pocket Books, 1991), she told her that "it seemed worth pursuing" (129).

Indeed, the book also relates a visit Green made to the tomb with "a small band of like-minded friends, dressed in period costumes from Robin Hood's day" in April 1990, where they found "the body of a goat with its throat torn open, which they took as another sign of something evil afoot" (130).

Clearly, the prospect of "something evil" at the site has long influenced the YRHS's so-called "investigations" of the tomb. Their desire to dispel it, has even lead them to breaking the law. You see, none of the visits to the tomb were authorised by the property's owner, Lady Armytage. The "full-scale exorcism" of April 20, 2005, was also unauthorised as Barbara boasts (see May 23, 2010 at 07:02 comment):

Local people have always gone up to the grave so finally that is what we did. When we heard all the posh or “important”people were allowed access of course we were miffed. So okay we did get a bit infected with the spirit of Robin Hood–it was exciting trespassing and we felt we had a right to show our respects, even if some people deny his existence there are plenty of other bodies on the hillside, outside the consecrated grounds of the nunnery.

Yet, the "respects shown" mainly consisted of an hour-long pagan ceremony conducted by Medway, in which he invoked three ancient Greek goddesses: Athena, Hecate and Themis. Did any overt manifestations of supernatural activity occur while this ritual was performed? Here's what Medway reported: "What I did notice was that, when I arrived, I felt very cold and my nose kept running, but that after the ritual I did not notice the temperature at all." David elaborates on this seemingly unnatural coldness in the same article:

This group, accompanied by some others, met at the grave site at around 7 p.m. - several of them having approached from different directions to avoid suspicion from one large group of people travelling together.

It was a forlorn evening; not too cold, but a stubborn 'dampness' pervaded the atmosphere. As well, all observed a distinct 'coldness' that seemed to encompass the actual grave within an area of two feet or more. Thermal readings confirmed this, but compass alignments reacted unpredictably - although the latter could have been caused by the old rusty railings that surrounded most of the grave.

The need to "avoid suspicion" was necessary, of course, because they were trespassing on private property. Another explanation for the mysterious cold and "dampness", which is unexplored in David's report, is the actual location itself. Here's a picture of the tomb. See if you can work out why these atmospheric conditions may have been present during the "fast approaching darkness":


One also has to question the "respects shown" when you realise that this ritual was also filmed for an intended documentary. As Barbara's chronology reveals, Red Monkey had approached the YRHS in 2004, requesting an interview for an upcoming feature. The film's still in post-production, which Barbara believes is part of a conspiracy to stifle her Society's efforts (note her comments under username "damiana").

In the next instalment, I'll discuss current plans for another venture to the gravesite.

Plagiarism: Not So Enigmatic

In his response to the latest Mel Gibson scandal, the Bishop says "He is obviously something of an enigma; but, then, in some people's eyes, I daresay so am I." Unfortunately, this principle doesn't apply to the Bishop's plagiaristic activities.

After all, it's pretty hard to be "mysterious" in the face of Google; a plagiarism-detector anyone can use. Time and time again, I've exposed him as a blatant plagiarist. Rather than admit it, he'll delete the incriminating post or turn nasty. Strange actions for a man of the cloth.

The latest example, "Mel Gibson", shows how his heavily his "answers" to reader queries rely on Wikipedia. He just can't bring himself to cite their actual source. But, once again, Google comes to the rescue. Here's a few points of comparison. Firstly, the Bishop's blog entry:

Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney when he was twelve-years-old. He later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.

And now, Wikipedia's "Mel Gibson" page:

Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.

Here's what the Bishop says about Mel's Traditionalist Catholic background:

Gibson was raised a Traditionalist Catholic. When asked about the Catholic doctrine of Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus, Gibson replied: "There is no salvation for those outside the Church ... I believe it. Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She's a much better person than I am. Honestly. She's ... Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it's just not fair if she doesn't make it, she's better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it." When he was asked whether John 14: 6 is an intolerant position, he said that "through the merits of Jesus' sacrifice ... even people who don't know Jesus are able to be saved, but through Him." Acquaintance Father William Fulco has said that Gibson denies neither the Pope nor Vatican II. Gibson told Diane Sawyer that he believes non-Catholics and non-Christians can go to heaven.

Which was also obviously cribbed from Wikipedia's "Mel Gibson" page:

Gibson was raised a Traditionalist Catholic. When asked about the Catholic doctrine of "Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus", Gibson replied, "There is no salvation for those outside the Church ... I believe it. Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She's a much better person than I am. Honestly. She's... Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it's just not fair if she doesn't make it, she's better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it." When he was asked whether John 14:6 is an intolerant position, he said that "through the merits of Jesus' sacrifice... even people who don't know Jesus are able to be saved, but through him." Acquaintance Father William Fulco has said that Gibson denies neither the Pope nor Vatican II. Gibson told Diane Sawyer that he believes non-Catholics and non-Christians can go to heaven.

You'll also find that the Bishop resorts to a lil Internet Theology 101 when discussing beliefs concerning the Virgin Mary as "co-redemptrix": portions of "his" writings have been taken from Wikipedia's "Co-Redemptrix" page.

To his credit, the Bishop doesn't just rely on Wikipedia to "write" his blog entry: he also steals from ReligiousTolerance.org, too. Compare this from the Bishop:

Mel Gibson's precise religious affiliation is obscure in most people's eyes. He once considered entering the Roman Catholic priesthood. He has described himself as "an old-fashioned Catholic," and has made speeches opposing abortion access, the use of contraceptives, and equal treatement and rights for homosexuals and lesbians as heterosexuals receive. Gibson experienced a spiritual crisis in the mid-1990s at the age of thirty-five. He told The New Yorker magazine: "I got to a desperate place ... And I just hit my knees. I had to use [Christ's] wounds to heal my wounds." During September 2002 he revealed that he no longer believed in the Roman Catholic Church as an institution, saying: "I agree with everyone who says the Vatican is a wolf in sheep's clothing."

With this extract from ReligiousTolerance.org's "About Mel Gibson" page:

Gibson's precise religious affiliation is unclear. He once considered entering the Roman Catholic priesthood. He has described himself as "an old-fashioned Catholic." He has made speeches opposing abortion access, the use of contraceptives, and equal rights for gays and lesbians. He experienced a spiritual crisis in the mid 1990s at the age of 35. Gibson told The New Yorker magazine: "I got to a desperate place...And I just hit my knees. I had to use [Christ's] wounds to heal my wounds." During 2002-SEP, he revealed that he no longer believed in the Roman Catholic Church as an institution. He said: "I agree with everyone who says the Vatican is a wolf in sheep's clothing."

In the midst of all this copy-n-pasting, the Bishop leaves room for some of his own scanty thoughts, and indicates, that, yes, there appears to be a conspiracy perpetuated against Gibson: "I regard him as a talented, albeit troubled, soul who might very well be facing a conspiracy to ruin his career since the making of The Passion of the Christ."

Hmm, yes. I'm sure his career tailspin has nothing to do with alcoholism, anti-semetic and other racist remarks, oh, and those horrendeous leaked phone calls to his ex, Oksana Grigorieva. But I digress.

Going by recent comments made by Gareth J. Medway, one of Farrant's close associates, plagiarism's not just restricted to the Bishop's blog. Seems like the printed word cops a fair serve, too:

A few pages back 'Vampire Researcher' was complaining that 'Man, Myth and Manchester' contained material that belonged to someone else's copyright. He did not mention that issues 6 and 7 of that booklet series drew attention to the fact that a certain biography of Lady Caroline Lamb was verbally almost identical to the two previous biographies of Lamb by Henry Blythe and Elizabeth Jenkins. Also, that a book about the 'Grail Church' contained almost nothing that was not to be previously found in various books about 'Celtic Christianity', such as those that were sold in the 1960s at Arnold Leese House in Notting Hill Gate. (The late Arnold Leese had been the author of 'Out of Step: Incidents in the two lives of an anti-Jewish camel doctor'; he fell out with Owsald Mosley, and nicknamed him 'The Kosher Fascist'.) These plagiarisms certainly violate other people's copyright.

The "certain biography" would be Manchester's Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know: The Life of Lady Caroline Lamb (1992); a work he keenly promotes elsewhere:


Hopefully the Bishop and his supporters will learn a lesson about leveling "copyright violation" charges against their opponents. If not, then they should turn to Matthew 7:3 for a reminder.

Stone Free

A friend of David's, Gareth J. Medway (i.e., the mature, articulate one) recently chimed in on Arcadia, discussing my views on ghosts.

His post incorporated references to something I know as the Stone Tape Theory:

It is also widely thought that many 'ghost' manifestations are what have been termed 'psychic tape recordings', that is to say, occult memories of things that happened in the past, and quite independent of what may have become of the indwelling spirits of, for instance, Roman soldiers marching through York.

For those not in the know, the Theory holds that under the right circumstances, events of the past are imprinted on the "fabric" of time and can occasionally "replay" for an audience in the present. That's a very basic summation.

But, as Dave Wood's "Stone Tape Theory: An Exploration" explains:

Spiritualism can be a faith and assumption driven way of life; if one has a faith-based assumption that there is a connection between psychic events and stones and crystals then stone tape theory is a natural progression and requires no scientific justification. Other investigators, however, self-define as scientific researchers. For such investigators stone tape theory has no sound theoretical or evidential basis and should be discarded from their dictionary of paranormal terminology.

Either way, one can't apply this Theory to the Highgate Case. Otherwise, we'd be admitting that these "psychic imprints" are able to interact with people.

David's report mentions that the paranormal manifestation at Highgate were said to be of "a tall dark-draped figure with hypnotic red eyes that confronted unsuspecting people wandering around the cemetery by day", among other manifestations.

His report also mentions attacks on people:

Sightings of this apparition were numerous and it was even said to have ’attacked’ two people in Swain’s Lane outside the cemetery by pushing them to the ground ’with tremendous force’ before suddenly disappearing into the surrounding darkness. One of these ’attacks’ had been upon a young nurse back in 1970 who claimed that she had been thus ’attacked’ by a tall dark figure that had thrown her powerfully to the ground causing abrasions to her knees and elbows. Luckily, at this moment, a car came along and the figure disappeared in the glare of the headlights. Seeing that she was badly shaken, the driver took her to Highgate Police Station who immediately made a thorough search of the area. They found nothing although interestingly, at the place the figure had appeared, Swains Lane was by 15-foot high walls.

And not just any kind of attack, either, as The Highgate Vampire Society page reveals:

David Farrant was not in Highgate Cemetery for such a purpose [vampire hunting -ed.] and denied the charge of which he was acquitted, but not without the case attracting the attention of the world wide Press who established this apparition’s identity as a ‘fully-fledged vampire’. In fact, David Farrant had never stated that it was, although he did say when pushed on the matter that the reported entity seemed to take on vampire-like characteristics, or rather, that some reports about it had done so.

Bypassing those revisionist comments, David elaborates on the nature of the "attacks" in his interview with International Vampire Magazine:

Why was I inclined to admit or suggest that this particular entity or phenomenon pointed towards being "vampirical"? ... Well, during the course of the investigation it came to light that at least two independent people had been physically attacked by some unknown person or entity whilst they were passing the Cemetery late at night. They were thrown to the ground with considerable force by a figure that literally disappeared into nowhere: despite the fact that where these attacks occurred - in a small lane running alongside the Cemetery - the area was boarded by 12 foot high walls.

How can a mere "image" attack people in this manner?

Thus, I think it's safe to say that the Stone Tape Theory can be safely ruled out as an explanation for this alleged phenomena.