Questions Answered...Mostly!

I recently posed some questions to the Bishop on his blog, in comment form.

The comments have been deleted, but were subsumed into his blog entry, "From DNA to Demons".

Let's have a look at some of his responses.

Firstly, he absolves himself of making the claim that he is the descendant of Lord Byron:

The claim that I am connected to the poet by blood is not mine; it is that of my forebears, supported by Byron scholars, chief among whom is Professor Leslie A Marchand (see Acknowledgements in Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know). Their claim is my legacy.

Yet, in his unpublished memoir, Stray Ghosts, he writes:

Nonetheless, I was conceived during October 1943, as the war in Europe prepared to reach its climax. Thus, nine months later, came into the world “the great, great, great grandson of the famous poet, through an illicit liaison between his lordship and a maid at Newstead Abbey.” [The Highgate Vampire, British Occult Society, 1985, page 123.]

The citation from The Highgate Vampire: The Infernal World of the Undead Unearthed at London's Famous Highgate Cemetery and Environs (London: British Occult Society, 1985) is particularly interesting for its incompleteness.

You see, the actual sentence in the book is prefigured with, "According to a family legend".

Next up is his refusal to disclose other members of the World Union of Vampirologists.

The only mention I have seen of this elusive, apparently global organisation is in Manchester's entry in the 2004 edition of International Who's Who of Authors and Writers (p. 366), in which, under "Honours", the group is referred to as, "World Union of Vampirologists and Exorcists".

Indeed, this seems to be the only allusion to its very existence.

Try googling it. You'll see what I mean.

Coupled with Manchester's refusal to disclose the names of any of its other members, and we are left with a very troubling picture.

Next up, is whether or not he received any payment for the publication of his article, "The Kirklees Vampire" in The Unexplained 38 (1992).

He maintains that he wasn't "the beneficiery" of the payment. "Any sum would have been donated to Ecclesia Apostolica Jesu Christi."

To supplement this altruism, I should mention that a note in The Highgate Vampire (1985) says that, "All proceeds from this book will be contributed to the Church of the Holy Grail".

In this light, I should also disclose that on Good Friday, 1973, Manchester lead the foundation of the Ordo Sancti Graal for "the restoration of the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Great Britain."

This, in turn, lead to the founding of the modern incarnation of Ecclesia Apostolica Jesu Christi, which is presided over by...The Right Reverend Seán Manchester, O.S.G.

Now, onto the matter of speaking on the Bishop's behalf.

I've frequently said (read the comments here) that "Demonologist" (TFO) does not have this right. Manchester backs up my assertation when he says:

Nobody is authorised to speak in my stead. This does not preclude friends and associates coming to my defence, which choice is theirs to make and not mine to deny.

This is especially amusing in light of VRS member, TFO, saying, "You have no no way of knowing whether what I do has the "authority" or not of Bishop Seán Manchester."

He then answers my query about his thoughts on Matthew 5: 39-44, saying:

Without wanting to take this passage out of context from the entirety of what Jesus Christ is recorded as having said, I feel it nonetheless crucial for those who follow Him.

For the record, here's what the verses say (King James Version):

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have [thy] cloke also.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

In light of the "feud" between Manchester and Farrant, his response is quite poignant.

The Bishop stopped answering my questioned at number 8, stating, "TO BE CONTINUED WHEN TIME ALLOWS ..."

As quoted by Manchester, he's the rest of what I asked:

8. Do you disapprove of my username, "The Overseer", and, if so, do you approve of its use by a VRS member who appropriated it "in protest"? 9. In the first edition of "The Highgate Vampire" (1985), why was there no disclosure that the photographic depictions of Luisa were actually those of a model? And, why did you choose to employ a model to recreate "scenes" with Luisa, in the first place? 10. In 1973, you founded the Ordo Sancti Graal. Yet, in the first edition of "The Highgate Vampire" (1985), you refer to yourself as "not pre-eminently religious" and "a secular person handling consecrated material as a protection against hostile psychic forces, I am practicing 'white magic'." What happened in the gap between you founding a Christian order and engaging in the occult (like the necromantic summoning of Luisa, as detailed in the same book)?

I eagerly look forward to the answers for those questions, as well.

Mmmm. Stake.

I perhaps jumped the gun a bit in asking the Bishop, "How many vampires have you dispatched in the "ancient and approved manner"?"

That is, staking them through the heart and cutting off their heads.

Rita Miller, a cultural anthropologist, already expressed interest in this facet of the Bishop's career, and queried him thusly:

In the “So Weird” interview with the BBC, you state you have exorcised scores of vampires. Can you elaborate a little – just how many and where were these beings were located? Can you give the year you exorcised the vampires?

The "So Weird" interview in question, can be read here.

A bloke by the name of Mr Papachumba asked him, "So how many vampires have you caught?"

To which the Bishop replied, "Scores. I have personally exorcised quite a number. Precise number I couldn't tell you. But after 33 years of vampire hunting, quite a few."

A similar line of questioning can be found in the VRS website's "FAQ" page.

The question responded to is, "How many vampires has the Vampire Research Society encountered?"

The response claims that, "The Vampire Research Society has probably now lost count of the number of vampires its members, and those who bring to it their knowledge and experiences, have encountered."

Let's get back to Rita's questions.

Regarding the "So Weird" interview, the Bishop makes the following claims in his blog post, "Exorcism":

Throughout the BBC internet interview, which followed a vampire programme on BBC2 television, much of what I said became altered and sometimes lost in translation. As I am sure you will appreciate, the questions came thick and fast. Moreover, as I replied with what I felt to be minimum yet essential detail, some poor soul was attempting to type an abbreviated form of my responses into a BBC computer. So when looking through the dialogue one must take into account its transliterated summary of my actual answers. That notwithstanding, the bare bones of what I was attempting to communicate managed to surface, albeit the worse due to an unavoidably hasty exhumation.

There's still the question over just how many vampires the Bishop has dispatched. Note that even the years of these alleged encounters (as per Rita's request), has also been side-stepped.

The closest we get to a direct answer is this:

There are obvious reasons why I would not want to get involved in just how many have been encountered by me and my colleagues. It is, of course, more than the two recorded encounters and exorcisms in the published account of the Highgate investigation.

The only other case even given a modicum of such publicity, by Manchester, is the 1990 vampire-hunting vigil that took place in the woods near Kirklees Hall Estate. He originally wrote about it in "The Kirklees Vampire", which appeared in The Unexplained 38 (1992). It is also given some coverage on the VRS website.

The VRS's "FAQ" page also mentions an investigation at Abney Park Cemetery.

Apart from those, we are told very, very little else about the allegedly numerous cases in the VRS's archives.

Why is this?

Why have these cases been aired for the public and the multitude of other cases they claim to have investigated, hidden from the light of day?

What is it about Highgate, Kirklees and Abney Park that take precedent over the rest?

Some Questions for the Bish

I decided to post some questions to the Bishop's blog, Bishop † Seán † Manchester. The same blog, incidentally, that Lone Stranger gave coverage to, here.

In respect to the Bishop's "sign off with your real Christian name" policy (and because there could be a chance my questions wouldn't get responded to, otherwise), I posted my queries under my real name.

Here's what I asked:

1. Have you ever had DNA testing to verify your claim that you are descended from Lord Byron?

2. Can you name any other members of the World Union of Vampirologists?

3. Did you receive any payment for your article, "The Kirklees Vampire" for "The Unexplained"?

4. Do you use any other usernames online? If so, what are they?

5. How many vampires have you dispatched in the "ancient and approved manner"?

6. Have you given anyone any authorisation to talk on your behalf, on the Internet? If so, who?

7. What are your thoughts on Matthew 5:39-44?

8. Do you disapprove of my username, "The Overseer", and, if so, do you approve of its use by a VRS member who appropriated it "in protest"?

9. In the first edition of "The Highgate Vampire" (1985), why was there no disclosure that the photographic depictions of Luisa were actually those of a model? And, why did you choose to employ a model to recreate "scenes" with Luisa, in the first place?

10. In 1973, you founded the Ordo Sancti Graal. Yet, in the first edition of "The Highgate Vampire" (1985), you refer to yourself as "not pre-eminently religious" and "a secular person handling consecrated material as a protection against hostile psychic forces, I am practicing "white magic"." What happened in the gap between you founding a Christian order and engaging in the occult (like the necromantic summoning of Luisa, as detailed in the same book)?

I eagerly await his responses.

Trespassing on Private Property

In a recent comment, "Demonologist" (TFO) disputed some items I wrote concerning the Bishop's investigation into the Kirklees Vampire.

I stated that the Bishop had trespassed on private property to carry out his "vigil". I also said that Manchester himself, admitted this.

TFO's response was, "Where? Please provide the source reference with a verbatim quote."

Let's turn to "The Kirklees Vampire", an article by Sean Manchester that appeared in The Unexplained 38 (1992), p. [761].

The alleged scene of this vampire haunt was a "dense woodland not far from an old, almost forgotten priory gatehouse in the precincts of Kirklees Hall Estate", says the article. However, as this land was in private ownership, Manchester had to obtain permission to conduct his investigation.

In Manchester's own words, here's what happened:

I approached the landowner, Lady Margerete Armytage, and requested permission to hold a vigil and carry out a number of experiments near the tomb. Unfortunately this was not granted.

Take note of the admittance, "this was not granted."

Especially when just a couple of paragraphs later, Manchester says:

It was now time to organise an unofficial vampire hunt, which finally went ahead on the evening of Sunday, 22 April 1990.

This sentence helps kill two birds with one stone.

You see, TFO also previously disputed that it was Manchester's intention to hold a vampire-hunting vigil:

Except that Seán Manchester's vigil was not a "vampire-hunting vigil." It was a vigil to determine what the nature of the disturbances might be.

There's not much room to determine what the "nature" of a "disturbance" might be, if one blatantly admits to holding "an unofficial vampire hunt", is there?

I also stated that Manchester had "anti-vampire gear" on his person. Demonologist's response was: "What "anti-vampire gear"?"

Let's refer back to the article again:

I unfastened my large bag of accoutrements and removed an armoury of crucifixes, holy water, garlic, candles and all known vampire-repellents, before continuing.

That anti-vampire gear.

Props for Lone Stranger

In spite of its satiric tone, I've really gotta give Lone Stranger's Net Curtains Lurkers due credit.

Sure, David might have fastened himself to it like a sea lamprey so he'll have yet another outlet for his usual anti-Manchester diatribes, but that doesn't detract from some great stuff being printed there.

As of this writing, I'm talking specifically about "Crybaby Manchester Tries Another Take Down", in which the Bishop is revealed to be a tad overzealous (and misguided) in protecting his "copyright" (thus, inadvertently revealing himself to be a reader of Mr. Stranger's blog); "Sean's Fake Medal Uncovered", in which the validity of certain medals and titles in Manchester's possession, are questioned; "The Smoking Gun", an exposé of an eBay member who ships satanic paraphernalia from the good Bishop's home address; and, of course, "Paper Credentials in Flames – Sean Rumbled Yet Again", which dissects the Bishop's entry in the 2004 edition of the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers.

I give a teeny bit of coverage to Manchester's entry in that book in the previous entry.

I always did suspect there was something a tad suss about the "World Union of Vampirologists".