otherworld north east research society journal volume v, 2011

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OTHERWORLD NORTH EAST

Research Society Journal

VOLUME V, 2011

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Otherworld North East Research Society Journal

Volume V: 2011

This volume is a collection of website articles originally posted on the Otherworld NorthEast website between 2010-2011. This collection was produced in 2013. Edited by TonyLiddell.

http://www.otherworldnortheast.org.uk

Otherworld North East Research Society Journal Volume V © Otherworld North East. Allrights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, stored or introduced into aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior permission of Otherworld NorthEast.

The Otherworld North East Research Society (OWNE) is a not-for-profit investigation andresearch association whose aim is to collate and examine the physical evidence for ghostsand other alleged supernatural occurrences with an objective eye. The Society is not anentertainment-based business, and do not run commercial ghost walks, nights or other similar events: we are not ghost-hunters, instead we simply seek to examine any physicalevidence brought forward that is commonly perceived to belong to alleged supernaturalphenomena. Otherworld North East was founded in August 2003 and is based in the NorthEast of England (though the Society has and will investigate outside of this area), withcurrent investigative members based in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durhamand Teesside.



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Volume V, Journal 2011

Contents

1. The Hexham Heads

by Tony Liddell 3

2. The Pollock Reincarnation Case

by Sheila Convey 5

3. The Ghost of la Sagesse

by Sheila Convey 8

4. The Haunting of Historic Dilston

by Tony Liddell 11

5. Solo Vigils - Have they any Value?

by Lee Munro 19

6. Long Exposure Photography

by Tony Liddell 22

7. One Man’s Premonition: the Seaham Colliery Disaster

by Sheila Convey 27

8. Taylor’s Tearsby Sheila Convey 32

9. Around and About in Newcastle upon Tyne

by Tardis Smith and Jill Coates 34

10. That Feeling - you can only say what it is in French

by Lee Munro 37

11. The Mill House Poltergeist

by Sheila Convey 4112. Looking Afield: Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees

by Lee Munro 43

13. References 46



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Otherworld North East



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1. The Hexham Heads

By Tony Liddell

HEXHAM IS A MARKET TOWN inNorthumberland with a rich andvaried history spanning several

millenia. The legend of the Hexham headsbegan in 1972 when two young boys fromthe Robson family were playing in their garden and dug up two ancient artefacts:small stone heads about the size of smallorange.

The first was described as vaguelly skull-like in appearance with rough features,possibly masculine with hair carved intothe crown, and was carved from greenish-grey stone with a number of quartzcrystals. The second stone was morerounded and depicted a stern-facedwoman with a prominent nose and hair pulled back into a possible bun. This stonealso showed traces of some form of

pigment on the hair. Both stones weredense and very heavy.

The finding of the stones seems to havesparked a series of sightings of a creaturemany describe as the Hexham Werewolf,said to be the guardian of the stones. A couple of nights after the finding of the stoneswas made public, neighbours of the boys reported that their home was invaded by astrange creature, described as half-wolf, half man that ignored them and seemed to besearching for something. Whilst the creature left the house with nothing to show for itself

other than frightened residents and an open door, this seems to have been enough toprompt the stones being handed over for study.

On top of the wolf-man sightings, the presence of the heads at the Robson householdseemed to spark off a series of allegedly supernatural events, with the heads movingthemselves, objects placed near the heads breaking without cause, and glass shards werefound on the mattresses of some of the house's other residents.



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The Hexham Heads were taken into the possession of Doctor Anne Ross, Research Fellowin Archaeology at the University of Southampton. Labelling the heads broadly 'Celtic' indate, she took them for comparison with other similar artefacts in her possession.However, with the Hexham pair, it seems she got more than she bargained for. Accordingto reports, a couple of nights after taking possession, Ross was woken at 2am and

witnessed a strange creature in her doorway: "It was about six feet high, slightlystooping, and it was black, against the white door, and it was half animal and half man.The upper part, I would have said, was a wolf, and the lower part was human and, I wouldhave again said, that it was covered with a kind of black, very dark fur. It went out and Ijust saw it clearly, and then it disappeared, and something made me run after it, a thing Iwouldn't normally have done, but I felt compelled to run after it. I got out of bed and I ran,and I could hear it going down the stairs, then it disappeared towards the back of thehouse."

Post-event, Ross put her experience down to having a nightmare. However, a couple of

days later her daughter came home one afternoon to find a large creature, described as a'large black shape' on the stairs. Upon her entry, the creature jumped down the stairs andvanished. This was enough for Ross, who then donated the Heads, along with the rest ofher collection of stone heads, to the British Museum, where they only appeared on publicdisplay a short time before they were removed due to 'mysterious occurrences'.

At that point, the Hexham Heads vanished from the public view, and have not been seensince.



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2. The Pollock Reincarnation Case

By Sheila Convey

REINCARNATION IS THE CONCEPT OF an individual dying and then being reborn intoanother body. Many Westerners believe it is only the inhabitants of South-east Asiawho believe in reincarnation but many Shiite Moslems of western Asia embrace it

as well as people from East and West Africa. The Africans took it to parts of the populationof Brazil and the native tribes of north-western North America believe in it.Anthropologists have reported the belief amongst the Ainu of Japan and the tribes ofcentral Australia.

In the West it is viewed with scepticism but interest has increased. “A survey conductedin 1968 showed that 18 percent of persons in eight countries of West Europe believed inreincarnation. A similar survey in North America showed that 20 percent of Americans and26 percent of Canadians questioned said that they believed in reincarnation. In later surveys in the United States, 23 percent of the respondents reported in 1982 and 26percent of those reported in the early 1990s said they believed in reincarnation. Similarly,in a later survey in Europe (reported in 1986) 21 percent of the respondents affirmed abelief in reincarnation. In the European surveys of the early 1990s the percentage ofpersons believing in reincarnation had increased still further. For example, in France it was28 percent, in Austria 29 percent, and in Great Britain 29 percent.” (Stevenson, 2001)

A claimed instance of reincarnation is the Pollock case. It comes from Hexham in

Northumberland. Percival John Pollock and Florence Beard married in 1942. John (as hewas known) had converted to Catholicism at the age of nineteen, in 1939. A belief inreincarnation is regarded as heresy in the Catholic faith but John was convinced that hewould get proof that would satisfy the Church. His wife (also a convert) did not share hisviews.

John and Florence had two daughters, Joanna and Jacqueline whilst the family were livingin Hexham. On the 5th May 1957 the girls were going to a children’s mass at the localchurch accompanied by their friend Anthony Layden. Joanna was aged eleven; Jacquelinewas six and Anthony nine. A car, deliberately driven onto the pavement by a woman ran

the children down killing them almost instantly.John was sure that his prayers would be answered and his girls would be reborn. His wifewas horrified by this and it proved a great strain on their marriage but she becamepregnant early in 1958 and John was sure that she would have twin daughters. Florenceremained unconvinced as twin births were unheard of in the family. She consulted thedoctor who assured her that only one heartbeat could be detected. However, on the 4th



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October 1958 Mrs Pollock did indeed give birth to twin girls. The eldest was named Gillianand the younger one Jennifer.

John noticed that Jennifer had a faint thin line above her right eyebrow and rememberedthat Jacqueline, the younger of the dead sisters, had suffered an injury in exactly the same

place when she was three, after falling off her bicycle, which left her with a scar. Jennifer also had a brown birthmark (described as a ‘thumb-print’) on her hip just like the oneJacqueline had.

Florence couldn’t stay in the town where her daughters had been killed and the familymoved to Whitley Bay when the twins were nine months old. Three years later the familyvisited Hexham and according to John the girls immediately ‘knew’ the town. They aresaid to have known where the school was that their dead sisters had attended andidentified their former home. All this, the family claimed, was without any prompting.They appeared to know their way round the area very well and also recognised theplayground that their older sisters had frequented. When the twins were four-years-old

John took out some toys, which had belonged to Joanna and Jacqueline. Jennifer is saidto have correctly named two dolls and gave a toy to her first-born sister that had belongedto the eldest sister.

The Pollocks insisted that they had never discussed the deceased older sisters and Johnsaid that he did not discuss them until the twins were 13-years-old.

Gillian and Jennifer are said to have mirrored the behaviour of their older sisters in thatJennifer was very dependant on her older (twin) sister, Gillian, just as Jacqueline had beenwith Joanna. When the twins were learning to write Gillian immediately held a pencilbetween her finger and thumb but Jennifer grasped hers in a fist. Joanna, at the age ofeleven had been able to write correctly for several years before she died but Jacquelinewho was six, still had the habit of holding hers in a fist.

John Pollock also reported that one day he had found the twins in hysterics. They hadbeen outside quietly playing when they were suddenly plunged into distress, shouting,“The car! The car! It’s coming at us!”

The incidents ceased when Gillian and Jennifer were five and they grew up as normalyoung women without any memories of previous lives. Stevenson said that in later meetings with them “they did not present themselves as offering evidence for

reincarnation, but they did not deny the evidence their parents had obtained fromobserving them when they were young children."

In 1978 Stevenson arranged for blood tests that would show whether the twins werederived from one or two eggs. The results showed that they were monozygotic twins,which means that they are identical and from one egg and as a result have the samegenetic material. Stevenson said, “Since birthmarks of the type Jennifer had aresometimes hereditary, one would expect that if Jennifer’s birthmarks were of genetic



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origin, Gillian would have similar marks. Because she did not have any, we may supposethat some biological aberration during the twins’ gestation produced Jennifer’sbirthmarks but this hypothesis would not account for their close correspondence in sizeand location to the marks on Jacqueline’s body.

Dr. Ian Stevenson first investigated this case in 1964 and remained in touch with the familyuntil John Pollock’s death in 1985. Stevenson said, “John Pollock’s enthusiasm for reincarnation may diminish the strength of the case among persons who cannot believethat he and his wife (or some other member of the family) did not talk about the deceasedsisters in front of the twins. In response to the suggestion that his conviction aboutreincarnation may have weakened and even vitiated the case, he wisely replied that,although this objection has some merit, his openness concerning reincarnation enabledhim to note and remember remarks and behaviour of his twin daughters that mostWestern parents would have ignored or laughed at.”



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3. The Ghost of La Sagesse

By Sheila Convey

SAGESSE, A PRIVATE SCHOOL IN Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne was forced to closein 2008, just four years from celebrating its centenary, after the nuns from theCatholic order that founded it (and a convent on the site) trebled the rent on the

building that they owned. Will the ghost called the Pink Lady, reputed to appear round theschool from classrooms to corridors still continue her rounds? Les Filles De La Sagesse(Daughters of Wisdom), a French order of nuns was founded in the early 1700s and madeeducation a special concern. They established a school in Low Fell Gateshead beforemoving to the Jesmond site, which includes Jesmond Towers, in 1912.

Jesmond Towers is a Grade II* listed building in an ornate Gothic style. It was built inseveral stages throughout the 19th Century. John Dobson, Thomas Oliver Junior,T.R.Spence and Walter Scott were involved in the work. It was owned by Charles Mitchell(1820-1895) from 1869 and was formerly known as West Jesmond House. Mitchell wasborn and brought up in Aberdeen where he attended the university there. He had anengineering background and by his teens was set on a career in shipbuilding. Hecompleted his apprenticeship with Simpson & Co; iron founders, in 1842 and left Scotlandto join a fellow countryman called John Coutts who had set up a shipyard on the Tyne in1840. Their work was mainly iron colliers. Mitchell left in 1844 and headed for Londonspending some time working for one of the world’s most renowned yards, Maudsley Son& Fields. He returned to the North East in 1852 and started building ships at Low Walker on the Tyne. The yard was next to Coutts, his old employer. He was very successful andthe company built 450 ships between 1853 and 1882. In 1854 he married Anne Swan, theeldest daughter of William and Anne Swan. Her brother Charles managed a Wallsend yardthat Mitchell had taken over in 1873. Charles Swan was making arrangements with GeorgeBernard Hunter (of Austin and Hunter, Sunderland) to join him but Charles was killed inthe English Channel in 1879 after falling from a paddle steamer. In 1880 his widow formeda partnership with George Hunter and started what was to become Swan Hunter. Annehad another brother; Henry F. Swan who also worked with Charles. Mitchell’s son, CharlesWilliam was born in 1855. He did not follow his father into shipbuilding but became awell-known artist. From 1857 the Mitchell yard built over 90 vessels for Russia and Charleswent to St. Petersburg in 1862 to give advice on the conversion of their shipyards to thebuilding of iron ships. It was the Mitchell’s yard expertise which played a key roll in aidingthe Tsarist navy to convert from wooden to iron warships and the grateful Tsar presentedhim with a diamond-studded snuffbox worth 3,000 guineas and decorated him with theImperial Order of Saint Stanislaus. This can still be seen in the coat of arms over the door of La Sagessse. The 1861 Census records him as, ‘iron shipbuilder employing 250 men andboys’.



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The Mitchells had settled in Walker but left there about 1869 when they bought JesmondTowers from Richard Burdon Sanderson II. Jesmond had been largely agricultural until the19th Century when it was incorporated into the City of Newcastle upon Tyne following the1832 Reform Act and the 1835 Municipal Reform Act. Roads were introduced and JesmondDene Road where Jesmond Towers stands is one of the oldest. It was created in 1840 and

realigned in the 1870s. Charles spent a great deal of money improving and enlarging theproperty. In 1885 he had a picture gallery built on the towers to house his large artcollection. The house was valued in 1883 for insurance purposes and was worth £14,000.He was a major patron of the arts and the works amounted to £12,462.

Charles Mitchell built a Mechanic’s Institute and Hall in Bath Street, Walker in 1861 and in1870 the Walker Hospital opened. It was built by Mitchell at a cost of £2,000 and was thefirst cottage hospital in the North of England. His workers paid a halfpenny a week fromtheir wages to help with the running costs. Treatment was free for accidents thathappened in the shipyard. It had a good reputation and was taken over by the National

Health Service in 1948 but finally closed its doors in 1977.In 1871 Charles Mitchell was amongst the party who greeted High Admiral, Grand DukeConstantine at Newcastle Central Station. The Russians were entertained at JesmondTowers and their visit included a tour of the Low Walker yard.

From 1867 the Mitchell yard had an informal agreement with William Armstrong. Mitchellcompleted the hulls and Armstrong of Elswick armed the ships. They formed a partnershipin 1882 with a capital of £1.575m. Following this the armoured ships were built at Elswickand the rest at Low Walker; however Low Walker built 11 small warships in the yearsleading up to 1899. The company became Sir W.G.Armstrong, Mitchell & Co.Ltd. Over the

next twenty years they became major suppliers of war ships to the world and becamefamous for the ‘Elswick cruiser’. It was a time of huge prosperity.

The population of the Newcastle suburb of Jesmond was growing and they needed a newplace of worship. Mitchell offered to build one on his own land. In 1887 he commissionedthe Grade I listed St.George’s Church and donated £30,000 for it. He engaged the artistand architect Thomas Ralph Spence to build it. Mitchell demanded excellentworkmanship and was prepared to pay for it. When questioned about the cost at the timehe said, “It is not what it costs, but what is best. I have built a great many ships and havemade it a rule to put in the best material from end to end of them. I am building one house

for God and I shall put the best material into it from east to west”. The interior is reputedto be both beautiful and dramatic with fine stained glass and mosaic figures designed byMitchell’s son, the artist C.W.Mitchell. The entire floor is laid with mosaic that bears richpatterns and symbols. Lord Armstrong, Mitchell’s partner and neighbour in JesmondDene supplied its two powerful hydraulic engines that powered air for the Lewis organ.The church was consecrated in 1888.



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By this time Charles Mitchell had taken a back seat in the business and became involved invarious charitable works. One of these was his old university at Aberdeen. They named thetower in the Marischall College after him and the graduation hall became Mitchell Hall. Hisson was commissioned to do the painting that hangs there.

The Mitchell family lived a very comfortable, indeed opulent lifestyle by all accounts buttragedy struck in May 1890. Charles Mitchell’s sister-in-law, Emily Cook had come to stayat Jesmond Towers in April. She had ill health since the death of her husband and appearsto have been suffering from depression. It was the morning of May 2nd and Mitchell hadbreakfasted with Emily before going to work in his study. He was startled not long after by a loud thud from outside. As he left the house he saw Emily lying on the ground, dead.The servants found the door to the roof open and saw a set of small footprints on the wetlead. Emily had climbed the stairs and thrown herself to the ground over 50 feet below.Her death certificate states that 53-year-old Emily “threw herself from the roof ofJesmond Towers while in a desponding state of mind and was killed.”

It is said that Emily’s ghost wanders around what used to be her sister’s home and hasbeen seen many times when the building was a school. Sometimes described as the PinkLady, sometimes the White Lady, she seems to have been particularly drawn to theyounger children as well as the narrow staircase leading to an attic room and the roof.

The businessman and former Newcastle United chairman, Freddy Shepherd boughtMitchell’s old yard in Walker in 2008 and the site, which includes the former school, in2009 for £5m. It appears that he is proposing to convert the listed Jesmond Towersbuilding into 10 apartments. Two lodges in the grounds will be restored (they originallyserved the mansion) and a further two will be built. Shepherd Offshore planned to build

60 homes at the western end of the site but following concerns raised by residents thishas been reduced to 50. It is reported that North Jesmond House and the originalfarmhouse on the site could both be restored along with the convent and chapel. A formalplanning application is to be made in August this year (2011). Will it disturb Emily?



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4. The Haunting of Historic Dilston

By Tony Liddell

THE HAUNTING OF HISTORIC DILSTON Project started in 2004 as part of the researchbeing undertaken by Tony Liddell, founder of the Society, for his first bookOtherworld North East: Ghosts and Hauntings Explored. When the book was

published by Tyne Bridge Publishing, the opportunity to continue the fieldwork andresearch presented itself, and Otherworld decided to continue the project, the latestinstalment of which took place on December 4th, 2010.

The Project has been studying the Historic Dilston site, comprised of the castle, chapel,carriageway, ranges and Lord’s Bridge, all associated with the Dilston site, located in thegrounds of the MENCAP college, near Corbridge in Northumberland. Dilston is home toone of the region’s oldest written ghost stories, with the Reverend Heslop reporting thetale in the Monthly Chronicle, 1888:

“The Hall is behind us, and its tragic story haunts the place. It is but a generationsince the trampling of hoofs and the clatter of harness was heard on the brink of the



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steep here, revealing to that trembling listener that 'the Earl' yet galloped withspectral troops across the haugh. Undisturbed, as the reverent hands of his peoplehad laid him and his severed head, the Earl himself had rested hardly in the little vaultfor a whole century; yet the troops have been seen by the country people over andover again as they swept and swerved through the dim mist of the hollow dene.”

So who was the Earl mentioned by Heslop, and why was his head severed? To understandthis and the potential source of the sheer amount of reported paranormal activity at thesite, the interested investigator must first understand Dilston’s colourful and turbulentpast.

Dilston is first mentioned in two deeds dated to the reign of Henry I (1100-1135), grantingthe lands of Richard de Corbridge to his brother William de Corbridge. William becameLord of the Barony of Divelestone, making the original name from which ‘Dilston’ derivesclear. The de Divelestone family were succeeded by the Tynedales in 1317 who were in turnsucceeded by the Claxtons in 1379.

The tower house that stands today (Dilston Castle) was fortified between 1416 and 1464when it is referred to in a deed drawn up by Sir Robert Claxton. In 1484, Sir Robert Claxtondied leaving four daughters, one of whom had married Sir John Cartington and in c.1494,Sir Edward Radcliffe, son and heir of Sir Thomas, Lord of the Derwentwater Estates inCumberland, married Anne, heiress of Cartington and Dilston. Sir Cuthbert Radcliffesucceeded them, dying on July 20th 1545, and was in turn succeeded by Sir George who



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died on May 31st 1588. Thus began a succession of Radcliffes, Roman Catholic by faith,despite the anti-Catholic persecution, and the family became the richest Catholic family inthe North of England in the 17th century.

Edward Radcliffe, 2nd Earl of Derwentwater, succeeded his father Francis in 1696. Edwardhad married Lady Mary Tudor, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II in 1688 – she beingonly fourteen years old at the time and her husband some twenty years older. Themarriage produced four children before entering into a deed of separation in February1700. On 20th April 1705, Edward died (and was buried in the family vault at DilstonChapel) and, two months later, Mary married again.

Edward’s son James, who became 3rd Earl of Derwentwater, was born on June 28th, 1689in London, and it is to this historical figure that Heslop referred to in his ghostly poem. Ayear younger than the only son of James II, James Radcliffe was sent to Paris to beeducated and brought up with his cousin Prince James (‘The Old Pretender’ as he waslater to become known to his enemies.) History records that James Radcliffe lived mostly

in France during his youth, forming a bond with Anna Maria Webb, who had been placedin the convent of Ursuline Nuns in Paris for her own education. Her father was Sir JohnWebb of Dorset, a Baronet.

In 1709, James returned to England from the Court at St Germain, and on the 10th July 1712he married Anne Maria. Sir John Webb provided residence for the couple for two years,while James began work on a new west wing of Dilston Castle, and then in the autumn of



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1714 the happy couple moved back to the Radcliffe seat of Dilston. James it seems was apopular and conscientious lord, recorded in verse:

“O Derwentwater’s a bonny lord,Fu’ yellow is his hair, And glinting is his hawky ‘eeWi’ kind love dwalling there.”

His fair and just ruling of his estates made him extremely popular with his tenants, as didhis penchant for charitable giving: he was also known to provide rare and generoushospitality: all normally excellent qualities but ones that marked him in the events thatwere to come.

In August 1715, the Earl of Mar and other Scottish nobles led an uprising proclaiming PrinceJames Stuart as James III the rightful king over the Protestant George I, then on thethrone of England. Naturally, James Radcliffe’s bloodline, religion and friendship allindicated that his loyalties would lie with the King James. Alarmed by James’s popularityand hoping to stave off his potential action on behalf of the Jacobites (supporters ofJames III) the government issued a warrant for the arrest of the Earl and his brother Charles. Legend tells that the Earl wasn’t overtly bothered by this, as he had no intentionof drawing a sword against George I, but when James took no action, his wife Anna Mariacalled him a coward and is said to have thrown down her fan, telling her husband toexchange it for his sword, so that she could fight for James III when he would not.

Spurred by Anna’s jibe and the approaching bailiff, James went into hiding, sourcessuggesting that he stayed on the move, resting with friends at locales such as a cottage inNewbiggin, a few miles from Dilston. For James though, this seems to have brought him

great torment with the turning point in the tortured young earl’s mind coming duringhiding out at Nunsbrough, a gorge of the Devil’s Water. History and legend record that,during a walk by the river, he was visited by the apparition of a woman, who gave him acrucifix as protection against blade and bullet, and urged him to take up arms.

In October 1715, James visited the Erringtons of Beaufront, who tried to convince him toforgo bearing arms, but was unsuccessful. A day later, James gathered 30 of his retainers,armed them and travelled north with his brother Charles, crossing the Tyne at Corbridge,to meet the further Jacobite support at Greenrigg, Redesdale. There, Thomas Forster increased their number to sixty. The party further increased to three hundred strong asthey travelled through Rothbury, Warkworth, Morpeth and Alnwick: but they met withclosed gates at opposition at Newcastle, the city remaining loyal to King George. Jamesand Charles led their force away from Newcastle, camping in Hexhamshire. After joiningforces with Lord Kenmure of Galloway and a further two hundred men, the NorthumbrianJacobities and Scots moved north to Kelso, there to meet with Lord Mar’s main Highlandforce, led by General Mackintosh.



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From there, the Jacobite army movedsouth, much to the disgust of many of theScottish Highlanders who returned totheir homes in anger. With their forcesgrowing, the Jacobite army entered

England again via Longtown, their numbers now near two thousand a forceof local militia near Penrith, who fledbefore them.

On November 10th, the army reachedPreston, dismayed by the lack ofLancastrian support. Upon entering thetown, many of the locals did join, swellingthe army again to near three thousandmen, but it was a far cry from the twentythousand they had been counting on. Thehardest winter of thirty years had set in,covering the ground with thick snow, andon the 13th General Wigan of KingGeorge’s forces attacked with fiveregiments, but was repulsed with heavylosses. On the 14th however, GeneralCarpenter arrived with his force of armyregulars, and it is said that without

consulting the other leaders, Forster submitted to an unconditional surrender. SeventyEnglish gentlemen, one hundred and forty Scottish gentlemen and fourteen hundred menwere taken prisoner. Confined to jails and churches in Lancaster and Chester, manysuccumbed to the winter, dying of exposure. More still were exported to the plantationsand many more were shot. Two hundred were sent to London, including LordDerwentwater, his brother Charles Radcliffe, Thomas Forster and the Lords Nithsdale,Carnwarth, Kenmure, Nairn and Widdrington. They entered London amidst hostile,jeering crowds where they were paraded, bound, through the streets.

Lord Derwentwater and the other Jacobite lords were found guilty of high treason andsentenced to death. It is said that frantic efforts were made by Lady Derwentwater and

the other Lord’s wives for leniency. “Solicitations were made with the Courts and with themembers of both Houses of Parliament on behalf of the Earl. The House seemed rather inclined to mercy, but it was finally agreed to leave the matter to his majesty.” On the 23rdFebruary 1716, orders were given for the execution of the Earl, and the next day for theexecution of Lords Kenmure and Nithsdale.

In the Tower, Lord Derwentwater was attended to by the Reverend George Pippard, aRoman Catholic priest for the last days of his life, and spent his last hours writing letters



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to his wife Anna Maria and to several of his friends. He also told the undertaker that hewanted to be buried at Dilston.

On February 24th, 1716, James Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater, was beheaded for Treason on Tower Hill. He had approached the block dressed in a suit of black velvet, ofwhich he was stripped prior to the fateful blow. In front of a crowd of thousands, heforgave everyone for what was about to happen, and then the Earl laid his head on theblock, whispered a prayer three times, and then his head was struck from his body.

The Crown had refused James’ right to be buried at Dilston, instead insisting that hewould be buried in the Tower of London to prevent another uprising in the north.However, friends of the Earl bore away his head and body, which were embalmed beforebeing secretly conveyed north in a cortege that travelled by night to avoid detection untilJames’ coffin finally reached Dilston.

Legend tells us that as the Earl’s body began its journey north, the night sky was lit by theaurora borealis, with red streamers being seen for the first time in the North of Englandon the night of the Earl’s execution. The aurora borealis remained in place, lighting thenight sky until the body was returned to Dilston, and so became known as “LordDerwentwater’s Lights”.

Now in the early 21st century, Dilston Castle has, it has been rumoured, become the hauntof a number of ghosts - in fact, so many in number that the site could if all the tales aretrue be classed as one of the most haunted sites in the North East of England. Thefollowing is a brief description of some of the phenomena said to haunt 'Historic Dilston'and its environs:

The Sinister Shadow: reported a number of times over the last 40 years haunting the mainroad into the site, and has been seen in the trees within the car-park and along the roadon the approach to the Chapel as well as within the castle itself. The description of this‘shadow man’ is of an inky shadow, much darker and blacker than the surroundingdarkness; the shadow resembles the shape of a bulky individual, always described as aman. This ghost has been said to follow individuals along the road, and if they take frightand run, the shadow is said to give chase.

The White (or Grey) Lady: the apparition of a lady in white or pale grey has been reportednumerous times, seen on the stairwell in the Chapel, and moving across the grass towardsthe Castle. She has also been seen on the Castle tower, and is said to always be in a state

of anxiety and constantly on the lookout for someone or something.The Lord and his Lady: The ghosts of James Radcliffe and his wife Anna have been seennumerous times strolling across the Lord's Bridge, in the valley north of the castle. TheBridge crosses the Devil's Water, and has been said for decades to be the focus ofparanormal activity in the area, with strange lights and flitting shadows also beingreported flitting around and across the bridge.



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The Staring Lord: a man in a flamboyant wig, reminiscent of those worn in the late 17thand early 18th centuries has been seen a number of times staring out of the first floor window of the castle, the area thought to be the nursery.

The Thundering Earl: the 3rd Earl of Derwentwater and his spectral troops are said to stillthunder on horseback in the valley at twilight, the sound of hooves, shouts and shriekinghorses sending shivers down the spine of any who hear it. Spectral horses can often beheard crossing the Lord’s Bridge, and galloping around the land at the end of the Bridge.

Chapel Memories: a common phenomena associated with visiting Dilston is a sense ofhistory and memory when visiting the Chapel. In many cases though, this sense seems totake on a life of its own, and people have reported a number of times entering the Chapeland viewing the building and insides as it would have been in its hey-day, complete withvoices, smell and visual splendour.

Otherworldly Crib: in the chapel is a carved wooden crib reportedly rescued from thedestruction of the original Dilston Hall. Over the years that the crib has been on display ithas gained a great deal of attention - not just for its aesthetic appearance, but also for thefact that it has been seen rocking itself on innumerable occasions, or has been heardcreaking as if rocking, but is found to be stationary.

The Curious Onlooker : the Chapel at Dilston seems to be home to a spirit curious aboutnew or old objects brought into the chapel by visitors. Since the excavations on the site



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in Summer 2009, there have been numerous reports of items moving seemingly bythemselves in the display cases on the first floor, and during previous paranormalinvestigations in the chapel, items such as torches have been moved around the groundfloor, and in one case an equipment case was thrown 3 metres across the floor.

The Investigation Project

To date, Otherworld North East have undertaken ten investigations at Dilston. Methods ofrecording have varied between video, photography, audio recording, temperature andhumidity survey, electromagnetic survey and even vision deprivation experiments. As wellas on-site fieldwork, we have continued to research the historical background on the site,helped out for a day during some archaeological works on the massive drains runningbeneath the site, have aided in publicity for the site and have also started recording andcollecting visitors' memories and experiences of anything out of the ordinary at Dilston.

So far, our audio recordings have picked up a number of very unusual sounds, a collectionof which are available to listen to on our website. We've also recorded environmentalfluctuations within the 'haunted' crib during periods of perceived activity, and havewitnessed trigger-object movement in the castle. Other physical phenomena recordedduring investigations includes what appears to be a guest's necklace being yanked withsuch force that the sound of the links snapping was recorded on a nearby dictaphone.

We've also photographed a number of unusual mists within the castle that don't appear to fit with the atmospheric conditions at the time, and have visually witnessed movingshadow-figures on the Lord's Bridge that unfortunately (and typically!) don't appear onphotography or video due to the poor light conditions at the time.

We will continue to investigate the activity at Dilston as long as we are able to, and thanksat this point must go to the Friends of Historic Dilston and to the site owners, the NorthPennines Heritage Trust for being so accommodating during the field research.

More details can be found on the OWNE website, including an investigation blog, soundrecordings, history and photographs, all at:

http://www.otherworldnortheast.org.uk/the-thundering-earl-project/

If you have any experiences or memories of Dilston that you'd like to share, or wish toknow more about the project then we have an upcoming investigation workshop taking

place at Dilston, as well as a fundraising investigation (proceeds to go to the Friends ofHistoric Dilston), due to take place in Autumn 2011. Keep an eye on the website, anddetails will be forthcoming as soon as all the details are worked out!



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5. Solo Vigils: Have they any Value?By Lee Munro

This type of investigative technique is usually associated with paranormal TV shows or commercial groups rather than with evidence based investigations. I propose the solovigil is too fraught with methodological flaws to be considered a valid data collectiontechnique. There are two main issues from an investigative perspective, one psychologicaland one methodological.

Psychological

The obvious psychological issues involved with solo vigils are suggestion and expectation.To understand why these factors are fundamental to the flaws of a solo vigil, we need to

look at what a solo vigil is and what suggestion/expectation does.

In a solo vigil an individual will remain unaccompanied in a reportedly haunted location for a period of time. They will usually be cut off from the rest of the group. The vigil will oftenbe conducted in the dark. Those undertaking the vigil will either sit in silence for theduration or occasionally call out for any spirits to make themselves known by giving somesort of sign. Phenomena witnessed during a vigil can include visual or auditoryphenomena, the feeling of being touched or merely sensing a presence.

Suggestion and expectation are a major contributory factor in this context. Tounderstand why, we need to understand something about what suggestion/expectationdo to our perception.

Individuals are continually in a sea of stimuli. These stimuli come in the form of sensationand perceptions facilitated by our senses. Although we may sense all the stimuli aroundus, we don’t perceive all of them. To put it another way, we can be subconsciously awareof many environmental stimuli, but we only attend to some of them. The best example ofthis is the “cocktail-party effect”.

Think back to a time when you were in a bar, cafe or restaurant. The room was most likelyfull of conversation. However, unless one focused on a specific person or conversation, it

will merge into the background noise. Think of all the other stimuli present in the room –the clink of glasses and cutlery, the faces of the people, people’s clothes, the decor, theview through the window etc. If we were consciously aware of all of these at the sametime, it would overload our senses. However, we focus on what is most salient.

Essentially, suggestion and expectation prime us to focus our attention on events or stimuli that we might expect to experience in a given situation. In the paranormal contextwe might expect to experience knocks, footsteps, voices, orbs of light, mists or being



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touched by unseen hands, as these are commonly reported by witnesses to paranormalphenomena.

Crucially in the paranormal context, what suggestion and expectation can further contribute to are an increase in the misattribution of a paranormal cause for an event or

effect, an increase in the likelihood of confirmation bias (pertinent to those with a prior belief in the paranormal) and the under-estimation of the probability of coincidencesbeing chance events. In layman terms, what this means is assuming events are beinggenerated by a paranormal entity, neglecting to look for any possible alternativeexplanation or cause for an event other than a paranormal one and a lack of awarenessthat because an event happened in a specific timeframe (i.e. the vigil), the two are notnecessarily connected or have a causal relationship.

Methodological

The main issue with the solo vigil as a useful investigative technique is that of verification.

If the individual reports any phenomena, unless another investigator is present, their account cannot be verified. Although the vigil can be recorded via camcorder or audiorecording equipment, there are still flaws with this.

Firstly, the reported phenomena could be reported as being located out of the view of thecamcorder. If a visual phenomena, this would not be recorded on the camcorder or audiorecording equipment. If a noise is reported outside the view of the camcorder, it may berecorded by both the camcorder and audio recording equipment but there will be novisual evidence for the lack of an obviously prosaic explanation for the noise (i.e. fraud,wildlife, falling masonry etc.).

Secondly, it has often been reported that phenomena can occur that the witness canperceive but is not recorded on any equipment. Conversely, phenomena have beenreported to have been captured on audio or camera without being perceived by theindividual.

There are two advantages to there being at least one other witness to a reportedlyparanormal event. The additional witness could verify if they had also witnessed anyphenomena, thereby reducing the possibility that the event is solely attributable to anindividual’s misperception or neurophysiology. Additionally, the extra witness maysuggest viable alternative explanations for any phenomena which may not be readily

available to the other witness.Although there is still the possibility that the two (or more) witnesses could influenceeach other’s perception or interpretation of an event, in addition to other grouppsychology factors, generally speaking, the benefits of two or more witnesses to an eventoutweighs any disadvantages and the corroboration value of two or more witnesses to anevent is more beneficial in investigative terms than the testimony of a single witness.



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Health and Safety

There is an additional issue of health and safety in relation to solo vigils. If an individual iscut off from the rest of the group, psychologically this could increase the likelihood of afear response, whether phenomena are reported or not. If a fear response is extreme, the

individual may seek to flee the location of the vigil. Considering that most vigils take placein the dark, with the added possibility that the rest of the venue may also be unlit, this canincrease the chance of personal injury caused by falling or running into objects. In a stateof panic, the individual may be more focused on fleeing a location than accounting for anypotential hazards to personal safety. This is especially pertinent in locations that may bewholly or part derelict or run down, where there may be the likelihood of fallen or crumbling masonry or associated hazards.

Conclusion

In terms of an evidence based investigation technique, the solo vigil is too flawed to be of

reliable use. The likelihood of suggestibility and the lack of verification regarding anyexperiences make the solo vigil a poor evidence based investigative technique. This inaddition to risk of personal injury would suggest this technique would only serve the“adrenaline junkie” type of investigator, who is more interested in the potential thrill ofghost hunting rather than the collection of data, or for those who have paid to be part ofan investigation and want to experience the “scare factor” of ghost hunting. Additionally,one may want to conduct a solo vigil to prove something to themselves or others in thegroup.

The issues stated against the use of the solo vigil in evidence based investigations are notnegative per se, but only in relation to gathering verifiable evidence. The solo vigil canhowever be part of an evidence based investigation - if the vigil itself and its participantare the subject of a sub-investigation or experiment that is designed to measure anypsychological or other factors associated with a vigil.



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6. Long Exposure Photography

By Tony Liddell

IN AN AGE WHERE MANY elementsof the popular media seem to bewilling to take any piece of

photographic evidence at face value,there's a lesson to be learned: don'tbelieve everything you read andcertainly don't believe that aphotograph never lies! In our age ofdigital photograph and affordable

photographic manipulation software,relatively convincing photographs canbe produced with relative ease that canfool most people into believing thatwhat they're seeing is actually evidenceof the afterlife.

This article deals with digital longexposure photography: put simply, thisprocess takes place by the camerataking the photograph over a long(relatively) period of time. If objectsremain stationary during this period,they are produced as sharp, 'solid'images. If however, that object moves,it will become a transparent image. Sohow does this happen? Simple! If thecamera is taking a photograph over aperiod of 4 seconds, and a personstands in front of it for 2 seconds andthen hurries away, then for the remaining 2 seconds the camera is focused on taking animage of the background behind where the person was standing. Thus, when thephotograph is produced, you have both the person AND the background, creating atransparent person.

Take the photograph to the left. I took it during OWNE's investigation at the Literary andPhilosophical Society of Newcastle in November 2010 as part of a demonstration as tohow this process worked. In this case, the 'ghost' is obviously an investigator (me!),

Long exposure digital 'ghost',shutter speed set to 8 seconds.



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reaching toward the camera. However,if I'd stood away from the camera, puton some period clothing and struck apose, then maybe the image wouldhave been more 'convincing'... or

would it?

The first thing that an investigator must do when studying 'apparition'photographs from a digital source isask to see the original. Each digitalphotograph contains EXIF(Exchangeable Image File Format)data, essentially a digital fingerprintwhereupon those with access to the

file can see make of camera, time anddate of the original photograph, timeand date of modification andimportantly in this case the shutter speed of the camera at the time oftaking the photograph and whether or not the flash of the camera fired. TheEXIF file can be read by many graphicsapplications, some which aredownloadable from www.exif.org.

If you receive an image for study, and itcontains no EXIF data, then there's apretty good chance that its either notthe original or is faked. Some softwaredestroys the EXIF data when an image is altered, whereas some simply ads the 'modified'time. Personally speaking, if the file has been modified in any way, and the owner stillinsists that it is the original unmodified file, then I dismiss the enquiry at that point anddon't bother looking any further.

However, in many apparitional photos that I have seen, the EXIF is intact, with no signs of

modification. Does this mean that the photograph truly is an image of the dead come backto life? Well, first thing to do is look at the EXIF data again, this time concentrating on theshutter speed and whether or not the flash has fired when the photograph was taken.

For a long exposure image to be created as mentioned above, the shutter speed must beset to a longer time than normal. The flash also must be set not to fire. Take the image ofmyself at the Lit and Phil. Looking at the EXIF data, the shutter speed was set to 4.5

Telltale light and shadow areas.



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seconds (a very long time in photographic terms!) and the flash set not to fire. Instantly,if I were an investigator looking at this, then I would have alarm bells ringing in my head:4.5 seconds is enough time for the photographer (using the camera on a tripod, probablywith a remote switch) to stand in front of the camera for a few moments then dart away,thus creating this image.

Ah, I hear you say, but what if we don't have access to EXIF reading software? Like mostelements of investigation work, observation and analysis must then come into play.

Look at the photograph again. We know that there's no flash fired, meaning that there'sa light source in the room. Looking at the exhibition stand, the top of the flat sheet hassignificant glare on it, suggesting that the light source is located to the left of the photoframe. Now we look at the solid objects in the photograph, specifically those that can casea shadow. From the direction of the shadow, we can confirm that the light source isindeed to the left of the camera frame. So, we can now apply the same methods to thetransparent figure. If indeed the 'ghost' is someone pretending to be something he's not,

then he'll have been affected by the light in the same way as the other solid objects in theroom. In this case, the 'ghost' is too close to the camera, and the camera not at the rightangle to see if he has cast a shadow on surrounding objects or the floor, so we rule thatout. So now we look to see if the light source has created an impression on the contoursof his body, and instantly we can see that the 'ghost' has been hit by the same light sourceas has hit the solid objects. The right arm hanging down to the back has both light andshadow to it; the arm stretching forward has the same. The big 'tell' in this case though isthe head, with the light gleaming nicely on the forehead, hair and side of face, especiallythe nose. This indicates that the light source in the room was treating the 'ghost' as a solidobject at the time of the photograph being taken, indicating foul play in this instance.

Another hint that long exposure photography has taken place is often noticeable if a lightsource is in the photographic frame itself, such as a candle or electric light. The longer thecamera takes to produce the photograph then the longer it is essentially processing light- meaning that light sources themselves become brighter and brighter and often becomeblurred due to the intensity of the light on show.



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A good example is this followingphotograph, taken during aphotographic survey of Castle Keep,Newcastle upon Tyne. While it showsnothing 'ghostly', just look at the lights

and see how fuzzy they are:

The shutter speed on this photographwas set to 0.5 seconds, so imagine howbright and fuzzy lights would get at thesettings required to produce aconvincing 'apparition'. This rule alsoapplies to old film photography, whichoften also required even longer shutter speeds to create anomalous images.

Of course, long shutter speeds or exposure times means using a tripod onyour camera, otherwise the merestshake on your part will mean movementand blurring within the image. I'd doubtanyone could hold a camera absolutelystill for over 2 seconds, so look for blurring in the image as a whole.Sometimes, the culprit also doesn't move out of the camera range quite fast enough, andessentially leaves a movement trail or in some cases may even knock the camera, creating

duplicate images superimposed on each other.

Look at the next few images, and see how many of the rules in this article can be appliedto each. I think you'll surprise yourself as to how easy it is to spot a long-exposure imageonce you know what to look for!

So in the digital age, that old phrase 'the camera never lies' no longer really applies, andnothing can be taken at face value. I just hope that this article helps its readers recognisetelltale signs that may prevent some red faces down the line...

A famous long exposure image?.



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7. One Man’s Premonition: the Seaham

Colliery Disaster

By Sheila Convey

“Behind and beneath the technical development of all the industriesay the coal and the technique of the collier and the mining engineer.”

– John Harold Clapham, Economic History of Modern Britain, 1932.

THE NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND has a history of coal mining that stretches back toRoman times. Coal cinders have been found in the hearths of villas and militaryforts, dated to around AD400. Underground mining from shafts was developed

from the thirteenth century and coal was being shipped from Newcastle to London but it

was the Industrial Revolution that led to the large-scale use of coal. By 1700 over eightyper cent of the world’s coal was mined in Britain.

The main mining area in the North East was around Newcastle, along the banks of theTyne. The seams were shallow and easily accessed. There was also the added bonus of asea port on the doorstep.



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Away from the Tyne areas such as Hartlepool and Stockton had ports but they lay outsidethe coal fields however they did benefit from the shipping of it. Sunderland was anexception but its coal laid deep underground. Like almost all coal deposits, the strataforming the Newcastle field dip to a common bottom, in the manner of a basin. The centreis therefore the deepest point, and that is the sea coast by Sunderland.

Seaham, formerly Seaham Harbour is a small town in County Durham, around six milessouth of Sunderland. It was in this area that Seaton Colliery, called the ‘High Pit’ andknown locally as ‘Knack’, was sunk in 1844 by the North Hetton and Grange CollieryCompany. Production began in 1852 after long delays caused by flooding. The sinking ofSeaham Colliery, ‘the Low Pit’ commenced in 1849 and began production soon after. Thetwo pits were amalgamated as Seaham Colliery in November 1864 under the control ofthe Londonderry family. By the mid 1870s it was producing as much coal as all ofLondonderry’s other pits (at Rainton, Pittington and Penshaw) combined.

The 3rd Marquess of Londonderry was the founder of the family’s huge fortune. From the

age of 18, in 1789, he was known as The Honourable Charles Stewart, and then from 1814,The Lord Stewart. He was a soldier and politician and aide-de-camp to King George III in1803.

Charles Stewart succeeded his half-brother as 3rd Marquess of Londonderry in 1822. AsAmbassador to Austria he met his second wife, Lady Frances Anne Vane-Tempest, thewealthiest heiress of her generation. She was the only child of Sir Henry Vane-Tempestand inherited her father’s estate as a teenager. At the time of her marriage to Stewart, in1819, she had an income of £60,000 a year from her estates and collieries in the North Eastof England. The 3rd Marquess added to this by sinking new pits. He took the surname of

Vane, by royal license and used his new wife’s wealth to buy the Seaham Hall estate inCounty Durham from the Milbank family whose daughter Anne Isabella (‘Annabella’) hadmarried Lord Byron there in 1815. The 3rd Marquess also built a harbour and Wynyard Hallwhich was their residence when out of London. The Hall became the talk of Europebecause of the lavish entertaining of royalty, prime ministers, writers, scholars, artists andforeign dignitaries. The Duke of Wellington and Disraeli were ‘regulars’. Charles and Anneare the great-grandparents of Winston Churchill through their daughter Lady FrancesVane.

Seaham Colliery was one of the largest and most successful pits in the North of England.

By the time of the disaster in 1880 it was employing about 1,500 men and boys and had anoutput of around 2,000-2,500 tons of coal per working day. At its peak in 1914 it employed3,094. Over 2,500 worked ‘below’ and the remainder ‘above’.

There had been seven known explosions at the pits, before and after amalgamation.There were three in the first year of production in 1852, with six men and boys killed in thelast of these. One boy was only 10-years-old. An explosion in April 1864 killed two more



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workers and a massive explosion in 1871 miraculously killed only 26. There was another huge blast in 1872 but none died.

George Vane-Tempest – he assumed the additional surname in 1851 – was the 5 th

Marquess of Londonderry and the only son of his father’s second marriage to Lady

Frances Anne Vane-Tempest. The most catastrophic explosion occurred under hisownership of the pit. It killed 164 men and boys.

The explosion happened at 2.20am on Wednesday 8th September, 1880 in a seam knownas the Hutton. There were five seams of coal being worked, the main seam 460 yards fromthe surface, then the Maudlin seam, 490 yards, Nos. 1, 2, and 3 Hutton seams. The Huttonseams were broken up by a ‘fault’, and were worked in three sections about 20 yardsbelow the main and Maudlin seams. There were two seams further down - the Harvey andBusty - at a depth from the top of the shaft of 500 and 600 yards.

Fortunately this was a maintenance shift, which meant that fewer miners (231 below

ground) were employed. Each shift apart from this usually involved about 500 men andboys. The overlap of shifts could see as many as 1,000 men in the pit. The explosionhappened one hundred minutes before the start of the Fore shift, which ran from 4am to11.30am.

The sound of the explosion was so loud that it was not only heard at Seaham Harbour, amile and a half from the pit, but also out at sea and as far away as Murton Colliery and theoutskirts of Sunderland.

Both shafts were blocked with debris and it took around twelve hours before anyonecould descend. The cages were out of action for nine days and rescuers had to use the

emergency kibble – an iron bucket.

The number of men in the mine was uncertain but they thought that 250 lamps were givenout on Tuesday 7th September. By 9pm on the day of the disaster the Inspector of Minesreported that: “Fifty-nine men have been rescued and 130 are yet to be accounted for.Great anxiety is felt for those still in the pits. There is plenty of assistance, with relays ofworkers every four hours.” They later confirmed that 66 men had been rescued alive. Thesearch and rescue work by the ‘explorers’ was difficult and dangerous and only 67 hadbeen rescued by midnight of the first day. Huge crowds gathered round the pit waiting for news.

The tragedy was the second worst in the history of mining in County Durham and the thirdworst in the history of the Great Northern Coalfield. It killed 164 men and boys. In 1862 atHartley in Northumberland 204 men had been killed and 168 at West Stanley in 1909.

The engine house and stables had caught fire and 181 of the ponies suffocated. Macabresouvenirs were later fashioned from the hooves of some of them, complete with shoes.



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They were polished and adapted for use as pin cushions, snuff boxes and ink-well stands.Fifty-four ponies and a cat survived.

By Sunday of that week thousands of people were in the area to see the first of the massfunerals. The youngest victim was 14-years-old and the oldest 71. The average age was 37.

Over 190 children were left without a father and over 70 women were widowed. JohnSouthern (aged 40) left twelve children. Fathers and sons died together such as ThomasHays and Thomas Hays jnr. who were stonemen and brothers like John and David Knoxaged 14 and 17 respectively who were both employed to drive horses on the mainunderground.

It is usually the case that there are good luck stories to be told and this tragedy was noexception. Joseph Birbeck, choirmaster and organist at Christ Church slept through his‘knocker’ on the evening of Tuesday 7th September and missed his shift. He lost a day’s paybut it saved his life and he lived until his nineties. His father and namesake aged 64 died.One man is said to have had a premonition of his own death. He started out for work three

times that night and returned home twice. Aware of the financial implications he did notreturn the third time and it cost him his life. One of the luckiest men was John Hutchinson.He had gone to work even though he felt ill but had to leave his work mate, Pat Carrollbefore the end of the shift as he was too sick to continue. He had to sit down on the wayback to the shaft but fell asleep only to be woken by one of the overmen, Walter Murraywho told him to go home. He had just stepped from the cage at the surface when the pitblew. Pat and Walter were killed. A flower show was held annually in the grounds ofSeaham Hall. It was due to take place on Thursday 9 th September to Saturday the 11th,hosted by the 5th Marquess, who had left London for the week to stay in the town. Manyof the miners were keen gardeners and those that had entries in the show had swapped

shifts with those who were supposed to be off.

News of the disaster spread quickly and articles appeared in newspapers from thefollowing day and even appeared in The New York Times of 10th September, 1880.

An inquest was opened 10th September. Evidence was taken on the 15th September, onthree days in October, and two in April 1881. A report presented to both Houses ofParliament in 1881 stated, “Repeated examinations of all accessible parts of the minewere made by the inspectors and their assistants, and no efforts have been spared on anyside to discover the cause of the disaster. These efforts have not been entirely successful,

and the jury necessarily returned an open verdict.”The Northumberland and Durham Miners’ Relief Fund took contributions from themasters and men. In 1880 it had 70,000 members and a fund of £80,000. The fatalaccidents benefit meant that the payment for a man over 18, who had left dependantrelatives, was £5, which would have the same spending worth of £241.55 today. Each child(if under age) of members accidently killed would receive two shillings per week –equivalent to £4. 83 today. The parent(s) of a child under 18 would receive a one off



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payment of £12, which would have the spending worth of £579.72. Widows or other dependant relatives would receive five shillings a week, worth £12.08 now.

Roy Church (The History of the British Coal Industry 1830-1913) said: “When Britain’s firstCensus of Production was taken in 1907 the coal mining industry was second to none in

the value added to the country’s net output, representing approximately 14 per cent ofthe total. Nearly two-thirds of all coal entering world trade was mined in Britain. Coal hadcome into its own as the overwhelming predominant source of heat, light and power inthe expanding world economy as well as Britain – which was in many respects the centreof that economy.”

In 1850 the British coal industry produced 62.5 million tons of coal. By 1870 the figure hadalmost doubled to 115.5 million tons. By 1890 it was more than 181 million tons and by 1913more than 287 million tons came out of Britain’s coalfields. The biggest single source wasNorthumberland and Durham. By 1913 the North East of England produced a quarter ofBritain’s coal but it came at a heavy price as mining was dangerous work.

The early years of the nineteenth century saw terrible working conditions. There werehazards everywhere from fires, roof falls, and explosions, suffocating gasses andflooding. Many towns and villages owed their existence to coal and pit owners controlledmost of the colliery houses. Trouble makers could be put out on the streets. However theybecame close-knit communities and many had their own social clubs, brass bandsetcetera. Conditions gradually improved, especially after Nationalisation in 1947.



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8. Taylor’s Tears

By Sheila Convey

RELIGIOUS STATUES AND ICONS WEEPING tears appear more suited to distanthorizons so one can imagine the reaction in the North East of England when, onTuesday 11th October, 1955, the Chronicle devoted its front page to a local weeping

Madonna. Walker, to the east of Newcastle, is more famous for shipbuilding and for beingthe birthplace of Eric Burdon of the Animals than supernatural sights but Rochester Dwellings, built by Newcastle Council in 1923, was the setting for some very unusual events.

Theresa Taylor and her family lived in the “dwellings” having moved there after their previous house in Walker was destroyed by fire. One of the few things that Theresa hadsaved was the Madonna that she had bought from Newcastle Quayside in 1946 for 10shillings (50p).

On the evening of Monday, 10th October, 1955 she said that she happened to glance up atthe plaster figure of the Madonna and child that she had hung over the fireplace and sawa tear well up in one of the eyes and then roll down the cheek. Theresa said that she wasso shocked she ran round to her neighbour, Annie Frost. When she saw it she said that she“couldn’t believe her eyes.”

News spread through the community and huge crowds started to gather round Rochester Dwellings. By Wednesday hundreds of people were queuing to file through the Taylor’s

kitchen. Life was becoming uncomfortable and normal living became difficult for Theresa,her husband and four children. In order to dispense with the crowds her door was openedat 5.45am and remained open until 1.45am the next morning. At first neighbours helpedwith crowd control but their lives were also disrupted. One lady who lived on the landingabove the flat complained that the youths, who had started to play pranks on the crowd,were “turning it into the Hoppings.” Nightshift workers were up in arms through lack ofsleep and complaints started to pour in to the council. Eventually the Taylors decided toallow only disabled people in.

Joseph McCormack, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle appealed to people to consider how improbable the claims were and the council told the family to stop using their home

for “exhibition purposes.”

Once the council stepped in the fuss gradually died down but the debate regarding theauthenticity of the weeping Madonna of Walker continued for months.

Whether one views them as fraudulent, purely psychological or supernatural there is nodoubt that the reports of the phenomenon of weeping religious statues are numerous



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and well documented. Said to weep blood, oil and scented liquids they are sometimesclaimed to be accompanied by miraculous healing as well as Marian apparitions.

Most reports in the past have tended to (but not exclusively) originate from Catholiccountries in Europe but Our Lady of Akita is an exception in that it was said to have taken

place in Japan. In the 1970s a nun, Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa claimed to have received thestigmata and messages from the Virgin Mary and a statue of her is said to have wept over the next six years on 101 occasions.

The authorities of the Catholic Church have set high barriers for acceptance of so-called“miracles” and it took eight years of investigation until, on 22nd April, 1984, the messagesgained approval from the Bishop of the diocese. According to the testimony of more thanfive hundred Christians and non-Christians, including the Buddhist mayor of the town ofAkita, the statue of the Madonna shed blood, sweat and tears. In June, 1988 the Prefectof the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later PopeBenedict XVI) – gave definitive judgement on the Akita events and messages as reliable

and worthy of belief. It remains the only weeping statue recognized by the CatholicChurch – the rest have been dismissed as hoaxes.

The fact is that there are no cases of a weeping effigy ever being scientifically validated.



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9. Around and About in Newcastle upon Tyne

By Tardis Smith and Jill Coates

The Roman Doric column is 41 metres highsurmounted by a heroic statue in PortlandStone of Earl Grey in classical robes. Grey’smonument was designed by Benjamin Green.The foundation stone was laid in September 1837 and the statue placed in position in August1838.

The statue of Grey was sculpted by EdwardHodge Bailey, the same man responsible for thefigure of Nelson on Nelson’s column.

While the statue was being lifted into place the‘toon’ bells were rung.

There are 164 steps up to the railed platformarea and there is also a large glass container buried in the foundations which contains theoriginal plans for the monument, a list of

subscribers and a collection of medals, gold andsilver coins.

In 1941 the monument was struck by lightingand the Ear’ls head was blown off and notreplaced until 1947 because of the war shortages.

The main inscription reads:

THIS COLUMN WAS ERECTED IN 1838,

TO COMMEMORATE THESERVICES RENDERED TO HIS COUNTRY BY

CHARLES EARL GREY K.G.,WHO, DURING AN ACTIVE POLITICAL CAREER OF

NEARLY HALF A CENTURYWAS THE CONSTANT ADVOCATE OF PEACE

AND THE FEARLESS AND CONSISTENT CHAMPION OF



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CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.HE FIRST DIRECTED HIS EFFORTS TO THE AMENDMENT

OF THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE IN 1792,AND WAS THE MINISTER

BY WHOSE ADVICE, AND UNDER WHOSE GUIDANCE,

THE GREATMEASURE OF PARLIAMENTARY REFORM WAS,

AFTER AN ARDUOUS AND PROTRACTED STRUGGLE,SAFELY AND TRIUMPHANTLY ACHIEVED

IN THE YEAR 1832.

The Cooperage was originally a 16th century merchant’s house and as such, according to

tradition, was built from timbers taken from ship wrecks.

With the building being so close to the old town hall and at the foot of Castle Hill the onlyway to extend the building was to build up and so every hundred years or so a new storeywas added. Some of the bricks used for this are Dutch and were probably ballast from aship.

In 1863 a cooper (barrel maker) moved into the building. As the barrels were used totransport not just beer and wine but fish, butter etcetera business was good. It was notuntil 1973 that the building was converted into a pub and restaurant.

I worked with a lad that served his time as a cooper there. As for ghosts; there have beenreports of cables being pulled from the back of a TV and noises and tapping along withcold spots from the upper floors.

The stairs lead from the Castle Garth down to Dean Street. It is not known why they arecalled Dog Leap Stairs, but before they were widened in 1822 they were so narrow a dogcould leap across them, or the name could be derived from the term “dog-loup” which

means a narrow strip of land that resembles the shape of a dog’s hind leg and runsbetween houses and when you look at the stairs the twist in them does look a little like adog’s leg.

In 1772 Baron Eldon eloped with Bessie Surtees. The couple made their escape up DogLeap Stairs on horse back.



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The Vampire rabbit with its long rednails and teeth is behind St Nicholas’Cathedral at the rear of 27 Dean

Street and part of CathedralBuildings. The rabbit is set above thedoorway; it is painted black and haslarge canine teeth, erect ears and amanic expression on its face. If youlook closer at the sculpture it looksmore like a hare and some say thatthe ears were knocked off duringrestoration and replaced the wrongway, which made them appear

shorter.In pre-Christian Europe mad March hares were associated with the coming of Spring. AsChristianity became established the hare was adopted by the church to represent Easter in the iconography and architecture. The hares also gave rise to the Easter bunny.

Medieval churches around Britain have examples of carved hares chasing green men,playing bagpipes and a trio of hares in side-relief that are running in circles and sharingthree ears that are arranged in such a way that they appear to have two ears. They arecalled “Trinity of Hares”.

Placing the “hare” rabbit above the back door of the Cathedral Buildings could well havebeen a joke by the architects Oliver, Leeson and Wood although one source(www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1682338) suggests there may be a Freemason connection.

He surmises that William Wood, a specialist in ecclesiastical architecture was possiblyhonouring, or mocking Sir George Hare Philipson who was a physician at Newcastle RoyalInfirmary – the ‘vampire’ association? Hare was the founder of the University of DurhamMasonic Lodge (in London) at the time the building was constructed. The Master ofNorman Lodge in County Durham around this time was one William Henry Wood and Sir George Hare Philipson visited Norman Lodge in 1900.

Wood’s plans and drawings are deposited with Durham University Library. Do they holdthe answer to this enduring mystery?



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10. That Feeling - you can only say what it is

in French

By Lee Munro

THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE, stolen from a short story by Stephen King, refers to afeeling many people have had. Namely, the feeling that a new situation you arecurrently experiencing has been experienced previously – déjà vu. Theories have

been put forward to explain the experience for over 100 years. This article will briefly lookat the definition of déjà vu and some background. We will look at some of the moreparanormal explanations before moving to some more scientific explanations.

A common definition of déjà vu is a feeling that occurs when a person has a subjective

feeling of familiarity to a situation, place or event that is objectively new or notexperienced previously. It usually elicits feelings of surprise or confusion and has noimmediately obvious or identifiable trigger. The uncanny feeling provoked by déjà vu isusually short lived, typically lasting 10-30 seconds.

Research into déjà vu experiences suggest around two thirds of individuals have theexperience at least once, and multiple experiences by an individual are common. It seemsto decrease with age and increase with education and income. Studies have shown it tobe more common in people who travel frequently, remember their dreams and holdliberal beliefs. Most often, it is experienced indoors and in a relaxed state of mind. It is

more common in the evening than the morning and on the weekend compared toweekdays.

Several paranormal explanations have been proposed for the déjà vu experience. Two ofthe most common are precognition and past lives. Precognition is the experience ofwitnessing a place, person or event, usually in a dream, and then witnessing the sameplace, person or event in real life at some point in the future. There are many reports ofprecognition throughout history but none have ever been verified. The past lives theoryproposes that one is reincarnated into the present while maintaining some memoriesfrom a former life. So, new situations which feel familiar in the present life, are actuallystirring memories from previous lives.

The main rebuke against these theories is not that precognition or past lives are not valid,testable, evidence based theories per se, but that using the unexplained to account for theunexplained is actually no account at all, in any meaningful or verifiable way. There havehowever, been explanations of the déjà vu experience put forward from mainstreamscience which at least provide a testable foundation on which to build. The theories comemainly from neurobiology, sensory information processing and memory.



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Theories relating the experience to biological dysfunction have been proposed.Essentially, these state that normal biological or neurological functioning is temporarilyimpaired or interrupted, leading the déjà vu experience. For example, it has been foundthat epileptics who suffer from seizures in the temporal lobe (a brain area, among whosefunctions is the processing of familiarity) often report the feelings associated with déjà vu.

It has been proposed that if a small seizure occurred in the same brain area in non-epileptics, this may cause the déjà vu experience in an otherwise normally functioningbrain.

Another theory is related to how the brain processes visual stimuli. When you viewsomething, what your brain actually processes, are two separate views of the same scene,one from each eye. This enables the brain to more accurately assess aspects of theenvironment such as distance, location and angle. These two separate ‘packages’ ofinformation are sent to the visual processing brain areas via different pathways. Here theseparate views are amalgamated to produce the perception of a single image. One

speculation is that if these separate streams of input are not processed at exactly thesame time (i.e. due to some neurotransmitter or synaptic interruption), the brain mayperceive them as two separate experiences, rather than two slightly differing copies ofthe same event.

It is thought a time difference of at least 25ms between events is needed for the brain toperceive these events as separate events. Therefore, if the processing of visualinformation is interrupted by enough time the same visual scene may be perceived twice,giving rise to a déjà vu experience.

It is also hypothesized that actually perceiving the same scene twice can cause a déjà vu

experience. While we perceive everything in our visual field, we do not attend toeverything in it. Peripheral or unimportant aspects do not receive our direct attention.Consequently, we may register visual stimuli subconsciously initially, but then register them consciously if they receive our direct attention. It is possible that we may remember seeing visual stimuli while not recalling explicitly that they were already in our visual field.This could be compounded if our attention is momentarily perceptually or mentallydistracted. Some support for this comes from the phenomena of ‘inattentionalblindness’. This happens when a person can miss seeing an object that is otherwise clearlyvisible in front of them. If their attention is directed or distracted elsewhere, they simplydo not perceive the object even though a memory for it is registered.

A strong explanatory candidate for the déjà vu experience is related to memory,specifically recognition memory. This type of memory allows one to know that what iscurrently being experienced has been experienced before. On seeing a picture, hearing asong or smelling a particular perfume, you experience a familiar feeling and recall theprevious experience with those things. Recognition memory is believed to be a dualcognitive process, consisting of recollection based recognition (recalling when the



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current experience was previously experienced) and familiarity based recognition (onlyhaving a feeling of familiarity with the current experience). For recognition memory tofunction normally requires both cognitive processes.

As mentioned before, part of the definition of the déjà vu experience is the feeling of

familiarity in an experience that is evidentially new. It has been proposed that familiaritybased recognition without recollection based recognition, or put theoretically “implicitfamiliarity without explicit recollection”, may account for the feelings associated with adéjà vu experience. This could explain certain findings associated with déjà vu research,such as the positive correlation between the experience of déjà vu and frequency oftravel, remembering dreams and watching movies. People who report higher instancesof these could have a larger ‘library’ of potentially familiar scenes or situations that acurrent experience may connect with.

Some support for this comes from a recent study. Students were presented with visualscenes from their own campus and an unfamiliar campus. At a later time the students

were tested on their ability to discriminate between scenes they had previously visitedfrom scenes they had not visited. It was found that the students were more likely toreport having been to the unfamiliar campus when they had previously been brieflyexposed to images of it.

It is thought that it is not every specific element in an experience that elicits the feelingsof déjà vu. Rather, a single element may ignite a feeling of familiarity, such as an object,the way the light falls in a room or the look on someone’s face. If this single elementcannot be consciously identified, the feeling of familiarity may be over generalized to thewhole scene or experience, giving the sense that one has experienced the whole thing

before. Alternatively, a more global aspect may induce familiarity. The layout of a room(rather than the specific objects or the location of all objects in a room) or sitting on a parkbench at a particular time of day in particular weather (rather than a specific park benchviewing a specific scene) could be examples of a global aspect.

A further proposal is an affective trigger for a déjà vu experience. An object, picture or aroma may stir up a strong emotional response. One may attribute the emotionalresponse to a sense of familiarity without being able to connect the feeling of familiarityto its source. In this sense, the déjà vu experience does not elicit the affective response,but rather an emotional response to a stimulus evokes the déjà vu experience.

While no one theory, paranormal or scientific, can be said to be the definitive theory toaccount for the cause of the déjà vu experience, the theories relating to recognitionmemory would appear to be the best candidate for a future account of the phenomena.It not only suggests a possible causal relationship between a cognitive process and theexperience itself, but also possibly explains some factors that positively correlate with theexperience. At this time, mainstream scientific inquiry into déjà vu may be somewhat



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limited, but there is enough to suggest that at least one as yet unexplained humanexperience can be wrested from the clutches of paranormal explanation.



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11. The Mill House Poltergeist

By Sheila Convey

WILLINGTON MILL WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1805 and was one of the first steampowered mills in Europe. Situated in Willington Quay, North Tyneside, it was acorn mill. The case is often misleadingly referred to as that of ‘Willington Mill’

but it was the house that adjoined the mill that gained the reputation of being one of themost haunted buildings in Northumberland. The activity lasted from 1834 to 1847 andoccasionally thereafter, although there were rumours of ‘evil doings’ during theconstruction.

The business was owned by cousins George Unthank and Joseph Procter, devout Quakerswho were known for their integrity and honesty.

The 1841 Census records Joseph living at Willington Mill Houses with his wife Elizabeth andtheir children Joseph, Henry, Elizabeth and Edmund. Their servants were Mary Young,Jane Davis and Ellen (?) Mann. The house appears to be one of eight abodes apparentlyoccupied by employees of the mill. Thomas and five others are ‘millers’, one is recordedas ‘agricultural labourer’ and one a ‘blacksmith’. It was the Proctor family and servantswho experienced the main period of activity. Joseph kept what has been called a ‘diary’of the phenomena but it is more a series of notes, some dated and some not. Many yearsafter his death this was edited by his son Edmund and it appeared in the Journal of the SPR,vol. 5, 1892.

The phenomena frightened and perplexed the family for lengthy periods of time so manyof the accounts were not those experienced personally, however his notes weremeticulous and it seems likely that he recorded other’s experiences faithfully.

Mary Young worked for the family, as a cook for eight years and she is mentioned in thediary. She became Mary Davidson when she married and her son Robert Davidson wrotea series of articles for the Weekly Newcastle Leader that were based on her reminiscences.

The events were wide ranging and numerous. Procter listed them in a letter of 1853. Thiswas published in The Spiritual Magazine, Vol.4, 1863.

“Simulations of ordinary sounds but for which there was no natural cause, werefrequently heard equally by all persons within hearing of them, and often by day as wellas in the night, with occasional intervals of absence, for a series of years, such sounds asshutting and opening of doors and windows, bolts and bars, setting down and movingabout of chairs, boxes etc., stirring the fire, ringing a small bell, winding up a clock, thenoise of a carriage on the floor and driving up outside, a chirrup like a bird, and the rattleof a storm of rain, stepping, stamping, thumping and walking in a rustling gown, add to all



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these coughing, moaning, and articulate sounds, add to all these additional testimonyfrom the sense of touch, and from that of sight by occasional apparitions both in thehouse and its vicinity, altogether afford a superabundance of proof as to the nature ofthese visitations such as no ingenuity could counterfeit, and no scepticism invalidate.”

Apparitions included a priest-like figure in a white surplice, the head and hands of an oldwoman, a boy in a dark suit, a figure in a shroud, a man with grey hair, a girl in a lavender dress and several small animals, including a monkey.

The family were not overly keen to share their experiences but even before they left thehouse the stories were in print but were largely second-hand. In 1840 they allowedEdward Drury and his friend Dr. Hudson to visit the house. Drury had read severalpamphlets on the subject and was very sceptical.

The events that transpired during their overnight stay were told in a letter to Mr. Procter.They included the pattering of footsteps, knocking sounds, coughing that came from an

empty room, the rustle of garments and Drury claimed that around 1am he saw theapparition of a woman. She was, he said, dressed in grey and was holding her hands outas she walked towards Dr. Hudson, who had fallen asleep. Drury urged the family to leavethe house.

A Mr. Howitt also undertook an investigation and several witnesses told him that theyhad seen a man in a flowing robe gliding backwards and forwards across a window.Apparently the neighbours had even given him a name; ‘Old Jeffrey’.

The family left the house in 1847 and went to live in Gosforth. Mr. and Mrs. Procter werealone on the last night as the rest of the family had gone to their new home. Many of the

noises were imitative and this final time that they slept in the house was no exception. Hewrote, “There were continuous noises during the night, boxes being apparently draggedwith heavy thuds down the now carpetless stairs, non-human footsteps stumped on thefloors, doors were, or seemed to be, clashed, and impossible furniture corded at randomor dragged hither and thither by inscrutable agency; in short, a pantomime or spiritualisticrepetition of all the noises incident to a household flitting.”

There is a suggestion that the disturbances did not stop when the Procter family movedout. C.T.Oxley, Strange Tales of the North Country, tells of one tenant who, in 1874 saw ananimal shaped like a cat, which wriggled like a snake and disappeared into a wall.

However, prior to contacting the Society for Psychical Research Edmund Procter interviewed the tenants and was told that they had experienced nothing out of theordinary.

A full account of this remarkable case can be found in Supernatural North East: Folklore,

Myths, Legends and Ghosts by Tony Liddell. It is available on Amazon and Lulu.com

priced at £5.97.



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12. Looking Afield: Aokigahara, the Sea of

Trees

By Lee Munro

A

T THE BASE OF MOUNT Fuji and covering an area of around 35km2, there lies aforest with an almost mythical association with death and human torment. Hardlysurprising then, that this place is considered the most haunted location in Japan.

This place is Aokigahara.

Aokigahara is a dense, ancient and foreboding forest with an unwanted reputation of, andassociation with, death and misery. It is believed to be the second most used suicidelocation in the world, sandwiched between the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco andBeachy Head, England. As with all dark and ancient woods or forests wherever they are,there is an historical and cultural belief that ghosts, demons, spirits and witches inhabit

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.



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the woods. It is also suggested thatAokigahara was a location of the 19th

Century practice of ubasute. Ubasutewas the reported 19th Century Japanesepractice of taking the elderly or infirm

to a remote or desolate location andleaving them to perish by exposure or starvation, especially in times of famineor drought. It would appear then; thereputation of the forest is notunfounded.

The reported numbers of deaths in theforest are unnerving. Since the 1950’s,in excess of 500 deaths have been

reported, averaging 30 per year. Mostof this number is suicides. The numbershave increased in recent times. In 1998,73 bodies were recovered, in 2002 78 bodies, and in 2003 100 bodies. Of course these arethe bodies that have been discovered. It is thought many may have lain unfound, possiblyfor decades.

The floor of the forest is volcanic rock. It reportedly plays havoc with normal magneticcompasses. Consequently, there is a suggestion that lost hikers, campers or backpackersmay contribute to the number of bodies found. However, whatever the possible other causes of deaths in the forest, suicide accounts for the highest percentage by far. Indeed,

authorities were so concerned by the numbers; signs were erected throughout the foresturging those contemplating taking their own life to think of their loved ones and seekhelp. Since the 1970’s, volunteers have also conducted annual body hunts. Bodies arereturned from the forest in the hope of being given a proper burial. Bodies are usuallyfound hanging from the trees far from the tourist trails and many personal belongings arefound.

The collection, storage and disposal of the bodies place a considerable burden on the localvillages that border the forest. They are financially responsible for burial and storage.There are many unclaimed bodies in these villages. In Kamikuishiki, Ashiwada and

Narusawa there are thought to be 119, 52 and 60 unclaimed bodies respectively. Indeed,local authorities have allegedly stopped publishing the number of bodies found recentlyin an attempt to distance the area from any publicity associated with the suicides and alsoto discourage future suicides.

While there is a long history associating the forest with deaths, it is thought a number ofbooks published in the latter half of the 20th Century contributed to the increase in

One of the signs imploring the desperate toseek help rather than take their own life.

Image courtesy of CNNWorld.



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suicides in the forest. Kuroi Jakai and The Padoga of Waves both featured characterstaking their own life in the forest, and The Complete Manual of Suicide described the forestas “the perfect place to die”. It is suggested this cultural influence went some way toromanticize the forest as a location for suicide. This coupled with greater economicstresses in recent times is seen by some authorities as contributing to the increased

number of people taking their own life in the forest.

Aokigahara Jukai or Sea of Green Foliage (roughly translated into English as Sea of Trees)would appear to have some foundation as the most haunted location in Japan. As bothan ancient, dense and foreboding forest and the location of decades of human tormentand suicide, tales of ghosts and spirits would naturally arise there. The reported absenceof wind and wildlife, making the forest eerily quiet only adds to the mystique of the area.Whether the forest’s yurei (Japanese for ghosts) are real or imagined is an age oldquestion, but the reputation of the forest’s association with death seems to be merited.



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13. References and further reading

Bradley, A.G. (1933) “The Romance of Northumberland” Fifth Edition

Brown, A.S. (2004) The déjà vu illusion. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 13,256-259.

Church, R., Hall A. and Kanefsky, J. (1986) The History of the British Coal Industry, Volume3, 1830-1913

Cleary, A. M. (2008) Recognition Memory, Familiarity, and Déjà Vu Experiences. CurrentDirections in Psychological Science, 17, 353-357.

Courcy, A. (2004) Society’s Queen: The Life of Edith, Marchioness of Londonderry

Crowe, C. (1848) The Night Side of NatureDendy, W. (1904) Frederick, An Account of Jesmond

Dickinson, F. (2001) "Tracking a Legend: a north country legacy of Jacobite times"Cresset Books

Durham County LHS (1992) An Historical Atlas of County Durham

Gauld, A.L. (1979) Cornell, A.D. Poltergeists

Giecco, F. (2002) "Dilston Phase II", unpublished archaeological report. North Pennines

Archaeology Limited.

Histon, V. (2001) Ghosts of Grainger Town, Tyne Bridge Publishing

Irwin, H.J, and Watt C.A (2001) An Introduction to Parapsychology, North Carolina &London, McFarland & Company

King, S. (2002) Everything’s Eventual. Great Britain: New English Library

Mack, A. (2003). Inattentional blindness: Looking without seeing. Current Directions inPsychological Science, 5, 180-184.

McEwan, G.J. (1986) Mystery Animals of Britain and Ireland

McKenzie, P. (1983) W.G.Armstrong

Nationwide (1976) TV programme

Pevsner N. et al “The Buildings of England: Northumberland”.

Robins, D. (1988) “The Secret Language of Stone”



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Rowland T.H. (1987) “Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland”Sandhill Press.

Stevenson, I, (2000) Children Who Remember Previous Lives, North Carolina & London,McFarland & Company

Tucker, J.B. (2005) Life Before Life, London, Piatkus

Urquhart, D. (2007) The Ladies of Londonderry: Women and Political Patronage

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A11464715

www.dmm.org.uk

www.east-durham.co.uk

www.mininginstitute.org.uk/aboutus/history.html

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/default.asp

www.skylighters.org/seaham/index.html

www.wearsideonline.com/seaham_1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Vane,_3rd_Marquess_of_Londonderry

www.findmypast.co.uk

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/specialcollections/services/exhibitions/conjurations/ghost/mill.php

http://sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=3036

http://www.findmypast.co.uk

http://www.hecklerspray.com/awesome-or-off-putting-the-hexham-heads-the-werewolf-that-watches-them/200940409.php

Image Credit: Paul Whitelaw -http://gallery.tynetown.co.uk/?category=0&go=1&town=3&yearmin=1915

www.ancestry.co.uk

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2011/07/15/luxury-houses-plan-for-la-sagesse-school-72703-29059026/

http://www.bissett-kenning.co.uk/documents/La%20Sagesse,%20Jesmond.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Mitchell_(shipbuilder)



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http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2008/03/27/la-sagesse-private-school-forced-to-shut-down-61634-20680339/

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-304394-la-sagesse-school-jesmond-towers-newcast

http://www.jesmond.uk.net/www.jesmond.uk.net/oldHistory.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15668a.htm

http://factoidz.com/charles-mitchell-preeminent-victorian-shipbuilder/

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Charles_Mitchell_and_Co

otherworld north east research society journal volume v, 2011

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