England's Most Haunted House

      Borley rectory was a damp, rambling Victorian building on the north bank of the River Stour in Essex. It was the most haunted house in England.

      For more than a century there were sightings of phantom coaches, a nun and a headless man. There were poltergeists throwing things about, mysterious footsteps, objects appearing and disappearing, bells ringing, writing on walls and, from Borley church near by, weird monastic chantings and organ music

      The rectory was built in 1863 for the Rev. Henry Dawson Ellis Bull, on the reputed site of a medieval monastery. As soon as he, his wife and their 14 children moved in, the happenings started. Footsteps and taps were heard in the night. Bells rang, and voices whispered.

      One daughter was awakened by a slap in the face; another saw the dark figure of an old man in a tall hat by her bed. One frequent visitor saw a nun several times. No one was harmed but the experiences were unnerving.

      The vicar's son, Harry Bull, took over the rectory in 1892 and stayed until 1927. In that period a headless man was seen in the bushes; a phantom coach appeared; a cook reported that a locked door was open every morning; and four of Mr. Bull's sisters together saw a young nun who disappeared without trace.

      In 1929 poltergeists, the mischievous spirits that toss things about, were recorded at Borley for the first time. Among the objects which appeared inexplicably were pebbles, keys and medals, one with the head of St. Ignatius engraved on it and the word 'Roma' beneath a design of two human figures.

      Between 1930 and 1935, the rectory was in the hands of the Rev. Lionel Algernon Foyster, his wife Marianne and their daughter Adelaide. Messages were scribbled on walls and scraps of paper; footsteps were heard. A voice called out Marianne's name and an invisible assailant attacked her, the first recorded time that someone was harmed. There were also strange smells, especially of lavender. Many of the scribblings on the wall were illegible, but one appeared to say 'Marianne get help'.

      Edwin Whitehouse, who later became a Benedictine monk, visited the rectory with his aunt and uncle during 1931. On one occasion a fire started in the skirting board of an unused room. As the flames were put out, a flint the size of a hen's egg fell to the floor. Later, when the vicar was conducting a service of exorcism in his room, Edwin and his aunt were hit by falling stones.

The experts move in

      In 1937 Harry Price, founder of Britain's National Laboratory of Psychical Research, advertised in The times for people of leisure and intelligence, intrepid, critical and unbiased, to join a rota of observers. From more than 200 people who applied, he chose 40.

      Ellice Howe, an Oxford graduate, saw objects move. Others reported unexplained noises. Commander A. B. Campbell, of the BBC 'Brains Trust' team, was hit by a piece of soap in a sealed room. Dr. C. E. M. Joad, the philosopher, another member of the team, reported that a thermometer recorded a sudden and inexplicable drop of 10 degrees.

      The rectory was burnt to the ground in 1939. On the night of the fire, two mysterious figures were seen leaving the building--although the only person known to have been in it was the new owner, a Captain Gregson. Several people saw the figure of a young girl at an upstairs window.

      But still the phenomena continued. A chauffer, Herbert Mayes, heard the thunder of hooves approach and pass him close to the rectory when there was nothing to be seen.

      During the wartime blackout, air0raid wardens were summoned many times to deal with lights seen in the windows.

      In 1943 the site was excavated. At a depth of 3 or 4 ft, workers found fragments of a woman's skull and pendants bearing religious symbols.

      As late as 1961 torches, car headlights and camera flashes all failed during an investigation.

      Other researchers into Borley rectory have learnt all séances that, in the 17th century, a young French nun, Marie Lairre, was induced to leave her convent to Le Havre to marry one of the Waldegraves of Borley, a landed family. They were told that she was strangles by her fiancé on May 17, 1667, in a building standing on the rectory site.

      Her body, according to the spirit messages, was buried in the cellar.