Third Investigation 21/02/09
Weather: light winds
Moon: waning
Investigators present: Katrina, Natalie, Corey, Marty, Tori, Gordon
Accompanied for part of the night by the curator, John, his friend and also by his brother, Colin. Gary Knight, story teller, accompanied us for the first part of the night before the vigils began.
The first part of the evening was spent touring the castle with Gary who wanted us to share our experiences with him. During the walkround we eventually arrived at the shop and Katrina began to tell him the story that had unfolded during the team's first investigation. This was the gruesome tale of the soldiers who were executed in the area that is now the shop. John interrupted once the part of the story was reached about dismemberment of these men who were subsequently fed to the dogs. John wanted to tell us that the shop area had originally been a vaulted cellar exactly like the others next door (this is a fact that we all knew and we told John that we had only found out this after the story had come to light). However, John then went on to say that this particular cellar was specifically used for slaughtering and butchering of meat. There is an old drainage pit underneath the 19th century flag stones which would have drained away all the blood. Katrina was quick to say that none of the team knew this and it certainly makes the story more plausible. John confirmed that this was the first time that he had mentioned this (and it is not in the guide book or on the castle's website). We were also informed on our first investigation by the 'spirit soldier' that there w
as a window to the rear of what is now the shop. This was confirmed by John who said that the window would have been similar to the ones in the other cellars and perhaps larger to let in light to the meat preparation area. This window was removed in the 19th century when it was replaced by a door through to the new wing. The blocked doorway can be seen outside to the rear of the building (to the left of the animal skin in the photo).
Following this discussion John then went on to show everyone something interesting which he had noticed when dowsing within the castle (details of this will be made known at a later date). All present were given the opportunity to try dowsing the very same area with interesting results. The rods pointed in the same direction when the same spot was reached by each person.
Trigger objects were set up in the Chief's Bedroom (room 19) while the team spent their first vigil downstairs in the cellars, accompanied by the 3 others.
Vigils
Some of the team members had not experienced the castle before. Due to the fact that another investigation date was scheduled for 3 week's later, it was decided to allow a lot of time for walking around the venue and for going over our previous experiences there.
Vigil 1
The cellar
Glass divination started off the night for a change rather than doing this towards the end of the investigation. We wonderd if there would be any noticeable difference by doing this, eg in the energy the spirits had to move the glass and/or table. Protective measures were put into place first. As usual the soldiers made themselves known to Tori and Natalie. Natalie took notes as some of the others participated in the divination. At one point Tori explained that one of the spirits was very close to her and was being quite lecherous. She stated that he was trying to lick her face. Natalie then exclaimed that she had just written exactly that down on paper which was verified by Katrina. No new information was gained although some of the answers given were consistent with information gained before (that the spirit was a military person and one of a group executed for a crime).
Table tipping was also tried but little movement was gained despite success in this area previously.
The guests, all except for Colin, then left and the team congregated in the dark corridor. Tori again felt the male spirit's presence very close to her. She then became overwhelmed by the emotions of this spirit and his response to her and had to leave the area in order to recover.
Vigil 2
Withdrawing Room
The vigil started off well with Tori sensing a little girl in the room shortly after everyone had settled down. Lots of noises like movement through in the Pink room were heard which could have been attributed to the wind rattling the window frames and the doorway to the disused stairwell to the cellar. The little girl seen previously was seen again by Tori. She very close to the group, standing in front of Colin. She appeared to be standing watching everyone. No further activity was reported during this vigil.
Vigil 3
Room 19
Almost as soon as everyone had sat down in this room loud nosies almost like steps were heard coming from the room at the top of the staircase (display room). Some of the team went to check that nobody had returned. No-one was found in the castle but it was later decided that the windows may have been banging in the wind causing these noises.
The anguished gentleman sensed during our previous investigations was again seen by Tori. He was seen behind Corey. A photo was taken at this point but there was nothing anomalous on the image. Tori had the impression that this man had received his injuries due to a fall from a horse. Natalie felt very strongly that this spirit was angry and was shouting at us to get out of his house and that we were not welcome. Tori agreed and added some more information (he was in his 50s when he died in this very room. He is upset that the bed in the room isn't his and still thinks that the castle is his home. He knows that he is dead but he is distraught and very angry about it all). He was pacing backand forth telling us to 'get out'.
Gordon who was filming from the corner by the bench on the left hand side of the fire place suddenly shouted out that he was almost dropping the camera. He exclaimed that he could hardly breathe. Tori advised him to move places which he did by moving across the room to stand in front of the four-poster bed. He seemed to recover but 5 minutes later was gasping and becoming quite upset about the sensation of pressure on his chest. He became so breathless that he had to be accompanied out of the room by Katrina and Corey. Once in the Green Room he seemed to recover although was a little shaky from the experience. It was decided to end the vigil in this room and to leave the spirit man alone.
Some time was then spent in the Victorian room, Pink room and Attic area. Nothing of note happened except for two incidents in the Pink room. One when Tori suddenly exclaimed that she had almost walked through the spirit manifestation of a little girl who had appeared in front of her. At one point as Tori was creating a protective circle around everyone in the Pink room she gesticulated towards the open doorway through to the Withdrawing room where she had clearly seen the Lady watching the proceedings. Photos were taken of the doorway at this time but showed nothing interesting.
Conclusion
Trigger objects did not move. Some possible strange voices were recorded but the team's voices carrying cannot be ruled out. It was also quite windy outside and windows rattling and wind whistling is a real possibility for the bangs and steps heard. Nothing of particular interest was captured on video or on photo.
Of interest is the expereinces of Tori in the cellar and Gordon in room 19. Tori had allowed the spirit man to get close and bore the consequences. Gordon, however, seems to have been singled out by the entity in room 19 for whatever reason.
Fourth Investigation 13/03/09
Weather: raining
Moon: full
Investigators present: Katrina, Natalie, Gordon, Corey
This investigation was unique for the team due to the fact that there were only to be a handful of investigators present in such a large location. Due to the previous successes in gaining audible phenomena at this venue every effort was made on this occasion to stay together and to keep as quiet as possible.
A locked-off camcorder was set up at the foot of the stairs filming the bottom part of the stairwell and recess (a spirit boy has previously been seen in this area).
No trigger objects were set up on this occasion but alarms were used to secure two areas where activity had been reported before. Infrared beam barriers were set up on the stairs up to the 2nd floor and another small door alarm was secured to the door between the Pink and Withdrawing rooms (according to the curator this door is often found open in the mornings). Whether a 'spirit' would trip the infrared alarm is doubtful but the security of knowing that no intruder or animal is the cause of any footsteps heard on the stairs would help us eliminate these things if sounds were to be recorded/heard. The door alarm should in theory sound if the door opens, no matter what casues it to open.
Vigil 1
Room 19 (Chief's Room) 21.45 - 22.25
It pays not to jump to conclusions. On the approach to the Chief's room we came across this gruesome red puddle which stopped us in our tracks. Nothing paranormal though, just a reddish-brown liquid washed down the flue by the rain. Too bad.
<--- Room 19
The 4 investigators decided to start the night off in the Chief's room (rm19) which has been active before during investigations. A locked-off camcorder was set up beside the four poster bed and 2 digital voice recorders were left recording for the duration of the vigil (one on the hearth and the other on the threshold of the strong room at the top of the stone steps down into the room).
Several cars were heard approaching the castle and leaving during this vigil as well as the car doors slamming and the voices of the occupants. However, these voices were not too loud as the room is on the 2nd floor.
Natalie sensed the angry gentleman in this room and he was told that we would come back to help him if that is what he needed. Automatic writing provided words such as 'please go' and 'stop this'.
Audio recordings in this room turned out to be very interesting and will be discussed later.
The camcorder was left filming after the team vacated this area.
Vigil 2
Shop/Corridor 22.35 - 23.55 The camcorder at the foot of the stairs was retrieved and set up in the shop doorway facing out into the long corridor. As this was being done all 4 of us heard a loud tap coming from the direction of the door into the old kitchen. As it wasn't windy it was thought to have been caused by the door not having been closed properly earlier. Several loud taps are heard and recorded coming from the direction of the cellars. However, it was raining and there are open shot holes to the outside. The noises were likely raindrops. The camera was left recoring as the 4 investigators spent some time by the stairs and then in the corridor and also after they had gone upstairs for the next vigil. Katrina felt unwell for the duration of this vigil with stabbing pains in her lower back and thighs. This disappeared once everyone had gone upstairs. The curator reported staff often feeling unwell when working in this level of the castle : general aches and pains, headaches etc are very common and usually disappear once the person leaves the area. Vigil 3 Withdrawing Room 00.25 - 00.50
Following a short break the team then congregated in the Withdrawing room. A camcorder on tripod was set up and voice recorder left next door in the Pink room beside the adjoining doorway. Gordon filmed with a handheld camcorder. Some distinct taps were heard coming from the bedroom to the rear of the Withdrawing room and several attempts were made to have them repeated. Calling out yielded no activity, however. The ambient room temperature was noted to be between 6-7 degrees C. As Gordon filmed the room a white mist was visible on screen as he turned towards the piano. It seemed to rise from floor level. Although nobody else's breath was visible, we can only assume that this is what it was. It certainly was not disturbed dust. Coincidentally, this occurred just after asking for the spirit children to make themselves known. The voice recorder was left recording at the end of this vigil when the room was empty. Some good results were obtained from doing this.
Vigil 4
Attic 01.10 - 01.55
Only 3 of the team participated in this vigil. Gordon needed to sleep and used the office downstairs. The door to this room was closed to keep in the heat.
The main room on the top floor is very large and we couldn't really get a good image from filming. The camcorder was left recording, however, as it would record anything that happened to pass close to it.
Bats normally live in this area but none were seen. They were assumed to be hibernating in the rafters above.
The three of us took positions away from each other sitting very quietly on the floor. Very soon after settling down footsteps were heard coming from the opposite end of the room. Katrina and Natalie also heard what they described as a voice saying 'hmm' but there is always the possibility that this was anunseen bird lodged somewhere in the rafters. After sitting for a while it was decided to pack up due to it almost being time for Corey to leave. We were standing looking at a picture on the wall and discussing the room's former appearance when yet more footsteps were heard,.this time very close, as well as a louder bang/step right beside us through the doorway into the passage leading to the entresol room. Corey stated that he thought the loud noise had come from the area by the fuse box.
We decided to spend a little longer on this level and relocated to the Entresol room (below room 2 in the diagram). Footsteps were again heard while we were in this little room and appeared to becoming from either the little corridor or back in the main room. Katrina heard them and stood in the doorway listening and asking who was there. These steps were recorded on thee video camera left recording in the main attic room. Although the picture is poor, the sound recording is quite clear and quick steps can be heard approaching, getting louder. There was nobody else present to account for these steps. Our team member who was downstairs was sound asleep when we returned to the office.
Time had come for Corey to leave and Gordon was still asleep.
Katrina and Natalie had a short break before heading off to the shop again to try spirit communication via the 'Ghost Box'. During break time the 2 remaining investigators were relaxing enjoying some jovial conversation. Suddenly a loud 'clang' was heard from just outside the room. It took several moments for the fact that nobody else was in the castle to register. The only source of the loud noise could have been the door on the old metal stove in the small hallway between the office and the Pink room. A similar sound was noted when the door was slammed on purpose. This could not have happend by accident or due to a draught etc. It can only be assumed that the spirit lady encountered before in the Pink room and office was perhaps not happy at our light hearted conversation. Indeed, an exasperated groan from within office itself was heard during our very first investigation here as we all sat in the offcie chatting.
The 2 ghost box sessions (in the shop and Withdrawing room) yielded nothing of interest. Again nothing unexplainable was heard or captured on audio.
Below left : metal stove under picture frame in hallway
Below right : Natalie using Ghost Box
Conclusion
Visiting the castle with such a small group paid off. It was much easier to reduce the background noise from us (shuffling etc) purely because there were less people.
No photographic anomalies or video images were captured.
Neither the beam barrier alarms nor the door alarm were triggered.
The Ghost Box experiment did not provide us with anything remotely interesting.
However, we did record a vast amount of as yet unexplained audio phenomena. Even the locked-off camcorders which are usually fairly poor at recording sound provided us with several interesting audio clips. Interesting audio footage was captured both when we were present in the room and also when rooms were empty.
Our most interesting clip was recorded in room 19 on camcorder. It consists of 3 chimes which nobody heard at the time. Not that remarkable but once you add up the facts then it makes the clip all the more interesting. There was nothing present in the vicinity that could make the noises which were recorded. The curator told us that there are no clocks in the castle, only 2 bells and 2 gongs on the same floor (the sounds are very like clock chimes but we did visit the castle afterwards to test these bells and gongs. The sounds they make are nothing like the chimes recorded). Again as mentioned before camcorders are not the best when recording sound. As can be seen from the photo above, the camcorder was away in the corner next to the bed. A voice recorder was placed about 6 feet or so away on top of the hearth, a second was placed at the top of the stone steps, approximately 15 feet away. Here is the most puzzling fact - neither of the voice recorders recorded the chimes.
As for the footsteps heard in the attic. Although they did indeed sound like steps to those present, it was noted to be raining outside and the possibility that the sounds were nothing more than raindrops hitting the roof was considered. However, upon playing back the recording the sounds do definitely sound like approaching steps. We have since been told by John, the curator, that footsteps were heard very recently by some visitors and himself. These steps were thought to have come from the area by the fuse box.
Audio Clips
The following are some of the clips we have from the 13th March. They are lsited alongside details of when/where/on what they were recorded. The clips are listed in chronological order. We haven't included what we think the 'voices' may be saying but welcome comments as to what you think.
Clip1
This was recorded in the Chief's Room (room 19) at the end of our vigil at 10.20pm. There is a male sounding voice after the investigator speaks. It is extremely faint and was only just audible to us when playing back the recordings. However, it does appear to be a male sounding Scottish voice saying 3 syllables. It occurs 14 seconds into the clip (use earphones). The first of the clips has been amplified. The second clip is the 'voice' itself taken from the first clip, again amplified and hiss reduction applied. The recording was made on digital voice recorder. Two voice recorders were recording simultaneously. The 'voice' was recorded on the one nearest to the team and not on the second which was at the top of the staircase.
Clip 2
Audio extracted from video. This is the two unexplained chimes from the Chief's room. The same chimes cannot be heard on either of the recordings made on digital voice recorder. The recording was made by Sony DCR HC35E camcorder with internal mic. Recorded at 10.03pm
The 'chimes' occur at 29 secs, 1 minute 24 and 1 minute 27 into the recording and were not heard by anyone present. Please note that there are a few seconds of buzzing on the clip before the recording plays back.
Clip 3
Recorded at 10.19pm on the camcorder which was set up on the ground floor at the foot of the stairs. Recorded on Sony DCR SR32E with internal mic. The investigators were 2 floors up at the time of recording. The team's voices can be heard but there is a loud singing female voice which cannot be accounted for (23 secs into the clip). Only 2 female team members were present that night and neither were singing.
Clip 4
Recorded again on Sony DCR SR32E camcorder. The camera had been moved into the shop to film into the long ground floor corridor. The team were in the office by this time. A female voice can be heard on this clip which sounds very close follwed by a fainter tortured scream 6 secs into the clip. An animal ? The ground floor does have open shot holes.
Clip 5
Recorded at 00.50 on voice recorder which was situated on a chair in the Pink Room close to the door through to the Withdrawing room where the team were finishing up and leaving. The recording is quite poor but there is an interesting 'voice' after Katrina says "what else?" It is very tinny and robotic sounding and was recorded like this. It occurs 11 seconds into the clip and is quite loud. It seems to be swearing.
Clip 6
Recorded on the top floor on video cam Sony DCR SR32E at 1.42am. Lots of what we thought were steps were heard. The camcorder recorded these well yet the voice recorder we were using which was sitting on the floor didn't pick these sounds up so well. Strange. The following clip is of 'steps' heard and recorded when the 3 team members had relocated to the Entresol Tower room. The camcorder had been left recording in the main attic room at this time. The bangs appear to get louder as if approaching.
Clip 7
Recorded at 2am on the voice recorder left on the chair in the empty Pink room after the vigil in the Withdrawing room. Nobody was in this area although our voices can be heard at the start of the clip (faint) . The 4 team members were in the office (the door shut to keep tn heat as it was the only warm room in the castle). Two loud cries were recorded which sound very close to the voice recorder.
