Paranormal Discovery

Sunday, 4th May 2008

Date: Sunday, 4th May 2008

Time: 8.30pm - 5.30am

Outside Conditions : fair

Moon: waxing gibbous

Investigators present: Katrina, Mike, Tori, Bozzie, Steve, Natalie

It was decided to make the Dewar room in the newer Victorian wing team base for the night. The reason being that the office used last time had proven to be paranormally active and the team wanted a calmer area to rest in.

A quick break for refreshments after our long journey was follwed by a  tour of the castle. Previously unseen areas were visited which included the Clan library and deserted apartment in the Victorian wing.

Dewar Room 8.30pm

This area was our safe/break area. Almost immediately after arriving several indiscriminate noises were heard from the corner of the room by the doorway to uptairs and Tori saw a figure on the stairway as if watching what we were doing. Tori and Steve both commented on hearing distant voices as the team members were speaking. A voice recorder was left running during this time. Three loud episodes of shrieking/shouting were recorded, only having been heard once as they happened by Katrina who said she had heard something.  

Session 1

Trigger Objects were set up on a small table in cellar 5 downstairs for the duration of the vigil in the rooms above.

Pink Room 10.30pm

It was decided to start the investigtaion here as this area had yielded good results during our last investigation. Equipment was set up to record and lights were ready to be put out. However unbeknown to us some rewiring had taken place since our last visit. The light switches could not be found and the curator had to be summoned. After several minutes of searching and after setting off the fire alarm twice, the lights were out! Steve commented on astrange odour not present before which smelt like honey comb. Strangely during this time and through the commotion some strange and yet unidentified noises were recorded on voice recorders left in the Pink room and Withdrawing room. Loud shrieking can be heard on 2 occassions. Nobody commented on these noises at the time they were made but Mike wondered if they could have been a door downstairs as he had been in/out of the building when fetching the curator. However, an e-mail to John Jack, curator, asking about this gave us the reply that no doors make that kind of noise. The source of the noise will be looked for at our next visit in August. Strangely. the shrieking is identical to the noises  recorded in the Dewar room earlier in the evening. In additon to this, whilst sitting in the Pink room, we all heard what can be described as distant murmuring which some of us thought sounded like children's voices.

Withdrawing Room 11.10pm

A short time was spent in here. Various orbs were photographed - most at ceiling height. Mike who was standing took several photos and then asked Steve who was sitting on the floor to do the same. Orbs were photographed in exactly the same areas despite the two cameras being positioned in different locations.
'Calling out' was tried with no result. Everyone commented on how cold it had suddnely become but the temperature on both thermometers had increased from 12-14.7 degrees within a 35 minutes which was found to be strange, especially as we were all sitting at floor level with the thermometers positioned in the path of the 2 open doors. Convection and body heat could have been responsible. We have noticed on previous investigations how a room can feel cool despite several people being in it. The temperature is expected to rise but the air is moved around by those in the room, hot air rises and those present can feel colder rather than warmer. Although in this case the rise in temperature was quite rapid and the room was not enclosed, all exits were open. The thermometers were at ground level.teve's photo

Steve's orb photo taken from ground level : 

Mike's orb photo taken from a standing position:

Session 2

The trigger objects were retrieved from the cellar and then set up on top of the piano in the Withdrawing room. Various small items were left here including a toy horse as a child had been seen in here on a previous occassion.

Vaulted Cellar  12.15am   

The team then relocated to the cellar (next to the shop),room 4 on the castle plan, to try glass divination.  Protective measures were put into place first of all due to the contact made last time with less than pleasant entities here. Mike and Bozzie remained standing in the corners either side of the door to the corridor. The remaining 4 team members were seated round a table. Almost as soon as the room was entered, Tori stated that spirits were present. Steve commented that he didn't feel comfortable and Nat had the distinct impression that the team were being surrounded. Even before divination was commenced a sound was heard from the back of the cellar as if somebody had sat on the wooden chair there. Contact was soon made with a spirit via the glass, allegedly one of the earth-bound soldiers trapped in the ground floor (see  our first investigation report for more details)

This particular spirit did not give the impression as being the same spirit contacted last time but was one of the group picked up on before. Various questions were asked again about the crime they had committed together and the 18th century was given as the time when it had happened. This particular spirit indicated that he was grounded at the castle due to his own fear about being judged for his crimes. Little additional information was gained but as usual the divination seemed to rouse interest and activity from the spirits present.

The vigil in this area proved to be worthwhile and the spirits present did their utmost to be threatening towards us :

Tori's attention was soon drawn to Mike who looks strange. He indicated that he senses the spirits in a semi-circle around the team in an attempt to block the exits from the room and another 2 right beside him. Bozzie then indicates that he had just seen a grey misty figure walk behind the team into the corner of the cellar. Steve then heard a footstep from directly behind him and Tori saw the ouline of a figure right beside Mike. The room suddenly appears lighter and is remarked upon, nothing had changed to account for this and Tori's face which had been in shadow was now clearer. Mike explained that the spirits had retreated to the back of the cellar. Both Tori and Nat then see movement behind Steve who had just commented on a breeze over his hand. Strangely 4 of the team then remark on how it seemed to have become darker all of a sudden again, with Mike adding that the spirits had moved back towards the team again. Nat and Treen both start to feel nauseous, Treen very much so having to reground and do additional protection methods.

Bozzie became alarmed and exclaimed that he had seen the tip of a sword in mid air as if pointing at Mike's side. Almost immediately after this he saw a sword spinning through the air above the heads of everyone seated at the table. He saw it vividly and gave the following decription : it was silver coloured, 2-3 feet in length with a curved blade and with a fancy handle. He said it looked as if someone had hurled it at the team in a fit of temper.

During the divination session various sounds were heard both in the cellar and out in the corridor. Faint voices were heard as if coming from elsewhere in the castle as well as shuffling and footsteps in the corner of the cellar and from out in the corridor. A distinct ' miaow' was also recorded on the voice recorder in the shop  and more faintly on the device in the cellar leading us to think that the source was in the shop area.

Session 3

The Office 2.50am

Almost as soon as  we seated on the sofas, Tori became aware of a female spirit appearing on the wall behind Treen (in exactly the same spot as during a visit a few week's earlier). The office door was left open as we were hopeful of hearing noises from the Pink room as we sat in here. We were not disappointed. As we were talking among ourselves Natalie indicated that she had just heard several footsteps which had sounded like  a lady in heels moving fairly quickly. We all listened and heard theses sounds again which were thought to be coming from the Pink room. A voice recorder was taken through to the hallway between the two rooms but nothing interesting was rcorded during this time and no further footsteps were heard.

Bedroom (room 19) 3.30am

We started off in the Display room but were soon drawn into the bedroom. Both Natalie and Tori had the impression of a man in there. Katrina, Natalie, Tori and Steve entered the bedroom while the two other men stayed up the small flight of stairs in the Display room and Green room. The male spirit sensed in the  bedroom was angry and upset and not at all happy about us being in his room. Calling out was tried and then Mike joined the group. It was decided that this male spirit was trying to hide by the side of the bed in the darkest corner. Mike walked over to the tapestry hanging on the wall in this area and felt that his pony tail had been tugged. Natalie said that she ehard a moaning noise and then again by the bed area (a faint noise was recorded at this time on video). Katrina sked for the spirit to do something to let us know that he was there in the room. Shortly after, Natalie who was filming, exclaimed that she had seen something strange on the viewfinder of the camcorder. There was indeed a strange white spiraling light anomaly which we haven't yet been able to explain. A few minutes later and the three team members nearest the bed decided to walk into the corner . Tori felt as if the spirit man had come very close indeed to her during this time and suddenly felt very emotional for no logical reason, bursting into tears. She was escorted out of the room and immediately felt better after crossing the threshold into the Display Room. Once upstairs and looking back Natalie had the distinct impression that this man was standing on or at the foot of these stairs glowering at us.

Tori stated that this male spirit  was angry and in pain. He had known that he was dying and his death was agonising. He may have been a bit mad at the end before his death. Tori also decided that the four poster bed in the room was not his actual bed but that he was standing on his real bed at one point shouting at the team to get out. He is spirit 3 mentioned below.

Victorian Bedroom 4.00am

Just a short time was spent in here. Mirror scrying was attempted in the big dresser mirror and an old woman's face was seen over Tori's by Treen and Tori. Natalie and Tori both sensed a spirit following the team up the stairs and into the room. He was quite close and staring at them. A noise like  a child's voice was heard on the stairway while we were in the room.

Session 4

Withdrawing Room 4.30am

Table tipping was tried in here and was not too successful. Movement of the table back and forth was almost immediate but no useful communication from this was to be gained. Glass divination was then commenced and the supposed spirit of 'Ann' was contacted as during our first investigation. No new informaton was gained during this time and we asked if another spirit would like to speak with us. The glass indicated 'yes' and we were soon communicating with another  spirit, who was allegedly Ann's husband. We were eventually given the name Duncan for this gentleman.

Spirit 1

The Lady of the house, Lady Menzies. Wears black and has grey hair up in a bun. Her first name may be Ann. Died in her late 50s/early 60s. She is not too happy about us being in her home. Lived  in Victorian times.

Spirit 2

Laird and husband of spirit 1 above. Lived to an old age.

Spirit 3

A male in his 30s in a position of authority. Perhaps a Menzies. Injured and died some time later of the injuries to his head and right chest. From an earlier period than spirits 1 and 2. Had a very painful death in one of the bedrooms in the castle.

(We have sinced learnt that this bedroom was only ever inhabited by the chief)

Spirit/s 4

Collection of male spirits (possibly 6) residing on the ground floor but not in the kitchen. Criminals who were executed by the Laird and fed to the dogs.

Spirit 5

Girl of about 8 or 9. Blonde, pretty and quite playful (seen before during our last investigation in the Withdrawing room)

Spirit 6

Boy age about 11 or 12. Sad and quiet. related to the girl in some way (seen by Tori early on in the evening not long after we arrived. He had been peeking around the dorway at the bottom of the stairs and had ran off back upstairs, disappearing as he ran)

Spirit 7

Little girl of about 3 or 4 years old. Shy, blonde and not directly related to the other 2 children. Holding a toy that she cariies around with her.

Spirit 8

A woman in service. Her head is covered by white material. She is in her 20s and died in childbirth. She is lively in the kitchen area but quiet upstairs.

Spirit 9

Large, dark creature,  very old and from an older settlement before the castle was built.

Spirit 10

A woman in her 30s, big built and ful of humour. Not willin gto communicate, related to the kitchen area.

Spirit 11

A woman in her early 70s with white short curly hair. Had a large family and is from the 20th century, perhaps around the 1980s.  She didn't live at the castle but is associated with it. Doesn't have a common first name but uses a shortened version of it. Is wearing green but dislikes it and would rather have been wearing blue. Perhaps she was buried in one outfit when she would have preferred another.  

We have since found out that much of what we experienced on our first and second investigation is well known to the curator and has been reported by others. We were totally unaware of what activity had been happening and in what areas. The story of the men in the cellar is, in part, true. Hand-written documentation exists in the Clan library of men dirked and fed to the dogs and an assault on the Laird's daughter. We have been assured by the curator that there is no way we could have known about this as it is not public knowledge and he is trying to find the letter to show us. 

Trigger objects : none moved

Temperature fluctuations : strange rises in temperature were recorded in the Withdrawing room despite everyone feeling very cold.

Ghost Box : no possible communications were received.

Odour : strange smell like honeycomb smelt by Steve just after fire alarm had sounded by accident.

Photo : usual orbs photographed in some areas and not in others.

Video : strange white swirling anomaly filmed and which appears to be out of the main beam of the infrared night vision. This occurs just after Katrina asks for a sign that the spirit man is in the bedroom with the team.

Audio : various sounds were heard throughout the night : distant voices, shouting, footsteps, shuffles and miaows. Some have been recorded on voice recorder and video. Creaky doors have been ruled out as causes of the loud shrieking recorded. Pheasants were heard outside but their call is well known to the team members  and not the same as the noises recorded. The team were alone in the castle except for when the curator came by to put off the lights. The castle is sitiuated in the countryside away from any busy roads/passers-by.  

   This was recorded while all 6 team members sat in the office. Listen carefully. There is a distant shout which we did hear at the time.

The next few clips are of sounds/voices recorded at the start of the night whilst setting up and putting off the lights etc in the Pink Room. All of these sounds occur within a 2 minute period.

 Just before Mike closes the door between the Pink room and the Withdrawing room a loud high-pitched sound like a female voice can be heard. This is none of the team. Although it sounds almost like a singing voice, it was at first thought to be the noise of the door hinges. We have been assured by the curator that none of the doors make that kind of squeaky noise. The dragging sound at the end is the door being closed.

  This clip follows on from the one above. A loud shriek/shout was recorded as Mike closed the door. You can hear Steve commenting that he has heard a noise.

 Again this clip follows immediately on from the one above. As we are discussing what doors to close etc there is a similar high-pitched voice which is louder than ours! Again this is not one of the team and nobody even comments on hearing it. We can't decide on what it is saying.

 This last clip shows another high-pitched voice similar to the one above. You can hear a camcorder being switched on then the strange voice immedaitely followed by one  of the team members talking. Finally another investigaor shouts 'hello'. This time it sounds more distant.

 This was recorded from cellar 4. Mike heard steps in the corridor outside as did Tori. The nasty spirits sensed had retreated into the corridor area prior to this.

To go back to the castle history and first investigtaion report click here.

To view the third and fourth reports then go here.