Borley Rectory
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Built in 1863, Borley Rectory in the village of Borley, Essex, United Kingdom, has the reputation of being "the most haunted house in England". The house was destroyed by fire in 1939, but it remains a source of controversy.
History
Borley Rectory was constructed near Borley Church by its rector, the Reverend Henry Dawson Ellis Bull in 1863, a year after being named rector of the church. The building was a large brick home that replaced the much earlier Herringham Rectory. The home would eventually house his wife as well as fourteen children.
The church itself dates to the 12th century and the area received mention in the Doomsday Book as having a manor. Some sources also cite a Benedictine monastery supposedly built in this area around 1362. According to myth, a monk from the monastery carried on a relationship with a nun from a nearby convent. After their affair was discovered, the monk was executed while the nun was bricked up alive in the walls of the convent. This legend would not be the last to be told about this area.
Hauntings
The first known reports of paranormal events date to around 1885. At this time, a few locals reported seeing the ghost of a nun near the house as well as witnessing activity that would later be categorized as a possible poltergeist. Various people would witness a variety of incidents through the next four decades.
In 1927, the Bulls moved from the rectory and the next year the Reverend Guy Eric Smith and his wife moved into the home. The family would report a variety of poltergeist-like incidents including the sounds of bells ringing, items disappearing, and lights turning off and on. In addition, there was also a sighting of a horse-drawn carriage. The Smiths, tired of dealing with such activity, contacted the Daily Mirror seeking help. The paper sent a reporter who promptly wrote the first article detailing the mysteries of Borley. On June 12 of that year, Harry Price, a paranormal researcher, made his first visit to the place that would ultimately make his name famous.
Finally driven from their home by the restless spirits, the Smiths left Borley in 1930 and the Reverend Lionel Foyster and his wife Marianne moved into the rectory with their daughter Adelaide. Harry Price continued to investigate the incidents within the rectory and he estimated that between the Foyster's moving in October of 1930 and October of 1935 that some two thousand incidents took place there.
The Foysters left Borley as a result of Lionel's ill health and Price continued over the next few years to study the empty house. On February 27, 1939, the house was destroyed by fire. According to witnesses, ghosts were seen flitting about inside the burning house. The ruins were razed in 1944.
Since the destruction of the rectory, the events there have been investigated and argued from various angles. After Harry Price's death in 1948, a team of researches would investigate his claims about Borley and report that the case was "a house of cards built by Harry Price out of a little more than a pack of lies." Interestingly, reports of paranormal activity still come out of the area, including the Borley Church.
External link
- Official Borley Rectory Website - Now Offline (http://borleyrectory.com)
- Harry Price Website - Contains a comprehensive section on Borley Rectory (http://harryprice.co.uk)