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LPS Blogs

Please find below our Blogs from our investigations for more in depth reports of investigations please visit our Reports Page for Hauntings and our UFO page for UFO reports.

Kempston Hauntings

23.10.2020

Background

The Causeway: Unusually a ‘Green Lady’ haunts a path in Kempston which starts at the end of Water Lane and runs past the River Great Ouse to All Saints Church.

In 1968 a newspaper article told of how the ghost would jump out at children from behind the trees that lined the path or sometimes she would be seen gliding in ‘a sinister fashion’ through the mist that was rising from the river. It became so bad that bell-ringers and Cub Scouts stopped going to their evening meetings at the church for fear of meeting her. It is believed that she is the ghost of a woman who drowned in the nearby river many years previously.

Investigation

The team walked the length of the causeway with one member stating that a man on horse was following them. There has been sightings of a ghostly man on horse in grey seen in daylight along this area by locals in the past. The team also encountered the sounds of horse hoofs running past them as they were stationary in one area which were loud and a green light was observed further up the path but could have simply been a traffic light in the distance. Members also picked up on something moving around the team near the river.

Ladies’ Walk: An area in Kempston known as Ladies’ Walk is said to be haunted by numerous female spirits. Two are those of girls named Sophia and Frances who used to walk the area hand-in-hand and still do so after death. Other ghosts include Lady Snagge who is heard calling for her lost son, and another girl mourning the death of her Cavalier lover.

In 1736 the manor of Kempston Hastingsbury was inherited by Robert Kendall who later changed his name to Cater and who was knighted in 1738. When he died in 1739 the manor passed to Beckford Kendall Cater. In 1749 it was in the possession of his son John Kendall Cater after his marriage to Margaret Beaumond. John died in 1778 and the estate passed to his son, also called John. This latter John died intestate and the manor passed to his three sisters. One sister was called May and the other two, who were twins, were named Sophia and Frances, the very two who are said to haunt the path.

In 1796 Sophia married Robert Sherbourne and Frances married the Rev. Oliph Leigh Spencer with each taking a third of the manor. In 1801 the three sisters sold the manor to William Long.

Female members were sent along the walk first while the men waited at the entrance for the return of the women. The women picked up on female spirits one of whom was raped. Whilst the men managed to find a tree that had female underwear hanging from it. Although they did note that one tree and an area in the middle of the path had a spooky feel to it and was very misty and quiet despite a main road nearby.

All Saints Church

Whilst the team were in the vicinity of the church and cemetery this area was not the focus of this investigation. The aim was to investigate a small area next to the river away from the church that on a previous investigation had produced some really good results. Once again by repeating the Olivus 3 experiment and placing it on the ground there was an open dialogue with supposedly a female spirit. Members of the team felt that there was unfinished business in a area of woodland involving a vicar and a young sixteen year old girl from the 1960’s who may have met he death in the nearby river but it was covered up. We are still investigating this further.

Apart from using equipment the team broke into smaller teams to conduct silent vigils and observations in a more traditional form of investigating as we continue to get away from more modern methods of TV induced equipment.

Surprise

Following this part of the investigation that team headed back to the base camp for a short break. Along the way they noticed bushes moving about for no know reason and being investigators, they investigated shinning their torches into the bushes. Imagine their surprise when they saw a large lady’s bare backside and a naked man. They were equally surprised which resulted with the naked lady running around with her knickers around her ankles.

The couple dived into their car and made a really fast escape which gave the team plenty of laughs.

Cemetery Road Cemetery

The team then finished the investigation with a short investigation at the nearby cemetery the second one of the night. Whilst one area was vey quiet another area of the cemetery felt extremely uncomfortable with a strong feeling that the team were being made unwelcome as had happened on a previous investigation. A ball of light was seen hovering above one grave with the naked eye by one member while the temperature was freezing cold. Once the team moved out of this area the temperature returned to normal.

LPS investigates St Peters Kirk in Scotland August 2020

Pictured above; St Peters Church

According to Local paranormal investigators this location was deemed worthy of an investigation and therefore was investigated on two seperate days.

The first day there was a feeling of being watched by two different spirits and one investigator felt he had seen a thin black shadow going from one side of the cemetery to one of the corners. Upon investigating this part of the cemetery one had a creepy feeling that they were not alone while they were there.

On the second day wile undertaking EVP a little old lady appeared and sat and chatted to investigators about the cemetery before she disappeared around the corner of the building.

St Peter’s Kirk stands south of the road leading to Gordonstoun School about a quarter of a mile east of the village of Duffus. It is sometimes referred to as St Peter’s Church; as Duffus Old Parish Church; as Duffus Old Kirk; or just as Peter Kirk.

You approach St Peter’s Kirk along a grassy lane that runs south from the minor road from Duffus. There is space to park on the north side of the road without causing an obstruction, or you can walk from Duffus. A sign on the inner gate tells visitors where the key to the church is is kept, though access around and views into the church are so good that many visitors probably choose to do without.

Much of the church you see today dates back to the 1700s, but its origins are ancient, and a church has stood on this spot since at least 1226. This depth of history explains why the church is today cared for by Historic Environment Scotland.

The origins of St Peter’s Kirk date back to the establishment of Duffus Castle, on a site 1¼ miles to the south east, in the mid-1100s. Castles were often accompanied by churches, and by 1226 a church dedicated to St Peter stood on the location of the church you see today. Around the church grew a village which today is known as Old Duffus. Sometime later a tower was built at the west end of the church, which probably reached a height of three storeys.

In 1524 the rector, Alexander Sutherland, oversaw the building of a rather fine porch on the south side of the church: his initials and coat of arms are engraved on the keystone at the centre of the vaulting in its ceiling. The outer door of the porch is surrounded by a strikingly pointed and highly decorated arch. The church seems to have continued to function as a place of worship through the disruption cased by the Reformation of 1560.

In the 1650s it is said that Cromwellian troops based in the area built a paved road around the church, in what at the time would have been the village of Old Duffus. No trace of this has been found in modern times. Sometime in the 1700s it was decided to rebuild what by this time was a 500 year old church. This was something that happened to many medieval Scottish churches when funds became available: sometimes to give the congregation something more weathertight, but more usually to provide a space more suitable to the needs of Presbyterian worship.

At St Peter’s Kirk much of the earlier church was removed, with the stone presumably being recycled for use in the replacement church you see today. The main elements retained from the earlier church were the porch on the south wall (which perhaps implies that parts of the south wall were also retained), and the lower part of the tower, which became a burial vault.

The new church retained the basic rectangular shape of its predecessor, but was arranged very differently. Whereas the original church would have had its focus at the eastern end, in the new church, everything revolved around the pulpit. This was placed, as is often the case in Presbyterian churches, mid way along the south wall. The pews on the ground floor would have faced in towards the pulpit from the east and west ends, and across the church from the north side.

Meanwhile, galleries were inserted at both ends and on the north side of the church. Today the external stairs that gave access to the north and east galleries still remain, and climbing them gives an excellent impression of the space available within the church. The church fell out of use after a new parish church was built in the “new village” of Duffus. in 1869.

The surrounding churchyard is fascinating and is heavily covered by grave markers. Just to the south of the church stands a stone shaft which, together with its massive stone plinth, measures some 14ft in height. This is the mercat cross (or market cross) of Old Duffus and is believed to date back to the 1300s. Its presence here is a reminder of an age in which it was common to hold markets in the churchyard if that happened to be the largest available space in the village or town.

Many of the grave markers carry the traditional emblems of mortality often found on Scottish gravestones from the 1600s and 1700s. The Christian cross was considered too “papist” by the post-Reformation Scottish Kirk, so until the 1800s, skulls, crossbones, angels, egg timers and other emblems stood in instead. Equally interesting are the emblems often used to represent the trades of those interred below.

In the churchyard here, some of the most poignant memorials are those carrying text. An especially interesting touch is the presence on some stones of engraved “guidelines”, faint straight lines above and below each line of text to ensure the mason kept his letters of even height and his lines straight. This has not prevented all error, however. A stone commemorating 7 year old Thomas Watson who died in September 1796, is carved in capital letters, and every “N” is carved backwards: while the “DID” on his stone has a small “e” superimposed to turn it into “DIeD”.

In one corner of the churchyard stands a watch house, with a date of 1830 inscribed above the door. In the early 1800s body-snatchers or “resurrectionists”, who stole freshly buried corpses for sale to medical schools, were a serious problem in Scotland. A number of countermeasures were used, including buildings in which to store bodies until they were no longer fresh enough to be of interest to body-snatchers; mortsafes placed over graves to prevent them being dug up; and watch houses in which a watchman would guard the churchyard when there were fresh burials. The watch house here is unlikely to have seen much use: The Anatomy Act of 1832 opened up a legitimate supply of corpses for medical study and research and body-snatching simply ceased.

Duffus Castle pictured above

LPS investigation at Duffus Castle Scotland 2020

Investigations do not have to be at nightime and LPS has undertaken many daytime investigations in the past with some surprising results. At this location investigators did not pick up anything of note and were on the trail of the red headed woman sighted in 1996. Local investigators told us that Duffus Castle is also a hotspot for sighting UFO’s which is hardly surprising given the commanding view of the land.
we have included the following report from 1996 which was also a daytime sighting.

DUFFUS GHOSTS

Duffus Castle, Near Elgin, 5th December 1996
Andrew Beaton.. in his own words

“Duffus Castle is situated some four or five miles North of Elgin, in a rural location, surrounded by fields and accessed by a single track road. A small car park for visitors lies just outside the castle boundary fence. The property is in the care of Historic Scotland and may be visited free of charge at any time. There are no staff on duty at the castle and interpretative material for visitors is provided via notice boards and sign-posting. Duffus is rather an impressive ruined, stone-built castle.

The present structure, uninhabited for at least two hundred years, is primarily of 14th century origin, though a Norman style wooden motte and bailey castle occupied the site from the 1100’s, when it was constructed by an Anglo-Norman settler, Freskin de Moravia, who had settled in Moray at the invitation of King David 1st. The lordship of Duffus later passed, through failure of the male line of Freskin, to the Sutherland family. It can also be noted that a son of the male Freskin line, Andrew Moray, gained fame as an associate of Sir William Wallace, dying from wounds received in the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.”

“Generally however, the history of Duffus Castle would appear to have been fairly peaceful. My researches at Elgin reference library and at Aberdeen University Library have failed to uncover any hint of bloodshed or dastardly deeds of the sort which so often appear to be associated with hauntings. I shall therefore move on to a detailed account of the incident which befell my five year old daughter, Helen, at Duffus Castle on Sunday 5th of December 1996.”

“Living in Elgin and being a keen student of Scottish history, I have been a fairly regular visitor to Duffus, the castle also being popular with my two daughters, Helen and Mary (4). About 10.30hrs in the morning of December 5th, 1996, the three of us arrived at the castle for a visit – the kids love to play among the ruins. The weather was very cold and windy, but dry. Because of the weather I was in no mood to hang around, so we spent only about twenty minutes there. The kids and I, were the only visitors present the whole time we were there. I can confirm absolutely that no one else was either in or near the castle while we were there. The castle its self is not large, and there are scarcely any potential hiding places for a possible prankster, for example.”

“Likewise, the elevated position of the ruin with regard to the surrounding countryside makes it possible to clearly view the surrounding area for some miles. There was simply no one else around!”

“Anyway, after about ten minutes, I found myself standing at the flat grassy area which constitutes the castle bailey, (i.e.. yard area.) I was standing looking in the direction of the castle keep, I must have been about 120 metres away from it. My two daughters were playing at the foot of the motte, (mound on which the castle keep stands.) about 100 metres from me.

My eldest daughter Helen then ran across to me and said excitedly, (I quote her exact words.) “Dad, a lady waved at me from the castle”.

As I stated earlier, there was simply no other person in or near the castle and I realised pretty quickly the implication of what had been said to me. On questioning Helen, being very careful not to ask her leading questions, and not mentioning the possibility of having seen a ghost, I established that a women with a friendly face and ginger hair had waved to her from a hole in the castle wall.

I should add that I had been looking directly at the castle at this time and saw nothing, neither did my younger daughter Mary, who had been standing next to Helen.”

“Well, we left the castle soon afterwards, the hair on my neck standing up! To this day, I have never mentioned to Helen that she had probably seen a ghost – in any case she thinks that a ghost looks like Casper, and not like an ordinary human. I am absolutely convinced of her sincerity.

Some research at the local library has failed to shed any possible light on the identity of the lady, though a friend who lives locally to Duffus has heard that the castle is reputedly haunted, but could give no further details.”

“I hope that this account, unexciting though it is, will be of interest. I suspect that it may back-up the notion that young children, who are very reliable witnesses, can sometimes see things which adults cannot. I feel it is worth mentioning that at the precise moment when Helen saw her lady, I myself was day-dreaming, reflecting on the past history of the castle and those who had lived there.

I forgot to mention, Helen could not describe the lady’s clothes, only her head was seen……

St Giles Church in Codicote

The graveyard is reported to be haunted by a little girl, a shrouded woman and a red faced old woman with corkscrew curls. In the graveyard also sits a rather unusual carving called ‘The Old Dog’. It has the head of a monkey, ears of a bat, the mane of a horse, body of a dragon, tail of a lion and legs and hooves of a cow. It is not know why it is called The Old Dog but it is alleged to bring you good luck if you pat its head

What better way to spend Halloween than to investigate the ghostly sightings in a churchyard? A small team of LPS members travelled to St Giles Church in Codicote to investigate its hauntings and somewhat strange tales. The graveyard is reported to be haunted by a little girl, a shrouded woman and a red faced old woman with corkscrew curls. In the graveyard also sits a rather unusual carving called ‘The Old Dog’. It has the head of a monkey, ears of a bat, the mane of a horse, body of a dragon, tail of a lion and legs and hooves of a cow. It is not know why it is called The Old Dog but it is alleged to bring you good luck if you pat its head.

This investigation started with a very strange experience for a group of members as they arrived on site. As they pulled up in the car, another car was already on site. Thinking this was probably other members they were about to get out and greet them but when looking at them they all agreed they did not recognise whoever was sitting looking back at them.

They described what they were seeing and concluded these were other members of the public and not LPS members (no new members were due to be attending this event).

As other members arrived everyone emerged from their cars including the two ladies who were not recognised. LPS members were shocked to see two familiar faces. The two ladies were in fact known members but who were the other members ‘seeing’ in the car? Could LPS members have experienced what is known as Transfiguration?

The rest of the investigation vigils did provide a variety of experiences. Impressions of people were picked up in the graveyard including a dog on the North path. Whispering and humming noises were heard by different teams and a few dark figures were also seen moving around one of which was felt to be a small boy. Flashes of light were also seen around the church during the evening.

LPS Investigates Crawley Green Cemetery Luton

LPS undertook and investigation in Crawley Green Cemetery in Luton. The area itself is used for recent burials and it situated next to houses on the adjacent housing estate.There is a proper pathway that separates this area from the rest of the cemetery and because this area is triangular and small it is very easy to observe someone in this area.

As an investigator approached this area in the early evening sunset he was approximately 20 yards away from the area.
when he observed a figure of a person in grey with short black hair kneeling over one of the graves near
the pathway. The investigator noted that the person wa wearing green fleece observed the figure learn forward over the grave and then vanish.

There was no one there and the investigator had arrived at the location of the grave where the figure had been. but there was no sign of anyone. The figure would have had to get up and walk out of the area along the pathway past the investigator but he did not see anyone. A search of the area was completed and nothing found.

The investigator did find a grave in the area of where the figure was seen with the name Tommy written on it. but the figure was never seen again

Nettleden and Studham

13.03.2020

Nettleden – Know Before You Go (This article is taken from the internet)

On a public road but driving is not recommended. It is much better seen on foot… at night. Park at pub and buy a drink as a thank you. Villagers understandably do not really like the attention of visitors the bridge brings them, or unfounded links to the occult. They are sometimes known to deter visitors by saying there is no bridge at all. It does not appear on google Earth or any modern maps. But rest assured the Devils Bridge is there for you to go and see and there is a public footpath nearby.

We also highlight the following in order to give you an indication of what to expect if you are planning to investigate at this location for yourself.

LPS – Nettleden Residents History – 18^th March 2011

Pre-Investigation – Objection from local resident to LPS investigation Prior to our investigation at Nettleden. LPS was contacted a number of times by a local resident who informed us that our planned investigation at the bridge at Nettleden would cause problems for local residents by attracting unsavoury characters from the local public house and youths who congregated under the bridge at night.

As a precaution to prevent disruption to the local resident who was opposed to LPS investigating an area where incidentally there is public access and in order to minimise any impact on the local community from our investigation. LPS chose to change the date of the investigation in case of any disruption that could have been caused to our planned investigation on the original planned date by said local resident and any local youths. Which was a total success.

The result was a trouble-free investigation and we never saw anyone from the local community both under the bridge or further up the lane. At no time did LPS members investigate the top area of the bridge as permission to do this had been denied by said local resident. While LPS was not obliged to contact this resident, upon receiving emails that were, to say the least nimby in nature. We did complete our investigation without any disruption to this resident and maintained communication with them prior to the investigation.

LPS never received any further communication from this resident and has chosen not to place their emails on our website to keep the identity of this resident safe from the public domain.

Fast forward then to last Saturdays daytime investigation where we posed as ramblers to make sure we did not get attention and last night’s investigation where we encountered no one living.

Nettleden History

Out in the Hertfordshire countryside is a sunken Roman road, now sided by old trees with tentacle-like roots that top the high brick and flint walls as if they are climbing out of the road. Along the old holloway is a hidden bridge known by locals as the “Devil’s Bridge on Spooky Lane.” It’s shrouded in urban legends of ghosts and witchcraft curses.

One of the ghosts sighted along the old road was a silent, robed monk walking towards a monastery that used to be nearby. Another was a Roman soldier standing to attention guarding the road. Others have reported strange sounds and mysterious red lights coming from the surrounding bushes

Local legend will tell you that this is a place where witchcraft is practiced. Until not too long ago, the walls did have pentagrams and 666’s chalked on them. (Whether this is the work of the occult or pranksters is not clear.)

The bridge is unusually situated almost on top of a steep hill. It is made of brick and seems over-elaborate in its construction. Its ribbed under arch has led some to suspect it was made with a forgotten purpose.

Others speculate the bridge was made to settle a land access dispute, explaining its strange uphill location. Cars suffering mechanical breakdowns near the bridge then returning to working order again moments later have been reported, as well as horses and dogs acting strangely spooked.

Built around the time of the third Duke of Bridgewater, the road was a carriage drive to the nearby stately home Ashridge House along the Golden Valley. It is said the duke had the old Roman road sunken to hide the lady of the house from the stare of the local peasant workers and other non-noble men. The nearby village is beautiful, with some medieval-era houses and a church dating back 1275. Whatever the truth is about this place, it is a fascinating local urban legend.

LPS Investigation Nettleden 13.03.2020

Pre-investigation – Weather dry

Audio – Local Owl gave us all a hoot.

Visual – one car headlight noticed under bridge from car turning around in Nettleden

This was a back to basics investigation with very limited use of paranormal equipment reduced to just EMF meters and audio devices. This also included not using torches to give the game away.

20:45 Investigators parked up and made their way from a clandestine location where they could not be interrupted by anyone living to the Devils Bridge.

21.00 The members were sent on individual trips to spent time alone under the bridge and encouraged to use their own senses to see what they would pick up.

21.05 Investigator is sent to the Bridge and during his vigil heard loud whispering voices directly behind him at the tunnel entrance, yet upon investigation no one was there, and the other members of the team were well away from the bridge area.

21.20. Another investigator heard sounds coming from inside the underneath of the bridge that could not be accounted for either.

21.35 Another investigator is sent to the bridge and undertake her investigation

22:00 Team reconvened and debrief before making the long journey back to the cars ready for the second location

Studham – The Blue Man

The alleged event occurred on January 28, 1967 at approximately 01:45 p.m. just after lunch, close to Whipsnade Park Zoo in Studham Common in Bedfordshire, U-K. It involved five or six or seven young boys aged 10 and 11, Alex Butler, Tony Banks, Terry Cahill, Colin Lonsdale, David Inglis, who were playing before the afternoon schooltime starting at 02:00 p.m. at the Studham Lower School.

It had been raining earlier but now the sky had cleared. The boys were skirting a footpath that lead to the low valley of Dell, a place surrounded with bushes and trees, besides Studham Common; which was ideal to play hide-and-seek.

As the boys were chattering, a sudden flash of lightning struck nearby. One of the boys, Alex Butler, aged 10, who was a little way ahead of the others, reached the edge of the bank above the Dell, and stopped in surprise when he saw a small bluish silhouette, or a “little blue man”, standing in a clearing near some bushes down at the foot of the opposite bank, at approximately 20 meters from him.

He stared in amazement at the silhouette for a moment, then shouted to call his friends and they came running and watched the being in bewilderment. After an initial moment during which they were too amazed to move, the boys all ran down to the figure. It did not move, but he seemed to emit some sort of cloud of yellowish-blue mist or a “puff of smoke”; which moved towards the boys, and then the small figure literally vanished in an instant.

The figure was described as about three feet tall, plus a two feet tall sort of hat or helmet; which was described as domed at the top like a bowler hat but without edge. The overall body was dark grey-bluish and it was gleaming so that it obscured the contour and the details of the character. It wore a large black belt descending down. In the front of the belt was a 6 square inches black box.

The face had two round eyes, a strange flat triangle instead of a nose, there was a forked blue or bluish beard with the two parts running down each side of the chest, a fringe of hair or some sort of line or edge to the helmet vaguely seen above the eyes. The arms were short and were held at his side and did not appear to move at any time. The legs and feet were only hardly visible.

At that time the boys were seemingly more curious than frightened, and their eyes searched the Dell to see where the figure had gone. They spotted him again on the opposite side of the Dell. They all reached the spot where he had been standing, but there was again no sign of him, instead return at the bottom of the Dell gain about twenty meters away, and again disappeared in a mist.

At this point, the boys heard voices babbling in a foreign-sounding tone in the bushes and became frightened. They saw the being a fourth time, and then the school’s whistle resounded, and they left the place to go to school.

Their teacher, Miss Newcomb, noticed that they were excited, and she asked why. The boys did not want to tell what had excited them as she “would never believe” their story. Miss Newcomb separated them and had each of the boys write down his version of the event and noted that the stories matched.

A booklet with these stories was later gathered, possibly by Miss Newcomb, titled “The Small Blue Man of Studham Common”, which might still be at the school’s archive but unfortunately does not seem to have been cited in ufological literature.

On March 3rd, 1967, the Dunstable Gazette apparently ran a short article on the little blue man, and that attracted ufologists Bryan Winder, Charles Bowen, Gordon Creighton and one Moulster. Research apparently revealed that there were UFO sightings in the area in the few months that followed the appearance of the blue man. Some sources tell that there were two “UFO landings” at the place where the boys had seen the figure but nothing precise and no dating seems available and the boys reported no UFO.

At least Bryan Winder heard the details of the sighting of the “blue man” from the children, having questioned them in the presence of their teacher.

Ufologists investigating the case later suggested that the black box at the figure’s belt could have been some sort of a receiver and the forked beard some kind of breathing apparatus, while later still, proponents of the thesis that alien visitors are actually fairies proposed that the blue man must have been some sort of goblin like those of the British folklore and ghost hunting circles obviously propose that it was some sort of ghost.

They estimate the little man as tall (by comparison with themselves), with an additional 2ft. accounted for by a hat or helmet best described as a tall brimless bowler, i.e. with a rounded top. The blue color turned out to be a dim grayish-blue glow lending to obscure outline and detail. They could, however, discern a line which was either a fringe of hair or the lower edge of the hat. two round eyes, a small seemingly triangle in place of a nose, and a one-piece vestment extending down to a broad black belt carrying a black box at the front about six inches square. The arms appeared short and were held straight down close to the sides at all times. The legs and feet were indistinct. The “beard” is interesting: apparently it extended from the vicinity of the mouth downwards to divide and ran to both sides of the chest. Although agreeing that it could have been breathing apparatus. the boys could not see clearly enough to be certain and this thought had not occurred to them.

The disappearances caused me some difficulty at first but became more understandable after further explanation of the “smoke” was apparently a whirling cloud of yellowish-blue mist shot towards the pursuers, possibly from the box on the belt. They agreed that he could have stepped into the bushes before this camouflage cleared, although it dissipated quite quickly. They heard no sound other than the voices and saw no movement at any time. Nor did they smell
any smells or see anything strange in the vicinity, either on the ground or in the air.

The glow and the mist could have been the products of ionising radiation. Indeed, similar emanations, not necessarily from the same source could have triggered- off the lightning in an atmosphere already charged by natural processes. However. we must not carry speculation too far. All that we are certain of at this stage is that this is no ordinary fairy tale. Nobody who knows the boys disputes that it really happened.

The boys told ufologists in the presence of Miss Newcomb, according to a summary by R.H.B. Winder:

“They estimate the little man as three feet tall (by comparison with themselves) with an additional two feet accounted for by a hat or helmet best described as a tall brimless bowler, i.e. with a rounded top. The blue color turned out to be a dim greyish-blue glow tending to obscure outline and detail. They could, however, discern a line which was either a fringe of hair or the lower edge of the hat, two round eyes, a small, seemingly flat triangle in place of a nose, and a one-piece vestment extending down to a broad black belt carrying a black box at the front about six inches square. The arms appeared short and were held straight down, close to the side; at all times. The legs and feet were indistinct. The “puff of smoke” seemed to have been a whirling cloud of yellowish-blue mist.” The authors indicate that they do not call such creatures aliens but fairies.

Pre- investigation – Weather dry but clouding over.

22:40 Investigation begins and the team are settled down for a period of observation. Lights are seen in the skies before it clouded over but these can be accounted for by the aircraft flying out and into Luton Airport.

23:30 Investigation ends due to low cloud weather conditions.

Great Wymondley

07.02.2020

The Motte at Great Wymondley adjoins the nearby norman church of St Mary church. On the east side are the remains of a mount and bailey type of castle which was the focus of this investigation and not the nearby churchyard.

Like the other smaller castles of Hertfordshire, it was probably only in use for a short time and was defended merely by a timber keep on the mount and stockades around the bailey. There is no evidence of any masonry works. It may have been thrown up by John de Argentein, an adherent of King Stephen, in the time of the anarchy as a manorial stronghold, Wymondley being the head of the Argentein barony in Herts.It was probably destroyed as an adulterine or unlicensed castle in the reign of Henry II.

Adjoining are indications of Roman occupation built within a large rectangular Romano-British earthwork. The small low motte is encased by a ditch and the bailey is surrounded by a strong rampart and a wet ditch. Passing through the cemetery the team made its way onto the Motte which as expected was empty and deserted.

The team were joined by new members on their first paranormal investigation and began in the motte area with a silent vigil. The purpose of this is to avoid using all electrical equipment including keeping mobile phones off and tuning your own natural senses into the environment around you.

The team heard bells chiming in the far distance but not from the church behind them. Voices were heard and a figure was seen in the same area as last year in the nearby bushes.

The team then moved onto undertaking several experiments in this area using a SB7 and Olivus three, EMF meters and EVP sessions (this are yet to be analysed). However, the consensus was that unlike last year this area was not producing much in the way of paranormal activity.

The team then moved from the Motte to the cemetery itself which unlike last year produced more positive results. The SB7 came out with a range of responses to questions asked including the name of one investigator recently deceased father on three occasions. The SB7 also produced some spiritual humour not least when a voice came through three times stating “go” in response to the question “do you want us to leave” and when the investigator stated he was not leaving the response was “oh I give up” which gave us all a laugh.

The Olivus was very active in the part of the cemetery and among the words that came up was “Reverend”. There was no EMF activity in this area, but the team also observed a strange white mist that came into the graveyard and then left of its own accord.

Minsden Chapel

24.01.2020

The first LPS investigation of 2020 was an investigation to Minsden Chapel. Investigators trekked across muddy fields in the wilderness near Stevenage along a public pathway that leads all the way to the chapel itself.

Minsden Chapel is mentioned in the Doomsday book as being held by King William, the chapel is haunted by a phantom monk, which was photographed in 1907. The monk is traditionally said to appear at midnight on all Hallows Eve to the Northeast of the chapel.

Some witnesses have heard faint music from the chapel, Peter Underwood the once president of a Ghost Club spent a vigil here and heard the sound of distant music, he also witnesses a white glowing cross on one of the walls, which disappeared and then reappeared.

The ruin is remote, very atmospheric and was well worth a visit, although it is in a dangerous condition and we had to be aware of falling masonry. The chapel, now a ruin is made of flint nodules and dates to the 14th Century, when it was a stop off point on the pilgrim route to St Albans Abbey.

By the 17th Century the chapel was a picturesque ruin, which was still used by those of a more romantic disposition for weddings. By 1725 the bells had been robbed from the chapel and the danger of falling masonry had put an end to the open-air marriages. In the early part of the twentieth century the chapel became linked with Reginald Hine a local historian who researched into the chapel extensively. It was during one of his visits in 1907 that his companion photographed a phantom monk coming out of the ruins. Reginald committed suicide in strange circumstances at Hitchin railway station in 1949. He calmly stepped in front of a train while during a conversation with one of his friends.

LPS has been investigating Minsden Chapel many times since 2003 and while the ruin has changed much in the last seventeen years as parts of it have fallen down. There is one constant that remains intact throughout all those investigations and that is a sinister entity that lurks within the outside confines of the chapel. . It was noticeable however that there was a total absence of animal and nature sounds within the close proximity of the chapel.

This dark entity that has been described by many over the years as never having been human has had a negative impact on many different LPS investigators over the years. It appears to make itself known in the wooded area to the rear of the building but will not enter the chapel itself. Since a fence has been removed investigators were able on this occasion able to access more of the wooded area than on previous investigations and make contact.

One of the methods used was to rotate members in pairs to an area known for contact with this entity just outside a rear wall in the dark with no light source and to see what happened. Sure enough this area where no wild life has been observed to enter once again seemed to produce a dark negative energy that makes one feel very uncomfortable and raise the hairs on your neck resulting in feeling that makes you wanting to leave the area.

While in the woods a SB7 was used and the word “animal” came out. One of the team was wearing a shirt with the name “Animal” blazoned across it. During the SB7 experiment a voice came out on more than one occasion telling us to “get out” and “go away”.

Another experiment involved leaving one team in the woods and a second team in the chapel itself using an Olivus three. The team in the wooded area proceeded further away from the chapel to a small clearing where there was a pheasant feeding cauldron. As they stood there, they felt a tingling over our bodies. One of the paranormal investigators called out for any spirits to show themselves. At this point a loud running noise coming towards them could be heard, and they were startled by it.

As soon as the team had entered the chapel the Olivus came up with the words “Look Outside” and the team heard sounds from outside one of the walls of the chapel, but no one was there. A smell of sulphur was picked up along with a dark shape moving outside the chapel wall.

Photographs were taken using both flash and non-flash cameras such as infrared and some of these produced orbs notably in the wooded area and a mist close to one member that has been described as not breath. There was also equipment failure in this area.

The Chapel itself felt calm and quiet and safe unlike the wooded area. Sadly, it would appear that vandalism has also taken place at the site with what was a small hole has now been made a lot bigger and nature continues to take back what is hers.

Minsden chapel is always worth a visit even if access gets harder every year thanks to the local farmer who has removed public footpath signs and a wooden gate that use to provide access to the site and replaced it with a wire fence sealing the site off. Unfortunately for him paranormal investigators are a hardy breed and like a challenge. Our full report and analysis will follow shortly….

Segenhoe All Saints Church

22.11.2019

Historical background

Segenhoe has always been a small place with few inhabitants and dominated by Segenhoe Manor and the church, dedicated to All Saints. It is now effectively part of Ridgmont which was the birthplace of the Countess of Strathmore, Mother to the present Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother, but at one time was a village unto itself. Segenhoe was the original Saxon village and it was renamed Ridgemont (Rougemont) after the Norman conquest of 1066 (at the time its name was Segenehou).

The church, now a ruin, is located just off the Segenhoe Manor Road, which lies to the left of the Eversholt Road about six hundred metres from the A507, southwest of the centre of Ridgmont. The church was built in the eleventh century close to Segenhoe cum Ridgmont (on the map this is labelled as Segenhoe Manor).

The church was adapted over the centuries so that it includes architecture from the eleventh up to the nineteenth centuries. In the end the church suffered from structural problems making it uneconomical to repair and it was finally decommissioned and a new church built in nearby Ridgmont. The old church started to decay and was going to be demolished but Bedfordshire County Council bought it in 1982. Even though the church itself is no longer in use the site is still used for burials.

LPS has investigated this location a number of times over the last sixteen years with different team members who have come and gone over time. Almost all have had some form of paranormal experience at this site and this investigation was no different with the most spectacular sighting of the night coming after some members had left due to the intense cold.

Some of the team were standing outside the church in the cemetery when a figure of a woman was observed standing near one of the gravestones. The figure was described as wearing a dress as her legs could be seen but the upper half of the body was black with no features and she was standing and watching the team. Naturally the team went to this area immediately, but nothing could be found.

For this investigation the focus was more on traditional methods of investigating than technical ones. For example, the team members concentrated on stone tape. For those of you into stone tape theory this involves placing your hand onto a part of the building you are drawn to such as the church stone pillars, wooden doors etc. then closing your eyes, emptying your mind of thoughts and allowing any vibes or thoughts to come into your head

This did produce some results as one member felt an emotion of sadness at the church no longer being used, while another had a strong sense of lying on the pillar when it was freshly made and still lying on the ground.

Another method was to use a recording of Gregorian chant music while the team sat inside the church area. During this session a rod of yellowish/gold coloured light appeared inside the church ruin and appeared to float down the wall over the head of one of the team. This last no more than two seconds before disappearing and this could not be debunked although the team did try to explain this. Strange lights have been seen before at this site, but this is the first time a rod has been seen.

The team conducted a technical session using a REM Pod, Olivus Three, EMF and other meters and EVP.

The Olivus came out with Demon followed by Omen (was this a reference to the film one wonders). Bury then Bible, Paranormal, night, Reverend Jim, were just some of the more relevant words along with fire and burn and disaster.

Pitstone Windmill and Gubblecote Canal

08.11.2019

Pitstone Windmill History.

It is thought to have been first built circa 1627 as this date is carved on part of the framework. This is the earliest date to be found on any windmill in the British Isles. It should be remembered that such a structure would have had to have frequent repairs made to it, so it is quite possible the mill predates 1627. It was dendrochronologically dated in 2004 by Dr Martin Bridge of the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory, when the oldest pieces in the buck were found to be from trees felled in winter 1595/96 and spring 1597. The ‘new’ crown tree was made from a tree felled in spring 1670, while the quarter bars of the trestle were from trees felled between 1824 and 1826, so like most mills it is a mix of old timbers variously recycled or hanging on from their original use.

For many hundreds of years grain grown in the two adjoining villages was ground at the mill into flour. In 1874 the mill was bought by Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow who owned the nearby Ashridge Estate. He subsequently let it to a local farmer, who ran a successful milling business from the mill.

In 1902 the mill was seriously damaged during an enormous gale, damaging it beyond the price of economic repair. Around 1922 the derelict ruined mill was bought from the Ashridge Estate by a farmer whose land was close to the mill. In 1937 he donated it to the National Trust. However, it was not until 1963 that a band of volunteers began to carry out renovations at their own expense. The mill appeared in an episode of The Champions titled The Invisible Man which was filmed in 1967.^[2] In 1970, after an interlude of 68 years, the mill once again ground corn.

Paranormal Investigation begins.

This was the first time that LPS has investigated this location. The windmill is on open ground so making it that bit colder and open to the wind. The investigation began with an EMF sweep of the area which picked up nothing of note followed by a silent vigil during which members were sat around the outer wall of the windmill. During this session one member sensed energy on the seventh step only of the outdoor staircase and a sense of someone falling and another member had a strong sense of something being buried under the nearby ground.

Next the team conducted an Olivus three experiment which came up with some interesting results relating to the possible use of the land by the army at some point in the past and the possibly of a girl being buried somewhere nearby.

Use of a Rempod and a PSB11 did not show any results and the team moved onto the second investigation of the night at the nearby gubblecote canal.

Gubblecote Canal History

There is a strong ethos and approach to paranormal investigation at LPS that we should investigate areas that are not on the paranormal tourist map and not known to have paranormal history. Gubblecote has been investigated three times over the last eight years and each time produces activity that is always linked to the spirits of a couple who still argue in death with each other. Unfortunately the encroaching building of an estate nearby now threatens this once quiet and tranquil location.

Paranormal Investigation begins.

The investigation began with members spread out along this canal for a silent vigil. This produced some startling individual experiences for the investigators for example a dark shadow figure was seen coming along the path and then over the water itself. Another investigator heard the giggling of children coming from behind a bush behind him and when he investigated, he found no one was there.

The second part of the investigation involved re-enacting the last experiments from a previous investigation that LPS had undertaken at the bridge in previous years that produced results.

This involved a female member of the team suing the olivus three on one side of the bridge and a night vision camcorder filming the experiment. One again like on previous occasions the same female spirit came forward however unlike last year there was no longer a sense of anger and aggression towards her former pattern in life who once again made himself known on the other side of the bridge. Maybe even in death arguments do need to be settled and love conquers all.

The bridge was also far busier with cars than in previous years with people oblivious to what was taking place beneath them. Some orbs were caught on photographs, but the explanation would most likely be that these are caused by moisture from the water in the canal.

Ramsey Rural Museum

05.10.2019

Background

The museum is situated in Hassock Meadow, which is reached by means of a track running at right angles to Wood Lane. The Meadow has probably always belonged to the Ramsey Abbey Estate because when the Abbey was founded in 969 AD, it was granted as its banlieu “the distance of a league around the abbey”. A league may have been anything between three miles and one mile, but even using the latter definition, the meadow would still have fallen within the abbey’s jurisdiction. The land probably remained with the Abbey until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, despite the fact that there is no mention of a Ramsey Estate in the Doomsday Book of 1086.

With the dissolution of the monasteries, the Abbey Estates passed to Richard Williams, alias Cromwell. It seems the Williams/Cromwell line petered out in the 1670’s and the estate was bought by Colonel Silus Titus in 1675. Silus Titus died in 1704 and left the estate to his wife and daughters, the last of who died in 1732 leaving the estates to their servants who eventually sold them to the Fellowes family in 1737.

Many of the buildings were reconstructed in their original form, each piece was marked and numbered, so as it was taken down, then put back into its correct place as each building was rebuilt.

Pre-Investigation

Prior to this investigation one member was warned that there was a lost soul at this location that would try and attach itself to them and try to go home with them as attachments tend to do. Since this information came from a trust worthy source precautions were taken prior to the investigation such as a protection prayer and investigators wearing personal items of protection from crystals to ward off negative energy to crucifixes and items featuring the Archangel Gabrielle.

Ramsey Rural Museum is a good location for an investigation being out in the countryside and being a large size museum with a large enough area to cover for any paranormal enthusiast.

The first area of noted activity was outside in the farmyard machinery area and one machine with large wheels and a presence that affected two members with and impression that someone had fallen into the machinery and been killed. The affected members both had impressions of blood and a truly gory death attached to this item. Those members were drawn to this piece of machinery time and again through out the night as if something was urging them to come back.

Another area that produced unexpected results was in an upstairs area of the museum. Using an Olivus three to great effect where the PSB11 had failed miserably the team found themselves getting hit after hit with direct answers to questions asked.

Other experiments included using a plasma ball, thermal imaging and various triggers objects as methods to communicate with spirit. Of course, the best method still remains in not using any technology at all except yourself and this method was also used.

The museum is a large area to cover and was a great night out, our Thanks to staff at Ramsey who as usual were very helpful and we look forward to seeing them again in the future.

Valetta Air Crash 1954

13.09.2019

Historical Background
On 6th January, 1954, a Valetta aircraft was authorised to perform a pilot and navigation exercise and at the same time to convey a rugby team from Thorney Island to Boving-don and back. The outward journey with 16 people on board was uneventful.

For the return flight an extra passenger was taken aboard. Although there are only 16 seats in this type of Valetta, there is an adequate take off and landing position for the seventeenth passenger and the addition of one extra passenger would not have brought the all-up weight of the aircraft beyond the maximum permissible for take-off. The pilot of the aircraft had not played in the match, although the other three members of the crew had.

The routine examination of the aircraft before take-off is the responsibility of the pilot, and it is not known whether steps were taken to clear the wings of snow. Since, however, the aircraft took off normally and the ground temperature was not below freezing point, the wings were not iced up. The aircraft took off at 5.16 p.m. with visibility of about 1,200 yards in slight snow. There was a north-easterly wind blowing at about 12 knots. It is considered that the weather conditions at the time of take-off had no bearing on the cause of the crash. The Valetta was last seen climbing at about 400 feet with a gentle turn to port. A few minutes later it struck a tree and crashed on Tom’s Hill, Aldbury.

It has not been possible to establish the cause of the accident, and it can only be assumed that the pilot was trying to fly within sight of the ground, in conditions of poor visibility, and that in doing so he crashed into the hill.

Investigation

On the evening of the investigation the sky is clear, and conditions are dry. During the first part of the investigation an investigator clearly hears his name spoken out aloud. But no other member of the team has spoken. The team conduct various experiments in the wooded area including silent vigils and EVP and Olivus experiments which prove interesting as on occasions there are direct answers to questions asked. More on this will follow in our reports once we have undertaken analysis of the recordings.

The team then moved further down Toms Hill and a photograph of an orb was captured in a nearby area which was interesting as photographs taken imedditaly afterwards showed nothing. However since 90% of orbs are not spirits we do not claim this to be one either.
LPS has conducted two previous investigations in this area in 2012 and 2013 which both yielded related results to this investigation including interesting enough “fires burning under the trees” ”A man shouting save me Mary”

During world war 2 an American B-52 came down in the same area and more recently a young man lost his life in a car crash on the road through Toms Hill.

In 1891 three men went poaching in Aldbury Nowers wood which belonged to the Stocks estate. Unfortunately for them they were surprised by two of the estate’s gamekeepers and a violent confrontation took place. After a struggle both gamekeepers were killed. The men were caught and two of them were sentenced to death. The day of execution, 18th March 1892, sparked a leading article in The Times and a debate in parliament.

Afterwards children would not go near the woods where the gamekeepers were murdered because they believed that ghosts walked the area.
So is there more to Toms Hill that so many have come to grief in this area or is it just coincidence?

Sharpenhoe Clappers

UFO Investigation

30.08.2019

Owned by The National Trust, Sharpenhoe Clappers near Streatley Village in Bedfordshire, is a classic chalk escarpment standing out like the prow of an ocean liner from the surrounding flatter land.

The Iron Age fort on the Sharpenhoe Clappers forms part of a series of defended sites established along the Chiltern Ridge during the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age. It is, however, the only regional example of a promontory fort, relying for its defence primarily on the strength of its topographical location. Its commanding position dominates the local landscape, providing not only defence, but also displaying the status of its former inhabitants. Additional fortifications on the most imposing, northern side may also have served this purpose.

LPS has on many occasions investigated the Iron age fort not least because of the legend of the warrior ghost who is said to appear there. However, given that Sharpenhoe Clappers also provides outstanding views over the local area and the night sky on clear nights makes this an ideal area for UFO investigation as well.

During this investigation the team observed a triangle shaped craft fly over them making no sound and showing only two white lights beneath the craft, but no red or green lights as might be expected with regular aircraft. Since a UFO is an unidentified flying object. A description that includes anything in the sky you cannot identify not necessarily aliens then this would fit the bill.

One team member also observed a distant pulsing blue light in the night sky that appeared very distant in the milky way for a few seconds only and never appeared again. Also seen were silver flashes that appeared and could have been light reflecting off space junk or satellites that passed over head on regular intervals along with the odd shooting star.

For the third UFO investigation of the year this was an interesting evening and watching the night sky away from town air pollution can be very relaxing as astronomers will well now.

Galley Hill

23.08.2019

Background

On the outskirts of Luton is a hill known as Galley Hill. This area contains Bronze Age earthworks that go back 3000 years. The name Gallows Hill was given because in former times this was the site of the gallows where public executions would have taken place. The location was also used to bury the bodies of local witches who were hanged during the witch hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The accused could be hanged sometimes for nothing more than a neighbour who had a grudge against them.

During excavations on the site in the 1960’s archaeologists discovered a steer skull that had a dice placed on top of it with the number six uppermost. Was this evidence of a possible ritual used in the past?

During 18^th century industrial Luton many years later there arose strange tales of a hound from hell which was seen roaming the area. At this time there was a gallows on galley hill to the north of the town along with a gibbet from which the bodies of criminals would be hung as warning. To make sure the bodies lasted they were soaked in tar.

One night a terrible storm hit the town with strong winds and bolts of lightning, but surprising little rain. Since galley hill is among the one of the highest points around it soon attracted the lightening with the consequence that lightening soon hit the bodies hanging in the gibbets in chains. The tar was ignited and soon the whole hill was ablaze with flames leaping up in the sky. As the flames rose higher locals were terrified to see a large black dog dancing around the flames as the bodies burned. The dog continued to dance until the bodies were ashes, whereupon the dog gave out a long howl and vanished.

Locals were convinced that the dog was a hound form hell and legend has it that the hound has been seen on odd occasions causing dismay to those who see it. Apparently if you turn to flee you may live to tell the tale. But those who have chosen to confront the hound have never been seen again. Whilst some ghostly hounds are thought to be a good omen, the hell hound of Luton is not one of them.

Previous investigations by LPS provided relevant information to this Location;

In 2009 some investigators felt the presence of World War one soldiers marching over the hill. In 2018 showed increased activity with cameras being switched on and off by unseen hands. The investigators also experienced a woman’s voice saying out loud “hmm” standing right in between investigators and heavy breathing from directly behind investigators. The Olivus three came out with direct responses to questions as though in direct conversation with the team.

So, to 2019 and once again this location was investigated this time taking in a wider area. This time the emphasis was on less equipment and more back to basics using ourselves and notepad and pen. A camcorder was set up and used as a trigger object given the hostility show to cameras last time. However, on this occasion the camera was not turned off unlike last year.

At the start of this investigation the team investigated an area of pathway where a local had seen a man dressed in medieval costume some years ago and reported this to LPS stating he could clearly see the man and he appeared as physical as himself. But when he turned around the man had vanished.

Once at the location the team were started by a loud scream that came and went with no explanation, but it sounded human. One again the Olivus three provided specific information to the investigation and was only used sporadically in line with the purpose of the investigation to go back to basics. A woman was sensed behind the team that seemed to just stand there for a while and members picked up that she was indeed a nasty old woman. When during the investigation she was asked if she would have preferred to have been buried in consecrated ground the response was laughter.

Members of the team sat in a circle heard footsteps all around them at one point and the Olivus informed them at there were 28 spirits present although the team using their own medium senses could only account for three that included one old woman and another woman who kept coming and going and a male on the other side of the team.

Leaving the seated area, the team investigated further down the path and were astound when they observed one tree which was surrounded by larger trees waving about as if blown by the wind. Only there was no wind and the other trees were completely still. Disembodied voices of women were heard and when the area was searched there was no one there. The area was colder in one spot than anywhere else even in the open area on the top of the hill. For the most part the team felt very much as if they were being watched which did make for an interesting investigation for the second year in a row and needs further investigation….

Deacon Hill

UFO Investigation

26.07.2019

At the third attempt in 12 months due to the weather, LPS finally made it to Deacon Hill nr Hitchin in Bedfordshire, only to find that the local farmer has sealed up all the public access stiles to public footpaths with heavy chains and padlocks. Thankfully this did not deter LPS members making their way up the long path to the top of the hill.

This hill itself has many pits which could be linked to world war two activity or as is more commonly thought the pits could the result of iron age chalk works many thousands of years ago. Historical research on this is currently being undertaken by LPS at this time.

There have been many reports of UFO sightings in the past over the three counties and crop circles have also appeared in the fields around Bedfordshire. Crops circles are thought by some to be the work of other life forms trying to communicate whilst other are more convinced that they are nothing more than man-made hoaxes. In July 2003 a large pentagram appeared in a field below the Sharpenhoe Clappers and in May 2004 a crop circle appeared in a field below Deacon Hill near Pegsdon. LPS chose Deacon Hill as the observation point, being a huge hill with excellent views all round from the top.

The sky itself was a strange orange yellow low cloud probably as a result of the air currents being blown up from Africa and bringing the heatwave with it. Fortunately, the low cloud cover did not extend right across the sky until late on in the night leaving the night sky open to observation for anything unusual. Vision was estimated at 10 miles into the distance.

The investigation began at 21:25 and at 21:55 the team observed three lights in the sky that formed a triangle over the nearby town of Hitchin. No taillights were observed, and these lights appeared to be stationary for around five minutes. The triangle appeared in a downward shape hovering over the town before fading away.

LPS will always try to debunk and not just assume what we are seeing is paranormal so there was much debate between members on this event. The known facts are that the team was at least five miles away from Hitchin at the time. Hitchin and nearby Stevenage are in the flight path from nearby Luton Airport. Therefore, one possibility that this could have been an optical illusion caused by aircraft flying at various levels and speeds in the night sky. But where were the taillights that could clearly be seen on other aircraft flying in the night sky?

The team did observe light flying nearby that produced no sound and was below cloud cover ruling out a satellite or the space station. One team member even sensed a spirit watching the team which makes this site a unique location for the inclusion of joining two different types of paranormal activity together.

Finally we have to remember that the definition of a UFO is an unidentified flying object (not aliens) therefore on this basis the team definitely saw objects in the sky that they could not identify one way or the other.

Harefield Middlesex
29.06.2019

Grand Union Canal

From about 250 years ago before the rise of the railways, the canals and waterways of Britain were the arteries that sustained the country’s burgeoning industrialisation.
The locks and bridges, the canals themselves, and the aqueducts and the tunnels supporting them were cut by hand into the landscape by teams of navvies – itinerant labours employed on a construction site – often at a terrible human cost.
And it seems that the ghosts of those lost navvies, as well as the families who eked out a colourful existence on the canal boats of Britain’s waterways, still haunt the network along with other poor unfortunate souls who just disappeared one dark night never to return.
Then there is the sprightly figure of Spring Heeled Jack, who accompanies narrow boats beneath a bridge over the Grand Union Canal, just west of London, jumping from arch to arch, his steps echoing in the gloomy silence.
The investigation began with a walk along the Grand Union Canal in search of the headless Swordsman and Monk who have been observed on numerous times by locals. The team covered a large area in hot and sweaty conditions and got to see some interesting non paranormal scenery but no sign of the monk or the headless swordsman.
However, the team were also drawn to an area of woodland just away from the canal and unlike the canal area this area felt different especially a clump of nearby trees. One member was experiencing a sense of the area as it was in Tudor times while others felt this area had some grisly hidden past as people were known to go missing and either found hanging from a tree or simply disappear without trace.

Woodland

As this investigation involved three locations the team moved onto woodland just behind St Mary church. This area was being investigated following reports of a strange black mass that would appear in this area.
Upon an initial assessment of the area members of the team heard thudding footsteps circling the team along with a dark shape was observed moving between the trees and crossing a set of very old and derelict gates and pathway that only served a purpose as a boundary marker.
The team set up in this area which seemed to become foggy and using several methods such as pen and pad, EMF meters, Full spectrum cameras etc continued to try and contact whatever was observing them. Heavy footsteps were heard around the team who was also being attacked by large swarms of insects leaving some with bite marks. The impression was that this entity for it was not in human form was taking an interest in what the team was doing. Then as in all investigations the activity seemed to quieten down allowing the team to move to St Mary Cemetery next door.

St Mary

St Mary’s Parish Church is Harefield’s oldest building, and has been its spiritual heart for centuries, despite being sited away from the geographical centre of the village. It has been described as “the Westminster Abbey of West Middlesex” because of its wealth of monuments. At the Domesday Survey of 1086 Harefield had a priest, and therefore presumably a church which was probably on the present site.

The Living was first owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, the Hospitallers who had a Priory half a mile away near the present Moorhall Road. After the Dissolution of the Order in England, the Living passed to the Newdigate family, for many years also Lords of the Manor, and patrons of the Living to the present. Day. The church remained a “private peculiar” outside the jurisdiction of the Bishop until 1847 and became a Parish Church in 1898.
During this part of the investigation members once again heard the thudding footsteps this time going around the outer cemetery wall. Team members felt that this entity was not allowed into the cemetery for some reason and continued to investigate in one area that they were in. Here there were no swarms of insects and the area seemed at peace.
Although there was no breeze at regular intervals the team was engulfed by a strong scent or odour that in the end caused one member of the team to feel ill, The team used a number of gadgets such as a ghostbox, Olivus three, EMF meters and EVP experiments most of which failed to achieve anything as much as the team just acclimatising to the area and using their own senses and a pen and pad. After spending some time here and with a team member feeling ill due to the scent the investigation ended.
Analysis
The area in the woodland requires investigation to try and find out what is going on and with maybe less technical equipment and more back to basics.

Winch Hill Cottages and Someries Castle

24.5.2019

Locals use to refer to the old manor house at Winch Hill as the “Haunted House”. A large fence still surrounds this area, but the building itself has long ago collapsed into a pile of rubble as a result of a fire and neglect. However, locals use to state that strange noises could still be heard in the area where the fire allegedly started that resulted in the ruin of the building itself.

Since the area around the old manor house is now totally inaccessible, LPS investigated the nearby cottages which use to be the guest cottages. Not least because they are not likely to be standing much longer and just like the Manor house they are on the verge of collapse. It is too dangerous to access inside the buildings themselves as the floors have given way and therefore LPS decided to contact any spirits still lingering here from the area next to the guest houses.

The methods used included the Ovilus Three and EVP Experiments along with a silent vigil. Infra-red Cameras were set up filming inside the building and EMF meters were placed around the area to monitor any activity. Members sat in a circle and initially the Ovilus came to life and a spirit named as Tom contacted the group. Not only through the Ovilus through some strong signal strength but also when three members in one part of the circle felt the area go cold whilst others did not.

These members felt that the cold air was intense at knee height and at the same time some caught a mist on camera (we still need to analyse these for breath) but there was no mist elsewhere in the area. Some other light anomalies were also seen inside the building.

On the other side of the group one member had the name “David” whispered into his ear very loudly. A strange blue light was observed moving in a horizontal line cross the doorway entrance (a strange blue anomaly was also captured on the camera inside the hallway of the cottage). It would appear that “Tom” was neither happy or sad and just come to see what the group were doing as following a short period of interesting activity the area went flat and calm as so often happens on investigations.

The team then decided to move off to investigate the nearby Someries castle. At this investigation one member of the team encountered an energy on the stairwell which she told the group made her feel uneasy. However, when a group session took place at this part of the building the energy felt by this member seemed to retreat away from the group and this member was again left alone to try and make further contact.

The sound of what sounded like church bells was heard but this was put down to the sound of the town hall in Luton and although five miles away it could be a possible cause. Scents like burnt wood were again smelt as on previous investigations that came and went.

Rougham Airfield

13.04.2019

Rougham Airfield has over the years disappeared and are now home to a new building on a industrial estate. But look closely and you will find among the new buildings that some old buildings remain although now in a poor state of decay and covered by plants but still able to get one’s imagination going as to what they where used for and who worked in them.

Built during 1941 and 1941 with three intersecting runways one of which was 2000 yards long and aligned from the west to the east. The airfield included living sites dispersed in the local woodland to house 3000 personal (see photographs). Mostly Americans flying bombers such as B-17, s B-52,s and B-26’s. On May 29^th, 1943 a B-26 crashed onto the airfield killing the crew and damaging a hanger.

After the war the main tower became a family home and the concrete areas of the base were broken up and the outer buildings become part of the newly built industrial estate The T2 hangers are still used for storage and formed part of the LPS investigation area.

Paranormal Investigators began the investigation by undertaking baseline checks and noting areas of possible residential energy across all the buildings on the site such as the radio room and canteen area and both sheds and finally the tower. As they did so they also placed trigger objects in certain rooms. The objects were first placed on A4 plain paper and then the objects were drawn around and finally each trigger object was photographed in order to record any movement. The rooms where the trigger objects were placed were chosen for the concrete floors in them to prevent any floor movement from investigators. Finally, the rooms were sealed to prevent access to them by anything human to rule out foul or accidental play.

The team then visited shed one but found nothing paranormal, However in Shed 1 two of the investigators felt that there was an invisible barrier of energy that ran from the remains of a fuselage to the middle of the room where a bench contained plane parts that had been dug up. It was a strange feeling like someone, or something did not anyone to pass. However, a second investigation at this spot some hours later found nothing and the energy was gone. Also seen in shed 1 was a mist which entered the doorway behind the team at knee height before also disappearing seconds later.

As with a previous investigation at this location the stairwell continued to feel creepy and as if someone was standing there watching. Particularly when you reach the top step area where investigators felt shivers down their spines every time they passed through this area. Henceforth two infrared camcorders were placed in this area one at the top of the landing and one at the bottom and a voice recorder was placed on the window next to the stairs and a motion detector on the stairs themselves.

The team chose not to do a séance but instead sat in circle with a mel meter and EMF meters in the middle. Using both an Olivus three and voice sound recorders the team attempted contact with any spirits in the building.

This had some success in the team one member of the team saw a white mist at knee length height come into the room. The team then felt surrounded by an icy cold breeze that went around the team and when invited into the circle appeared around the knees of the team and in one case a team member had the inside of his foot physically touched but nothing was visibly there. Knocks were heard and lights seen but some of these lights were debunked as car headlights from a nearby road. The Olivus was very active with words never seen on it before coming up such as hernia. When this finished the team went downstairs to investigate the hallway. Where the spirit of a washer woman was picked up on by one sensitive investigator.

St Paul’s Walden

LPS / BBC Investigation

22.03.2019

On the night of a large worm moon that was clearly visible in the clear night sky members of LPS were joined by BBC Three Counties Radio presenter Justin Dealey and his team in search of Betty Deacon.

Betty Deacon drowned herself on 16 August 1860 in the village pond. For years afterwards, her ghost was said to scare choir boys returning from practice after dusk had fallen. Another version of the legend it states that Betty’s ghost would also be seen standing at the site which would have been just outside her cottage.

LPS Last investigated this location in November of 2006. On that investigation the area of the path drew members to it where one member burst into tears due to the emotions she was picking up on. Members of that team also saw a silhouette of a figure standing in the tree line.

Fast forward then to 2019 and the team are walking down the same tree line (which no longer has leaves and branches like the last time) and one member takes a photograph showing a strange streak of white light running down the photograph. She immediately takes a second photograph, but the streak has gone.

The team seat themselves at the bottom of the tree line and sit in the dark but moonlight area of the cemetery. The team are undertaking a silent vigil which is followed by an EVP experiment and have infrared camcorders filming the area and light sensors that are used to detect spiritual energy but cannot be set off by insects or the wind.

During this period of the investigation one member observes a dark silhouette move down the path towards the team (just like 2006 investigation) before disappearing. Seconds later two other team members observes a large dark shadow shaped like a person floating above the ground and moving from the church area and down the outside of the tree line across the cemetery and towards the direction of the local cottages. This all happens in a matter of seconds and the team discuss if this could have been the first apparition seen in the tree line and then moving across the cemetery towards the cottages.

Using an Olivus Three and the light sensors as responses the team pick up on the name of a spirit called Peter who communicates in yes and no answers on the light sensors turning it red for yes and green for no. The team are also using EVP on sound recorders to compliment the experiment and a ghost box. Using all these methods of communication at the same time they can converse with spirit.

Peter tells the team he has been watching them for some time and following them around the area. He is curious as to why they are there and what they are doing. Signal strength is picked up on equipment as very strong, so the team assume peter is very close to them although he only stays active for a few minutes.

Following this part of the investigation the team are then joined by Justin Dealey and Justin conducts a radio interview with members first in the tree line and then at the other end of the church yard near the church doors.

Unlike TV paranormal programmes where everything is always happening the paranormal activity in this area of the churchyard is not as active as it had been earlier in the tree line area when the BBC team arrive.

Even so Justin is very interested in the ghost box experiment and then takes part in using the olivus which hilariously at one point comes in with a strong signal strength indicating a spirit nearby and the word “Lick” followed by the word “Bottom” which the team found very amusing.

Justin had also brought along a sceptic who unknowingly could have been blocking any responses given his own views on the paranormal. Whilst it is good to have a sceptical approach you must be prepared to open your mind to what cannot be explained and what is left must be the truth as Mulder once said.

Overall an interesting investigation which produced some results despite the low aircraft flying overhead and worthy of further investigation.

Great Wymondley Motte

22.02.2019

Like the other smaller castles of Hertfordshire, it was probably only in use for a short time, and was defended merely by a timber keep on the mount and stockades around the bailey. There is no evidence of any masonry works. It may have been thrown up by John de Argentein, an adherent of King Stephen, in the time of the anarchy as a manorial stronghold, Wymondley being the head of the Argentein barony in Herts. It was probably destroyed as an adulterine or unlicensed castle in the reign of Henry II. Adjoining are indications of Roman occupation built within a large rectangular Romano-British earthwork. The small low motte is encased by a ditch and the bailey is surrounded by a strong rampart and a wet ditch. Passing through the cemetery the team made its way onto the Motte which as expected was empty and deserted.

The team began the investigation at 21.00 with a ghost box experiment and soon attracted attention from spirits including the spirit of a man in black who stood above the team observing them from a short distance.

The ghost box came out with some interesting information such as;

Get out of the hole (The team are sat in the ditch)
Twenty spirits
Not alone
Destroyed (The castle was destroyed by Henry 2^nd)
1570’s (we have no information on this)
They came to say hi
Something random happens
Being shot
Richard
Not gonna lie

This was followed by an Ovilus three experiment with the following information;

Moist
Country
Grandmother (There was a full spike on the ovilus meter showing the spiritual energy to be very close to the team).
Aunt
Soldiers
March
Down
earthen
Rates (again there was a full spike on the ovilus meter showing the spiritual energy to be very close to the team).
Dawn team members was laughing at this point and the Ovilus came out with the word “Laugh”
Reverend
Bible
Jesus

These are just some of experiences the team had and more will follow in our report. As the evening wore on the area was engulfed in swirling fog great for Hollywood paranormal movies but not good for investigation as this makes using media equipment useless all those fog orbs caused by moisture.

A silent vigil in the nearby churchyard produced no results and as with the LPS investigation in 2013 it seemed very calm until something came crashing through the nearby undergrowth possibly a small deer.

Someries Castle

30.11.2018

The name of “Someries Castle” was derived from William de Someries, who had a residence on this site, but the title “castle” is contentious since it hardly describes the structure to which it is applied. The site was acquired by Wenlock in 1430 and building the mansion commenced.

The house is unique in that it is regarded as one of the first brick buildings in England. The house was never completed by Wenlock, and was partly demolished in the 18th century. The brickwork can still be seen in the remains of the gatehouse, incorporating the chapel and lodge, which still stand today. The building is important in the history of medieval English brickwork, not least because the gatehouse shows elaborate and unusual brick detailing which links it with a group of other fifteenth-century brick buildings in the same general area:

The remains of the original manor house and/or the earlier Norman Castle are now visible only as earthworks that outline the plot where the house originally stood, although remains of the gatehouse to the actual manor house and the chapel that was connected to it, are still partially standing. Even though it was never completed, it holds record as being one of the first brick built buildings in England.

Some bricks from the manor house were used to build the nearby farm houses in the 17th century. King James I., in his progress in 1605, spent a night in this house. It is the property of Madame de Falbe. (Castles Of England, Sir James D. Mackenzie, 1896)

Paranormal History

Sir John Wenlock, whose ghost is alleged to haunt the castle which is not really a castle at all but more of a fortified mansion. For years there had been stories of a duke who had failed to support his ally in the Cousins’ War and paid for it with his life in the grounds of Someries Castle. There were signs that his ghost had been reawakened.

There were rumours aplenty of sightings of dragons, dead animals found in the grounds of the castle and strange noises in the middle of the night. Soon local people started to avoid the area, especially at night. It was one of John’s great joys in life to ask locals about the strange drumming heard from Someries, knowing that his men would simultaneously be moving barrels of whiskey from wagons and drumming in the ruins to keep away locals.

The castle was abandoned a couple of decades ago and partially demolished. The crumbling pockmarked walls offered little protection against the elements but some rooms remained complete. Together with the warren of underground tunnels and basements, John had plenty of space to store the whiskey, tea and silk that the townspeople of Luton craved. There were even arrow-slits, originally built for dramatic effect, which his men used to survey the surroundings.
Bedfordshire Folk Tales By Jen Foley

LPS with investigating this location for the sixth time and one member has been investigating this location since the early 1970’s.

For the first time LPS was using a new tool in the investigation armoury namely Gregorian Chanting to see if that would arouse any paranormal activity. Although the location has not produced a great deal of paranormal activity over the years it is still a nice location to visit if a little cold and very noisy from the aircraft taking off which impact on EVP and other experiments.

When the team arrived contact with spirits through various equipment was almost immediate with direct and immediate responses to questions asked such as turning on and off of equipment as a way of yes and no responses.

The team then undertook the Gregorian experiment in the Chapel area itself where members were spread out and chants were begun. During this experiment the smell of burning wood was experienced twice by one member of the team sat near the front of the chapel but not by members sat nearby. Another member experienced a dark figure standing just outside the chapel entrance. Another heard a scream coming from just outside the chapel near to the front entrance to the castle.

During the evening cameras would unexplainably manually turn themselves off when they had been placed inside coves of the building making this physically impossible without removing the camera from its hiding place or when placed onto tripods.

The team undertook EVP experiments and had some success with the Olivus three experiment with names like Harriet and Paul being interlinked or words being produced that were in conjunction with what members were doing at that exact time. For example Six men came up when asked about who went up the tower. In another experiment with a ghost box the name of one members great grandmother came through which just goes to show that locations are not just limited to who may have lied at one location. Often we encounter contact with spirits that are just passing through or family wishing to contact members.

Ivinghoe Beacon, a prominent landmark on the chalk escarpment of the Chiltern Hills near Leighton Buzzard in Buckinghamshire, seen on a sunny summer’s day with the Vale of Aylesbury beyond. This is a panoramic picture in 3:1 format.

UFO Investigation 26.10.2018

Background; Previous reports UFO sightings Ivinghoe Beacon

09.07.2005; At 7:20 p.m Ivinhoe Beacon, Buckinghamshire. U.K. It was a cloudless blue sky, a silver sphere very high, heading west. Witnessed by a husband and wife for approx: twenty seconds, it went out of view when several high altitude planes were in the vicinity.

15.04.2007; At 5:30pm Just got onto the hill when witnesses saw a silver object about a quarter of a mile away. They were approached by a man who pointed to it and asked what we thought it was. He had been watching it for fifteen minutes and it had been overhead at one point. With the naked eye it seemed to be twisting and turning and then appeared to be thinner and not silver but more just an outline of something moving about. Through binoculars there was no silver to be seen, it was round and almost transparent. The shape was rounded and similar to an opened umbrella.

There was a central round area in the middle with spoke like lines coming from the center. The object turned and looked thin before becoming round again. When its round shape it had an undulating movement like a jellyfish. Three witnesses’ all saw the same thing. Looking at it again with the naked eye it returned to a moving silver shape. It slowly continued to head south.

16.08.2007; At 6:40pm witnesses observed two white spheres that were stationary in the sky that were close together then one disappeared followed by the other. Both were observed to be higher than two planes seen in the area.

UFO Investigation 26.10.2018

On a bitterly cold evening when you would have thought no one would be mad enough to be up on the beacon given the bitterly cold conditions. The LPS arrived at Ivinghoe beacon to be confronted by hundreds of people wandering the top of the hills carrying torches in remembrance of World War one. Thankfully by the time the team had made it to the top of the hill all of those walkers had gone and could be seen in the many cars heading down the roads.

The evening was an interesting one with clear skies and a bright moon which actually compounded viewing of the clear skies due to it being so bright. A large number of aircraft were easily identified along the flight path along with a number of shooting stars. Bu strangely no satellites or anything resembling a UFO was seen.

This is not to say that UFO activity has never been seen in the area as you can see from the previous recorded incidents. Maybe it was just too cold for them.

Ramsey Rural Museum

29.09.2018

Many of the buildings were reconstructed in their original form, each piece was marked and numbered, so as it was taken down, then put back in to its correct place as each building was rebuilt. For the full history of the museum please visit;

http://ramseyruralmuseum.co.uk/full-history-of-the-museum/

LPS was invited to investigate at Ramsey Rural Museum by Rising Phoenix Paranormal Group. Because Ramsey Rural Museum is a large site it was felt that that two groups co-operating together would cover the area better and could then compare results to give an overview of the results from the paranormal investigation.

Since we do not yet know the results of the Rising Phoenix part of this investigation this blog is based purely on what the LPS team experienced.

The chemist shop seemed to present as mystifying in that one had a sense that something was present but preferred to watch rather than be seen. Given that all the items which are original like many others in the museum it may have been residential energy attached to one of the items.

A Séance in the school area which included the singing of old nursery rhythms including one in French produced an unexpected result when Phoenix Rising who investigated this location after LPS told us that they had contact with a young French boy who had fled to London during the war. While the LPS team were in this area members experienced periods of ice cold atmosphere that could not be explained.

Another séance in an old cottage from world war two that included the use of an Olivous Three as part of the Séance ended up as a conversation with three spirits called “Tom” “Carol” and “Jim” who may have lived in the house. The strongest part of the Séance came when the spirit of a preacher introduced himself and stated he was watching the team from the adjacent corridor and threatened to fully appear. Despite much encouragement from the team, this did not occur.

In another part of the building the team had another encounter with the spirit of a monk who claimed he was from the year 1560. He spoke about his bible and seemed connected to the former abbey that was known to be on the site before the museum.

Other experience the team encountered were camcorders that were unaccountably physically turned off in one area (not battery failure but the switches had been turned off) while an identical set of cameras next to them were still recoding and then in the next location the identical second set of cameras would be found to have been turned off while the first set of cameras were not.

Members also heard the sound of what sound like a car moving silently along the gravel courtyard outside the museum at around midnight. However this would be impossible as there is no access today for vehicles to do this.

Roundhouse at Brogborough

28.09.2018

The Round House was built at the top of a steep scarp slope, facing north-east and within the earthworks of a medieval castle. The house occupies a portion of a ringwork castle. The whole castle site is oval; it measures 130 metres north to south and 100 metres east to west. It may be that this is Ridgmont Castle, a stronghold of the Barony of Wahull.

The Round House was more properly known as Brogborough Park Farmhouse and was listed by the former Ministry of Works in October 1952 as Grade II, of special interest. It was built in the 17th century, possibly by John Okey, though this is not certain and may pre-date his ownership. It was built in red brick with ashlar dressings and had a clay tiled roof. It comprised two storeys and a basement, the latter having 19th century brickwork. It is not circular, but all the principal rooms radiated outwards from the central chimney so that walking around them one described a rough circle.

By 1801 the park and the Round House were owned by Lady Radcliffe, also Lady of the Manor of Brogborough. In 1825 the owner was Henry Delmé Radcliffe and in 1828 the park and Round House were sold to John, 6th Duke of Bedford.

The farmhouse, the Round House, was described as: “a Superior Farm Residence built of brick with tiled roof, adjacent to the site of old entrenchments. It stands about 300 feet above sea level, and has pleasant Walled Flower Garden, Kitchen Garden and Orchard adjoining. The Accommodation is as follows – Two Entrance Porches, Dining and Drawing Rooms, each about 18 feet by 16 feet, Breakfast Room, Scullery, Store Room, 7 Bedrooms, Dairy, Cellar and Churn House, Out-premises, Wood and Coal House and Workshop”. Nag stabling comprised a coach house, stall and loose box. Two cellars ran underneath the ground floor and housed a dairy and two sculleries. The first floor comprised five bedrooms.

After World War Two the Round House was purchased by London Brick Company as a hostel for immigrant workers. During the 1980s the house became derelict and was put up for sale in 1983. Ten years later it was gutted by fire. By 1998 the chimney and both east and west walls had collapsed. Today the roundhouse remains a pathetic ruin.

When the LPS team arrived they found that access to the Roundhouse itself is particularly difficult due to the large barrier of mostly impenetrable and sharp brambles that now surround the site. Notably the pathway followed by LPS on previous visits is now covered making access impossible. Therefore the team had to find another way through and even this was hazardous.

Once on site inside the building an EVP experiment was conducted and a olivus Three session took place. This produced some remarkable results for example the olivus came out with Mattress and directly in front of the team was an old mattress. The team then asked “if there was a spirit on the mattress”? And there was an instant response when one of the pieces of equipment near the mattress suddenly lit up .

The team then found that in response to direct questions this same piece of equipment would light up and this conversation with spirit went on for several minutes (See our report to follow shortly).

In addition to this communication there was a very cold area identified within the room and the Olivus also came out with tree. In the middle of the room there is a large tree growing out of the middle of the floor.

The team were of the opinion due to the answers and responses to questions that they had been in contact with a spirit in the room who had managed to manipulate equipment used by the team in response to questions. After the Roundhouse the team attempted to move to some of the derelict buildings nearby but could not access them due to the large amount of overgrowth in the area.

Bromham Mill

15.09.2018

Bromham Mill stands occupies a location next to the Great River Ouse where it is thought a mill is likely to have stood from Saxon times where no bridge existed as does today. For much of its history the mill belonged to the Manor or Bromham and from medieval times would have ground the lord’s grain whilst his tenants would have been obliged to have their grain milled there for a charge (multure).

Commercial operations only developed from the post medieval period into the 20^th century when in the hands of the Quenby Family though little milling was done there after the 1930’s and by 1971 none was done at all. By 1973 the building was dilapidated and to secure its future it was brought by Bedfordshire County Council. However in 1974 it was damaged by fire (this is relevant to the LPS investigation). But subsequent restoration enabled the mill to be opened to the public in 1983. For further information please visit http://friendsofbromhammill.org.uk/history/

This investigation was a follow up on the investigation of 8^th September 2017 in order to compare results for the purpose of paranormal research and history.

The team began in a the café area with a séance that produced some stunning results in terms of paranormal activity with cold air swirling at intermittent times past members around the table from all directions, but not all at the same time over the period the séance was taking place. Two spiritual children a boy and a girl made contact by making noises in the café area on cue and even more remarkable was the information that came up seemed to point in the direction of one particular member which seemed to be the theme for the rest of the night.

The suggestion was made that the children might be more willing to engage with the women in the group than the men. Therefore while the women started a second séance the men moved to the workshop area at the top of the building.

The men had only been in the workshop a few minutes and were undertaking an olivus three experiment when one of the team was overcome suddenly with severe nausea and wanting to throw up so much so that he had to be helped to sit down on the floor as he was unable to stand. Unknown to the men the women’s group conducting a séance on the ground floor had at the same time asked that spiritual energy be directed to the men’s group to go and do something to one of them. Fortunately the male member was only ill for a few minutes and the nausea passed. However the olivus did inform the men that a male and female had undertaken a loving affair and use to meet in the workshop area when they were alive.

After the séance and the olivus experiment the team moved to the first floor. However this time there was no smell of smoke on the stairs or voices of people talking as had been the case with the investigation in 2017. In fact the investigation drew a blank in this area despite the best efforts of the team and no paranormal activity was found here.

The team next investigated inside the cottage as much as they could but this was considered too dangerous to fully go in as the ceiling was not safe although it appeared some renovation was taking place. Whilst two of the team were at the rear of the building one member went to the rear of the building to look for them but stated he could only hear them, but not see them although the rest of the team at the front of the cottage could see them. Was this a case of some form of displacement or shift in time and space taking place we are cannot be sure, but this is a common phenome in some hauntings and time slips.

The next area to be investigated was the table area at the back of the building next to the River Ouse. In the last investigation 2017 the spirit of a woman walking her ghostly dog coming up to rest area from the river was picked up.

This time a large orb was captured moving over the river area that was as a bright as the moon. Members of the team then took photographs of the area facing the glass windows and rest area inside the Mill. Everybody’s camera worked fine except for the one member who had been the focus of the séance and cottage incidents whenever he took a photo not facing the mill his camera was fine. but every time he tried to take a photograph of the mill his camera would not work. Despite checking the camera several times no explanation could be found. One possible theory was that the spiritual energy from the séance could have attached itself to this member or had links to this member and was following him around the location and even blocking his camera from working in order to prevent itself being caught on film.

Since paranormal activity was more connected with this member and the area with the windows on the ground floor next to the river, the team felt that the time was right for another final séance to be conducted in this area.

Once again events during the séance focused on this member and new information came to light from other members who were picking things up that a spirit could well be attempting to communicate to this one particular member and pointed possibly in the direction of a paternal figure who had passed on.

In order to establish if this information received is correct an experiment took place within the séance environment where the said member would not reveal the middle name of this relative to the team however spirit was given ample time to speak the middle name into any one of the sound recorders that were on the table and on. It was agreed that if any of the team found a name on the recorders during this time period that they should contact this member with the name to see if it could be confirmed. We will disclose more about if this happens in our final reports.

Lastly the whole building was scanned with a Flir 5 Thermal Imaging camera but this did not produce any paranormal photographs.

Galley Hill

17.08.2018

Previous investigations by LPS provided relevant information to this investigation in that only came to light after the investigation such as in 2009 some investigators felt the presence of World War one soldiers marching over the hill.

Setting up infrared cameras on the pathway in both directions at the exact location LPS has invested before. The team also put out rempods and sound recorders along with thermal imaging cameras.

This investigation would prove to be one of the most active that LPS has investigated over the last fifteen years in terms of contact and entities interacting with the team. The evening started with an EVP experiment and these are still being analysed at this time.

However the activity began with a question and answer session with the rempod lighting up with one flash for no and two flashes for a yes. For example the questions that got a strong response were as below;

Do you forgive your killers?
Response one flash for “no”

The investigators also experienced a woman’s voice saying out loud “hmm” standing right in between investigators and also heavy breathing from directly behind investigators . Perhaps one of the strangest physical events to happen on the night happened to both infrared camcorders placed at opposite sides of the path on both sides of the team.

Firstly the camera on the north side switched off along with all of the lighting units attached to the camera, Seconds later the camcorder on the south side of the investigators also shut down with no explanation. At first it was thought that spirits must have drained the batteries as both cameras had new fully charged batteries and it was thought that this was the reason for the cameras shutting down. However, examination of the camcorders and lighting equipment revealed that all of them had been physically turned off by turning the on/off switches on the equipment.

With the camcorder off the investigators took this as a sign that sprits present did not want the equipment on and resorted to more traditional methods such as use of pen and paper, sound recorders and for a short period an Olivus three experiment.

The Olivus three came out with direct responses to questions for example;

How many spirits are there here with us?
“15 Killed”

An Investigator holds up a Thermal imaging camera and the Olivus comes out with

“Weapon”

The investigators inform the spirits that this is not a weapon and will not harm them. The thermal camera is put away to show that it is not a weapon. The Olivus then came out with the following word;

“Green light”

One of the investigators is using a green lighted pen to record notes. Another time as a full spectrum camera was being used to take a photograph the olivus came out with the word;

“Pose”

At the end of the olivus session the word “dope” came up. A investigator explained that this could be viewed as an insult and the response was “hug”.

Following the conclusion of this experiment the team spent time on the south end of the hills coming across a trig point. Used for plotting and drawing maps by ordance survey. but no other paranormal activity.

Yielden Castle

03.08.2018

Yielden, or Yelden, Castle was a large early Norman motte castle with two baileys. The medieval motte with two baileys, probably dating to the 12th century. You can still trace the line of banks and ditches encircling a castle mound, but evidence of the original keep is long gone. Fragments of later medieval stonework can still be seen, however.

The River Til flows through the western ditch, suggesting that the river was used to create a water-filled moat. The Trailly family held the site from the time of the Domesday Book (1086) until the 13th century, so they would seem to be the most likely candidates for builders. Excavations have revealed that there was a round stone tower atop the motte with walls 4 feet thick. It seems likely that a drawbridge linked the tower to the inner bailey. Some of the stonework was heavily burned, suggesting the possibility of a siege.

The mound is 160 feet by 220 feet around the base with the highest point 25 feet above ground level and during excavations the stone foundations of a tower or shell keep were found. The bailey is thought to have had a stone wall and the excavations also found the base of a tower in the south-west corner. The castle appears to have fallen into ruins by 1360.

LPS had never visit this location before and there is no known haunting connected to this site. The evening provided clear skies with some slight cloud and a slight warm breeze. Conditions were dry and perfect for an investigation.

The investigation began with a EMF sweep of the site which found no EMF activity. This was followed by an in depth EVP and Olivus session during which one investigator felt that the spirit of servant girl was present. The investigator felt an overwhelming sense of grief and that the spirit was searching for answers as to where her husband or partner had gone as he never returned to her. The time period for this servant was around late Victorian or early twentieth century, The team however felt that this spirit was not linked to this site but was merely passing through and was curious about what the team was doing.

Now this is where the investigation took a UFO turn in more than one way. Firstly when the team had arrived at the location they had observed a bright white light stationary above the village in the night sky and took this to be a star. The object was stationary and looked exactly like a star and was in the same place for well over two hours. The sky was clear and in an instant the object just disappeared (this was not mars which were in a different area of the sky and also being filmed by the team as it was close).

While the team were discussing this they then observed a display of lights on the underside of what clouds there were. The lights displayed patterns of eight on the night clouds and this went on for some time. The only possible explanation for this was maybe it was car headlights beaming off a body of water onto the clouds or just beaming onto the clouds as they came uphill.

The team next moved into one of the ditches at the bottom of the motte to conduct further EVP experiments. Although the temperature here was a lot cooler than at the top of the motte the experiment did not produce any activity.

The team then moved to St Margarete’s church to investigate if this was a possible location for future investigation before deciding that due to nearby houses this would not be possible. It was still a nice church to visit and while the team were there a shooting star shot overhead in a blaze of light the perfect end to a perfect investigation.

Looking at one of the photos taken in daylight at the top of the motte there is a large orb that appears. However this is not viewed as a spirit given the quality of air and the good possibility for dust from the dry grass.

Mothman

20.07.2018

On an evening when the rest of Luton was getting a heavy downpour members of the LPS investigation team were perfectly dry thanks to the cover of Badgerdell wood also known as Bluebell Wood in search of Mothman.

As with a previous investigation the team encountered the same masonic signs in an underground passage that runs under the adjacent Motorway. Although the signs were in a much more vandalised condition than on the previous visit it was still possible to make out the all seeing Eye and other symbols such as a sickle on the walls of the passage.

The team followed the same path as the children of the 1979 encounter in order to try and recreate some of the same conditions. The Mothman described by the children back then was eight foot tall with red glowing eyes and a dark brown creature with pointed ears at the top of its head and huge wings. Witness described a yellow glow at its feet and it appeared to hover of fly steadily. The figure appeared to be a cross between a man, bird and a bear and took a keen interest in the children chasing them all the way back to the Iron Gate where the children escaped into Runley Road.

In anticipation of an encounter the team went into the woods where they encountered areas where the woods were warm and other areas that were cold. In one particular area there was a particular cold area that seemed still and nothing moved. The team noted that this area was also devoid of birds and other wildlife giving the area a rather spooky feel. The team conducted vigils in the hope of encountering something but only saw two torchlights passing through the woods from persons unknown at different points.

Having walked around the entirety of the woods remembering that the team were unsure of where they were going. Members were surprised when they emerged from the woods at exactly the same spot they had entered. They were even more surprised to find that upon returning into the town centre that the town had been in a heavy downpour of rain for two hours while they were bone dry thanks to the woods.

St Owen Bromham

15.06.2018

It might be world cup week for the rest of the world. But for LPS members it was business as usual on a paranormal investigation this time at St Owen Church in Bromham.

As in previous investigations there is one area of the cemetery that always produces some form of activity and this time was no different. The legend is that the sound of ghostly children’s voices can be heard and maybe in the past this was possible. However with the ever increasing housing estate and roads you are more likely to hear the sound of traffic than ghostly children’s voices.

Upon arriving in the cemetery to look around the location in near daylight one of the team members had her large earing pulled from her ear and thrown to the ground in front of her. After investigating this further the team moved to another section of the cemetery where members of the team experienced chills and a sense that they were not wanted and this links very well to previous investigations at this site.

Moving to a different part of the cemetery the team were all sat in one location when they clearly heard the sound of someone footsteps of someone wearing heavy boots coming towards the team form the right hand side. Nothing could be seen on a thermal imaging camera being used. The steps then stopped almost next to the team followed by a pause. Then the footsteps continued on the left hand side of the team until they faded as if someone had walked right past the team but members were unable to see them despite the clear area.

Finally the team moved to another part of the cemetery but this was very quiet. Experiments used included silent vigils, EVP, Olivus three,various pieces of sensitive equipment were spread around the cemetery. The team also made a stop at Moot Hall and Elstow abbey on the way home for a very brief investigation

Roundhouse

20.04.2018

On a warm and pleasant evening whilst others thoughts turned to spirits in the pub, LPS were out looking for spirits of a different kind in the area of Brogborough.

This location included the ruin of a 17^th Century Roundhouse farmhouse, and more modern buildings like a barn and motte and pathway. The last time LPS visited this location was 2^nd March 2012 and the reports from that night can be found on the LPS website.

Poltergeist activity has been recorded at this location on past investigations and whilst inside undertaking a experiment the team heard a loud bang inside the room and the sound of something like a rock or stone hitting the floor. Of course in order to identify the source instead of just assuming everything is paranormal. The team did find two pigeons in the remains of the roof and a mouse scurrying around but nothing that could produce what the team had heard.

The team using new equipment for the first time were able to observe two stick figures appear on a screen directly in front of them. However this only happened when one of the team spoke and not when others spoke. All team members agreed that this location requires further investigation.

EVP and Olivus experiments followed which are still to be analysed along with film and photographs taken and reports will also follow shortly…..

Rougham

07.04.2018

There is a saying in the paranormal community that the smaller the investigation team the more likely you are to encounter paranormal activity as there is less contamination of the investigation location. Taking this approach into the paranormal field LPS undertook and investigation of Rougham that included the church and surrounding area and of course the airbase itself.

St Mary Church Rougham

After arriving in the area a little bit earlier than expected gave members of the team an unexpected opportunity to visit St Mary Church which extends over a large area.

The local Church is Saint Mary’s, a perpendicular church dating from the 14th century, that was partly rebuilt in 1913. It contains a number of monuments to the Yelverton family. The church itself is well worth a visit in daytime (see photographs) even if it is a bit off track from the rest of the village.

Rougham Airfield

Rougham Airfield has over the years shrunk in size with large areas now home to a new industrial estate. However the team were able to find a number of old buildings in this area that clearly once belonged to the airfield (see photographs) that enhanced any investigation of the Tower and buildings themselves.

Built during 1941 and 1941 with three intersecting runways one of which was 2000 yards long and aligned from the west to the east. The airfield included living sites dispersed in the local woodland to house 3000 personal (see photographs). Mostly Americans flying bombers such as B-17,s B-52,s and B-26’s. On May 29^th 1943 a B-26 crashed onto the airfield killing the crew and damaging a hanger.

After the war the main tower became a family home and the concrete areas of the base were broken up and the outer building become part of the industrial estate but they are still worth a look if you visit the location. The T2 hangers are still used for storage and formed part of the LPS investigation area.

Using a smaller team LPS firstly walked around the location in order to identify areas where members could pick up any residual or other energy. The tower seemed to have an atmosphere that made ones hair stand up on your back and a feeling of being watched. The team then played Glenn Miller music in one of the rooms in order to try and get some energy going. Trigger objects were place around the building but these did not produce any results.

The old style séance produced a few names of note including “Henry” and members of the team experienced ice cold air coming past them although all the doors were shut. Sounds could be heard coming from below in the lower rooms.

At the end of the first investigation of the main room in the tower the team moved downstairs inviting spirits to follow them down. Two of the members were setting up a static camcorder to film the stairs and as they looked up the stairs they watched as a ball of light was coming down the stairs towards them. Unfortunately as so often happens on investigation when activity begins the camera was not running as the team were not expecting an encounter. Another member of the team would also observe half of a solid person in uniform going across the top of the stairwell.

Tewin

10.11.2017

This LPS investigation which was well attended certainly started with a bang and the fireworks just kept coming. While most, would automatically head for St Peters Church and its famous haunting. LPS went first to the remains of Tewin house to search for the ghost of Lady Sabine who is said to walk the area.

Unfortunately further historical research for Lady Sabine has revealed not very much about her. Standing at the location of Tewin House the team began with a séance and the name Rebecca was picked up. However, not long into the séance a local resident decided to put on a firework display ending the séance with a bang.

The team then moved to St Peters Church which is a reportedly haunted location and is mentioned in Betty Puckeridge’s “Haunted Hertfordshire” among other well respected author’s books which mention the grave of Lady Anne Grimston (1780) who not believing in an afterlife during her earthly days scoffed that trees would ruin her tomb if she was wrong. Sure enough her tomb is now ruined by a very large tree that has split the stone open. Another legend has it that on the stroke of midnight on new year’s eve the devil will appear.

LPS has visited this location many times and again this location did not disappoint with a black shadow figure of a man observed walking through two trees who then promptly disappeared and another member who was physically tapped on the back of his shoulder and went he turned around there was no one there. Sounds of footsteps by unseen people including two young girls one of whom was thought to be about six years of age and another which could have been something else posing as a child.

For this investigation in the churchyard, the team then broke up into two smaller groups to cover more ground and undertake a number of experiments and further séances. Both groups encountered experiences that baffled members.

When the teams gathered together as one group towards the end of the night for a EVP/SPIRIT box session near to the grave of Lady Anne Grimstone. They appeared to be getting some positive answers to questions being asked by members, quite a few different names and a number of different sounds were heard by members whilst this was taking place and these require further analysis.

Nellie Rault Murder

13.10.2017

This was the first time that LPS had investigated this case and our second murder mystery of the year.

The investigation began with a general search for the location of where the murder took place in Wilstead woods which consisted of exploring paths and locations where the team did encounter paranormal activity in particular one location that definitely requires further investigation for the following reasons.

There is one particular area where the sense of death was very strong and although sheltered form the wind this area retains a cold temperature as recorded on various temperature tools used during the investigation.

Debunked items included lights seen in high up in the trees but we managed to debunk these as distant street lights and the fact that the team had walked uphill in the darkness

We were not able to debunk a woman’s voice clearly heard by three members of the team right next to us on the path and a strong sweet scent that came into the team and was then followed by a solid looking mist that manifested within the circle of team members before disappearing. We explored all options for the cause of this including somebody sitting in the wood and vaping nearby but were no able to debunk this.

The team then moved to the church where Nelle is buried but despite the use of technology and other methods of paranormal investigation the cemetery and grave did not yield and further information and the investigation ended. The story is now taken up by Liz Walton.

Nellie’s Story By Liz Walton 89 years ago, on 9th May, 1919 a young girl from Jersey serving with Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) was murdered in woods near an army camp in Bedfordshire. The crime has never been solved. Nellie Rault was born in 1898, the daughter of Jacques Rault, a saddler of 4 Weston Villas, St Helier, Jersey, and his wife Anne Elizabeth.

The 1901 Jersey census shows Nellie Florence Ruby Rault age 3 living at Gordon House, St Aubin’s Road along with her mother, Anne Elizabeth Rault, married, age 32, tailoress, listed as head of household, Annie Frances Rault, age 11, Adelena Maud Rault, age 8, and May Emeline Rault, age 5, daughters, all born in St Helier, Jersey. Anne Rault married John W. Bewhay, of Clifton Cottage, St Aubins Road, St Helier at some time between 1901 and 1919.

According to the 1901 Channel Islands census he was a widower age 45, born in St Martin, and his occupation was plasterer. The only other Bewhay on that census is George, age 19, born in St Helier, who was with the Devonshire Regiment in St Peter’s Barracks. 3/20602 Private Bewhay, a nephew of John W Bewhay, was killed in action at the Somme on 1st July, 1916 (Editor’s Note: He is buried in the Devonshire Cemetery near Mametz).

In 1917, 19 year old Nellie joined the newly formed Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), after having served in the Women’s Legion. The Women’s Legion was raised by Lady Londonderry in 1915, initially to provide cooks for the New Army. Its members transferred to the WAAC on its formation. WAACs (as the ladies were known) did not have full military status but they wore uniform, were officially part of the British Army and worked under the War Office.

In April 1917, 20425 Worker Nellie Rault was posted to Haynes Park Royal Engineers Signals Service camp, located in the grounds of a stately home in Bedfordshire. Nellie worked as a cook in the Officer’s Mess and was described as being a cheerful, respectable girl. She was less than 5 ft tall, dark and “good looking”, “a sturdily built young woman of a bright and happy disposition, and a great favourite with all with whom she came into contact”. She was said to be a “home loving girl”,1 who kept in close contact with all of her sisters and visited her family in Jersey regularly. Her last visit was at Christmas in 1918.

She returned to Haynes Park on New Year’s Day 1919, having recently signed up for a further year with what was by then the QMAAC. Four months after her return to England, Nellie Rault was murdered in Wilstead Wood, Beds. She was last seen alive at about 3.30 pm on Friday, 9th May but was not missed until roll call at 9.30 the next morning. On the following day search parties were organised but her body was not found until the afternoon of Monday, 12th May. She had been stabbed several times in the chest and back, and attempts had been made to hide the body under bundles of cut undergrowth in woodland about 150 yards outside the camp gates.

Nellie’s Funeral Cortege (Courtesy of the Ampthill and District News) Nellie’s funeral took place on Wednesday, 14th May at Haynes Parish Church, with full military honours. Her coffin went to the church on a Royal Engineers cable wagon, covered with the Union flag and topped with huge cross of flowers from her colleagues. The lengthy procession was led by the RE Regimental Band. Her mother in Jersey had been informed of the tragedy by telegram but was not able to attend, presumably because of the time scale. The chief mourners were her uncle, Mr Tarbet and Miss Hickson who was in charge of the QMAAC contingent at Haynes Park.

The Jersey Evening Post of 1 The Ampthill and District News, May 17 1919. May, 1919 features a letter which Mrs Bewhay received from Queen Mary, stating that: “The Queen has heard from the headquarters of the Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps of your daughter’s fine record of good behaviour and splendid work since her enrolment, and Her Majesty cannot help hoping that the knowledge that your daughter in her short life was able to render such honourable service to the Corps may be some consolation to you in your bereavement.” The inquest into Nellie’s death opened on Wednesday, 21st May and over a period of four days evidence was heard from work colleagues and local residents, as well as specialist witnesses such as the doctor who performed the post mortem.

Meanwhile CSM Montague Cecil Keith Hepburn, of the Royal Engineers, Haynes Park had been arrested on Tuesday, 13th May, charged with her alleged murder and remanded in custody. He attended the inquest but declined to give evidence at any stage. The Coroner, in his summing up, noted that the crime was not premeditated and that he did not want the jury to be influenced by the fact that Hepburn had been arrested by the police. He also mentioned Hepburn’s popularity in the camp, and his “long and honourable career” in the army. The official wording of the final verdict was that Nellie had been “…brutally murdered by being stabbed to the heart by some person or persons unknown”. CSM Hepburn had been out with Nellie on previous occasions and they had danced together at the YMCA Hut on the evening before she died. He had also arranged to meet her on the day of her death. He was described as “a well set up man of somewhat taciturn appearance… wearing the ribbons of the Military Medal and the 1914-18 Star”, “on his right arm he wears four chevrons”.2 14149 Sergeant Montague Hepburn, 2nd (HQ) Signals Company, Royal Engineers, had had a distinguished military career.

His Medal Index card shows that he had been awarded the standard trio of Service Medals, plus the Oak Leaf Clasp (Mentioned in Dispatches3 ) and Rose which means that he had been under fire as early as 1914. He had also been awarded the Decoration Militaire avec Croix de Guerre by the Belgian authorities4 . The 1891 census has Hepburn living with his parents Walter, a commercial clerk, and Alice, at 13 Garfield Road, Battersea in London. By 1901, when he was 11 years old he was an inmate of the West London Poor Law School at 3 Supplement to The London Gazette, 18 May 1917, p. 4880. 4 Supplement to The London Gazette, 24 October 1919, p. 12998. Ashford, in Staines, Middlesex. No parents are listed, and his place of birth is given as unknown.

Children brought up in Poor Law schools were usually either paupers or orphans, and usually went into domestic service or the Armed Forces on leaving school. Hepburn was to spend his entire adult life in the Army. When charged by the police with Nellie’s murder, Hepburn is reported to have said “I can say that I am innocent – quite innocent. A mistake has been made.” The trial evidence was lengthy, confused and often conflicting and much was made of whether Hepburn was wearing puttees or leggings, whether two schoolboys could have heard the attack (one of them was the son of an old Regular Army colleague of Hepburn’s), whether Hepburn had travelled on a particular lorry into Bedford and exactly who had or had not seen Hepburn at various places and times.

After two formal remands the Bedford Divisional Court assembled on Friday for a magisterial hearing against Hepburn, who was charged with murdering Nellie Rault “feloniously, wilfully and with malice aforethought.” However instead of following the expected course, the Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Sims, made a statement to the effect that “The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has carefully considered the evidence thus far obtained in the case and has arrived at the conclusion that the best interests of justice would not be served by immediately proceeding further with this inquiry”. Directions had been given for further police investigations but in the meantime Hepburn was discharged and the case dismissed. The CID was called in on 7th June, but officers were unhappy that it had been left so late as the inquest had concluded and the body been buried by then.

However an enquiry took place under Superintendent Wensley, who reported to the Director of Public Prosecutions in July, 1919. The DPP’s response to this stated that “…upon the evidence available it is not probable that Hepburn would be convicted of wilful murder if he were to be charged with this offence.” However the case notes go on to say that “I regret to have been obliged to come to this decision because I entertain a strong personal opinion as to the identity of the person who committed the murder”. Hepburn’s alibis, his only real defence, were also totally discredited. National and local newspapers in Jersey and Bedfordshire had made much of the murder and subsequent trial, and interest was rekindled on 10th February, 1924, when the News of the World carried a “cool, calculated and detailed confession” of Nellie’s murder. This was reported to come from an anonymous writer who called himself “Frenchy”.

The Montreal Police had also received letters from a Mr P Peter, c/o the Montreal Tramways, which stated that he knew who had killed Nellie from what he had seen in Haynes Park Wood, and that the person involved was currently in Montreal. These letters were sent on to the CID in London. The “confession” letter in the News of the World received much public attention because the facts in it tied in with what was known about Nellie’s death. The writer said he was a married man with a wife in America, and was an American army deserter who had been working at Shorts Brothers Aircraft factory at Cardington in Bedfordshire at the time of Nellie’s death. However none of the people from Shorts whom the police interviewed could identify “Frenchy”, though a letter to the News of the World, which was passed on to the CID, named him as Leroy Morey of Illinois. A Corporal Atkins of the RE was also investigated after allegations were made against him, and there were further enquiries in Scotland. Despite all this no-one was charged with Nellie’s murder, and who killed her and why remains unknown nearly a century on.

Nellie is buried in St Mary’s Churchyard, Haynes, near where the camp used to be. A stone cross with the words “In loving memory of 20425 Member Nellie Rault, WL & QMAAC, age 21, died May 9th 1919. Erected by her fellow workers in QMAAC, Officers, WO, NCOs and men of Haynes Park Signal Depot, RE. “In the midst of life we are in death” marks her grave. This is one of three headstones maintained in perpetuity here by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who recognised that Nellie was a casualty of war. Nellie’s headstone in St Mary’s Churchyard, Haynes Park.

Nellie Rault’s ‘Death Penny’ One of less than 800 awarded to women. (Courtesy of Stuart Elliott) Hepburn continued with his military career until his death in 1943, at the age of 54. By this time he had been promoted to Captain (QM) with the Royal Corps of Signals. He had served in India in the 1920s, and had been awarded the Indian General Service medal, with clasps for service in Waziristan from 1919 to 1921 and 1921 to 1924, and Mahsud from1919 to1920. He died during the Second World War is and is buried in Streatham Park Cemetery, London, where his grave bears a standard CWGC headstone. Captain Hepburn’s Headstone at Streatham Park Cemetery.

Conclusion – This case requires further investigation.

Cranfield

29.09.2017

Another night, another LPS investigation with unexpected moments. This time LPS members were on the trail of Lady Snagg who met an unfortunate end when she lost her head literally while racing to see her lover at the hands of rogues who had placed a rope across the road intending to only knock her off the horse. Even so as the lifeless body lay there it did not stop the rogues from robbing the body of jewellery and whatever else they could find.

Luckily for them they did not run into a man in full army camouflage carrying a high powered rifle with a silencer at the end which is what happened to the LPS Team. Thankfully although the man was on a hunt he was looking for foxes and not paranormal investigators.

The team having already walked wood end lane made their way to Holcotwood farm ruins which lies just at the edge of Reynolds Woods. LPS had investigated this location in 2010 with some success, however Mother Nature made sure LPS would not do so again due to all the tree and foliage in the area.

The team then returned to the site of a pond which lies on the northern edge of the woods and on the path Lady Snagg would have passed to reach wood end lane. Here the team conducted a séance during which a hand size light sphere was seen behind two members of the team in the circle before disappearing. LPS conducted a number of other experiments in the area before moving back to wood end lane itself.

At wood end the team undertook to using dowsing rods to make contact with some success before the area went quiet. With the attendance of new LPS members on the night it was overall a very productive investigation if a little muddy and wet. Strangely enough as so much was going on there was less emphasis on new technology and a approach to more traditional methods.

Bromham Mill

08.09.2017

For further information please visit http://friendsofbromhammill.org.uk/history/

Thus it was on Friday 8^th September 2017 that Luton Paranormal Society became the first paranormal group to fully investigate Bromham Mill. Starting with a pre investigation tour of the building which in itself was notable for when members had reached the landing of the second floor when two of the group instantly sensed the smell of burning wood which not everybody did. (See above reference to a fire which at the time was completely unknown to the group).

The investigation itself started in a rest area outside the building with a séance. During which a female spirit was sensed coming up from the nearby river. Subsequence research by LPS found that a woman had indeed drowned near the mill wheel in 1247 (Beds archives and record service).

During a second séance by the group on the second floor members of the team heard voices from another group of people at the far end of the same floor. Whilst another member heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming up the wooden stairs on more than one occasion and when she investigated no one was there. Different coloured lights were seen on the walls and ceilings that could not be debunked as car headlights. While downstairs a black shape was seen going across one room. Different EVP was picked up along with a number of names. Towards the end of the evening staff talked about their experiences while working at the mill.

Leavesden

07.07.2017

Once again LPS made the short trip down the road to Leavesden Cemetery looking for evidence of the paranormal.

Jack the Ripper ?

Infamous for one particular occupant Aaron Kosminski who was admitted to Leavesden Asylum on 19^th April 1894. Evidence suggested that he had been mentally unwell since 1885 and his insanity took the form of auditory hallucinations and a fear of being fed by other people. However Aaron Kosminski is infamous because he was suspected of being “Jack the Ripper” but this was never proven.

Many of the graves are unmarked and sunken and we will never know who is buried here apart from a few headstones of a later period that do remain. This cemetery is located down East Lane and is one of two cemeteries that were in the area.

Once again the cemetery provided to members present explainable activity that made for an interesting evening under a full moon. Some members heard their names being called by persons unseen and the team experienced cold spots in certain areas of the cemetery.

The name Paul was continually picked up and a sense that some buried in the cemetery were the victims of sexual abuse. Another name that came up repeatedly was Geoffrey while the Olvius three came up with Demon. While undertaking an Olvius three experiment and trying to contact a female spirit that was sensed nearby. The Olivus three came out with “She died”.

While the team did not find the grave of Aaron Kosminski probably due to the high leave of foliage everywhere at this time of the year. The Cemetery did not fail to disappoint.

Grand Union Canal at Gubblecote

21.04.2017

The Investigation site of the Grand Union Canal has no paranormal history. There are no recorded sightings of hauntings and no one but LPS has ever investigated this location which is in the middle of nowhere.

However some years ago LPS was investigating another location nearby to this one and it was known a body of a victim passed over this location. During that Investigation LPS left one team at this location just to assess if there was any activity.

Members investigating found one female spirit under the bridge who wanted to communicate and more along the canal itself.

LPS therefore followed up on a haunch that this location could be hiding something worthy of a full investigation and last night this was proved to be correct

During this investigation the team conducted investigations at three different locks in order to compare results and under the canal bridge which was the area picked up on in the previous investigation.

On the west side of the Bridge one member of the team sensed a woman’s spirit present called Victoria or Vicky. She was very cautious and wary of us being there, she seemed upset and at one stage this member who is sensitive could hear this woman sobbing.

On the east side of bridge there was a male spirit who was in his early 40’s about 41 – 42 years old, it was believed he was connected to Victoria and the team member sensed and felt they were married, but he had an affair and Victoria was distraught hence the sobbing.

This team member felt there was a lot of tension between the two of them, which may indicate why one of them is on one side of the clan bridge and the other one is on the other side. As the team investigated under the bridge itself this team member felt Victoria disappear.

Wilden

07.04.2017

The LPS Investigation at Wilden on 07.04.2017 is the location of a haunted Farmhouse where apparitions, have been seen and stones have been thrown at passers-by unseen hands. Taxi drivers cars behaving badly with no engines switched on. Legend tells how a witch was burnt to death on the road nearby and a ghostly fire appears and then puts itself out.

However, whether you are doing an indoor investigation or an outdoor investigation that is steeped in local legends and it a reputedly haunted location sometimes the result can be the same – nothing. On this occasion the cemetery was dead quiet, no sign of apparitions or witches or even the ghostly fire and definitely no stones being thrown at the team by unseen hands.

For a small village there was also no sign of life either apart from one dog and a person and the local pub was shut so no spirits in there either. lastly is was also a very cold night with a clear sky just ripe for some UFO spotting. But all the team observed was a satellite flying overhead which was very bright …. or was it a satellite we will never know !!!!

Datchworth

10.03.2017

Despite being Hertfordshire’s most notorious haunted location and the scene of a number of LPS investigations over the years that have resulted in a full blown apparition of a Victorian girl being observed running out of the main gate by a startled film crew investigating with LPS.

This evening the church area itself was a lot quieter and the team were restricted to a bride with black hair and wearing her wedding dress who repeatedly runs out of the church itself down to the main gates and disappears out into the road with her mascara running down her face and a Paster who stands by the main gate but is not connected to the bride.

However the path that runs to a nearby unnamed road was not so quiet with a spirit of a man with a cap who followed the team to the nearby road at which point a member of the team felt as if he had been punched in the chest. The man with the cap did not follow the team onto the road which was probably just as well.

Once on the road members of the experienced an old style coach and horses going uphill towards the church at fast speed. The coach contained two men one of whom was a farmhand and the other was felt to be a rich person. Moments later this coach would return down the lane containing woman and both of the men. The coach was heading towards the nearby Mardleybury Pond. This incident was described by the members who could see it as a residual viewing and being replayed over and over again.

Therefore it made sense for the team to then head down to Mardleybury pond where it is known that in past times a woman was killed when a coach she was travelling in crash into the pond because it was going to fast downhill to go around the corner at the bottom of the hill. On the way back to the church where the team had parked up the spirit of the man with the cloth cap was again encountered sitting on one of the chairs waiting for the team to return and then he followed the team back to the churchyard.

Past LPS investigations at this location have resulted in a woman’s voice on EVP being heard calling for help. One this occasion the team encountered a number of cars that were going too fast for this particular road and it would seem that somethings do not change. Although the cars were a distraction as the team did not want to get run over. Members of the team still felt that at the bottom of this pond were some of the remains of the actual carriage itself.

Summing up it was an eventful evening in most places except the church area itself which was very quiet.

St John Church Boughton

10.02.2017

Boughton is a village just north of Northampton. But less than a mile to the east everything lays the original site of Boughton and here you will find the ruins of the church of St John.

The Victoria County History described it thus in 1937:

The ruins of the old church of ST. JOHN stand to the north-east of Boughton Green on a site which falls from west to east. The building consisted of chancel, north chapel, nave, and west tower with spire and was of 14th-century date, but the remains have long been neglected and are undergoing a gradual process of disintegration by the agency of weather and the unchecked growth of ivy. The site is thickly overgrown and at the west end is a confused mass of rubble, broken gravestones, brambles, and nettles. Where the walls stand to any height their architectural features are generally hidden by ivy. Bridges, early in the 18th century, described the building as then ‘in ruins, without a roof, the walls in several parts levelled with the ground’, (but the tower and spire stood till about 1785.

But things were worse in the 16th century:
The rabbits invaded the churchyard itself, making the place so dangerous that the inhabitants were afraid to go to mass for fear of breaking their necks. It was said that the bones dug up by the conies would fill a scuttle and ‘that a man can go skantly in a corner of yt but he shall fynde it full of dead mennes bones, a thing most pytyous to be seen’. One of the parishioners stated that a ‘great number of conyes have so underminded the church yarde of Bouckton that it wold abhorre any Crystiane manys harte in the world to see it’.

Today the ruins are picturesque, but the steeply sloping churchyard makes it difficult to explore and there are disconcertingly recent burials. There is also a spring issuing from beneath the east wall of the ruined chancel, making one think that this must be an ancient site whose sacredness predates Christianity. St John Church also has the reputation of being the most haunted site in Northamptonshire.

Two hundred years ago it is alleged that a young couple who had been married only a few hours when the groom dropped dead. Grief stricken and unable to live without her love, the young lady ended her own life next to her husband’s grave.

And it continues…..

Following on from the tale of the doomed newly weds, the most famous ghost is said to be that of a beautiful red haired woman. She entices male passers by, and asks for a kiss. Be warned, for the legend follows that if you receive a kiss from this young woman, you will come to your death exactly a month after.

This is said to be the fate of William Parker. He was passing by the churchyard on Christmas Eve in 1875 when he met a beautiful red haired girl. She invited him to sit with her for a while. After saying farewell, the young woman vanished and sure enough, William died exactly one month later, to the day.

Again, on Christmas Eve, a moaning spirit makes his presence known. It is believed to be the spirit of Captain Slash, but why would he haunt the churchyard? Perhaps he is in search of the other members of his gang, ready to patrol the highways once more.

The spirits of children have been reportedly seen amongst the grave stones. There is evidence that several children are buried on the site. A figure of a woman in white robes, and a headless man have also been seen.

Paranormal Investigators began the investigation with a Victorian sing song and much laughter and hilarity which resulted in the ghost of a number of ghostly children being observed by mediums present standing nearby giggling along with the group.

Much has been said about Victorian Séances using singing as a tool to entice paranormal activity and this was no different with the spirit of a woman who was swaying standing behind the male members of the group as she was interested in attracting males. Was this the spirit of the red haired woman? We do not know but thankfully she did not kiss anyone. Another male spirit observed the group from outside the ruins as he had no been allowed into the church in life and did not enter it even in death.

After the séance he group moved to a far corner the graveyard to a grave of a wealthy landowner who when alive owned the land where the cemetery was. It was known that this was an angry spirit who should not be provoked.

No surprise then that when one of the investigators who was sat on his camping chair next to the grave of the landowner shouted out to this male spirit that he was going to buy up the land and built a badly designed house. The seat promptly collapsed under him leaving him lying flat on his back. Further to this a voice came through an echovox with the words “Bastard” a number of times.

Was this the ghost exacting revenge or had the chair finally gave up the ghost? Who knows but one thing for sure further investigation is required at this location.

Stanton Low

13.01.2017

Sub Zero Temperatures, A clear sky and a full moon. Tales of legends such as werewolves and long dead villagers who could change shape into any form they wanted could not deter the Luton Paranormal Society from undertaking a fourth investigation at this site.

Despite having a plan for the investigation this was thrown out when during the séance the team were visited by the spirit of a woman called Lisa. EMF meters around the building and other specialised equipment being used by the team were constantly coming on to the full readings. Other possible reasons non paranormal was explored and ruled out as Lisa moved and stood behind various members of the team making her presence felt.

Communication with Lisa took place through using lights displays for right or wrong answers and so Lisa story unfolded. She had worked as Librarian and was about 5 foot five with blonde hair. She had taken her own life sometime between 2010 to 2014 by taking and overdose of tablets for depression. When asked if she had been emotionally abused all of the equipment lights shot up to the top of the range reading.

Some of the members who were mediums also picked up that she was wearing a white nightie and had shoulder length hair and had not taken the tables in order to kill herself but as a desperate cry for help. She was warm and friendly but also her story was sad and enough to physically upset some members of the team.

So why was she grounded at the church ? Lisa liked to walk around the area to find peace away from her troubles and was unable to move on. The team did try to help Lisa move on but she was afraid to take that step and so remains at the church.

The team did encounter a male spirit called John who literally passed through the team and was gone as quickly as he had come.

So on a bitterly cold night and a full moon there was no howling and the local werewolf failed to show up. However a modern story emerged that sadly is not uncommon today…….

St Neots

19.11.2016

On the last paranormal investigation of 2016 for LPS that would turn out to be an evening of interest where one team managed to get themselves locked into the prisoner’s cells and teams experienced a number of events that were easily debunked.

For example during one vigil one of the teams heard the sound of peoples voices and the clanking of a metal gate and thinking it was coming from the nearby cells went off to investigate only to discover later that the source of this sound was coming from a path that ran next to the museum and had a metal gate.

Another team who has managed to locked themselves inside a police cell and could not get out without assistance also had the pleasure of listening to a domestic row taking place outside the building.

Nearby Wi-Fi played havoc with EMF meters and at one point during the investigation the team radios came alive with talk between the bouncers of the nearby establishments with what was going on and ended with LPS giving the bouncers radio checks much to the amusement of those present.

Upstairs there were plenty of orbs caught by various cameras but these were also debunked as dust coming down from the ceiling or displays and moving with the air currents being generated by the teams moving through the building.

One of the teams did experience some paranormal activity upstairs using a number of items including meters and a rem pod and Olivus three among them which for a change actually reposed appropriately to questions asked during conversation with a spirit called “Carol”.

It was a very pleasant way to round off the investigations for 2016 and our host at the museum made us very welcome for which we were thankful. St Neots Museum is always worth a visit if you are in the area.

Grendon Hall

05.11.2016

A night when close co-operation by three paranormal groups namely LPS, MVPI and Unity Paranormal paid off once again like it had earlier in the year when these same groups had investigated Grendon Hall together.

LPS members encountered a whole room full of spirit activity where Glenn Miller music was playing quietly in the background and then the famous Glenn Miller track in the mood came on. Some members commented that the room was suddenly full of people dancing in 1940,s clothing and one members was even invited by a spirit to dance with her. Then the song ended and the spirits were gone.

This was described as watching a replay on TV that you are part of and then it just went. However an experiment was conducted where the song was played again and to the astonishment of people present the recording of these people dancing was played out again. This is known as a residual haunting or could event be described as a stone tape recording.

Other activity included a large orb goes past a bookshelf (see video) and a man called Jim in one of the outer buildings.

Ampthill Park

21.10.2016

Ampthill Park is said to be haunted by the ghost of a knight in full armour on a white horse that appears on occasion coming from Katherine’s Cross which marks the place where Ampthill Castle once stood. One such sighting was by a policeman in 1965. The policeman saw the knight appear from where Ampthill castle once stood and then ride off in the direction of the nearby brook disappearing into the night. It is alleged that this knight has also been seen along Woburn Road. The apparition was also seen by soldiers in the park from the nearby barracks descending down the hill.

However it would appear that the ghost is fading with time and reports of the siting indicate that he has over time gone from a full definitive figure to more of a misty grey shape which maybe indicates that this maybe more of a recording that is replayed over time (like the stone tapes theory) than a haunting which is interactive with people who witness this.

The Purpose of this investigation was to visit part of the park last year where the team had previously encountered the spirit of a young girl.

During this investigation a on /off switch on the camcorder physically turned itself to the off position shutting the camcorder down and the spirit of the young girl briefly appeared and then disappeared.

Ann Noblett Unsolved Murder 30.12.1957

07.10.2016

Background – Murder most foul – The Murder of Ann Noblett is unsolved and remains a mystery to this day despite a police investigation at the time that failed to find the culprit responsible. Ann Noblett was just seventeen years of age and lived in Batford in a road called Marshall Heath Lane. Ann was described as a quiet girl who loved to just live at home.

On the night of her murder Ann had been to Lourdes Hall in Harpenden for Rock’n’Roll Lessons which were very popular at the time. It was six o clock on the evening of 30^th December 1957 when Ann got off the local bus on her way home. The lane was dark and very quiet except for a scooter being ridden by local girl Shirley Edwards who passed Ann by as she would later state to the police. This would be the last time that Ann would be seen alive. Ann Nobletts Frozen body was found in Rose Grove Wood some seven miles away and almost a month later.

The motive appears to have been sexual as the police found that some of her clothing had been removed. The post mortem showed that death by strangulation occurred shortly after Ann had disappeared and that food Ann had eaten that day was still undigested in her stomach.

However the location of where she was killed remained a mystery as was how her lifeless body had been carried into the wood itself. Another mystery for the police was to ascertain if Ann knew the driver of the car and had got into the car of her own free will or if she had been abducted by force and then taken to a mystery location.

Ann’s lifeless body was discovered by Leading Airman Hugh Symonds of the RAF. Ann’s body was not visible form the lane itself, but lay about 20 yards inside the woods as though asleep. This in itself would not have been strange except for the fact that the police had searched this area of the woods sometime on New Years Eve along with 300 local people and Scotland Yards finest without success.

Anns body was frozen not to be unexpected for December. But December 1957 was a exceptionally mild winter and it appeared to the police that she had been hidden away in a deep freezer. Henceforth this case would forever be known as the “Deep Freeze Murder”. Unlike today not many homes had a deep freezer at that time so police conducted searches of homes and businesses known to have a deep freezer and again draw a blank.

People who live in Marshalls Heath told police that on the day that Ann disappeared they had noticed a black car being driven by a middle aged man wearing horn rimmed spectacles. After the murder neither the man nor the car were ever seen again. Police then contacted weathermen about the weather for that day and called biology experts to look at plant growth under the body which led to the result that plan growth under the body was two weeks shorter than plant growth around the body. This is crucial l as surely the body would have thawed over two weeks

Police also suspected local residents as the person may have had to now the local area and then it would require strength to carry Ann form the lane to the wooded area as Ann weighed over eleven stones. Police also found that Ann who was fully clothed when found had in fact been stripped naked and re-dressed by the killer. Further to this

When Ann Noblett’s lifeless body was discovered in Rose Grove Wood, also found were a number of coins from her purse, amounting to thirty shillings (£1.50). Had the killer deliberately placed them there to suggest Ann had lost no property? – a cunning act in times when the death penalty had been abolished, except for murder in certain circumstances, including the furtherance of theft. For, if her killer was caught and could prove he had not stolen anything, he would not hang. Better if he could prove he had raped and murdered Ann, rather than robbed her, an offence, however unjustly, not carrying the death penalty. The coins were examined for fingerprints, but seemingly none were found.

As a result of this murder local residents demanded street lights for Marshalls Heath and they were installed and serve as testimony to this tragic event. Anne (and her family) are buried in the main Anglican Church in the centre of town. Ignore the path leading across left up to the church itself but go straight on into the graveyard via the lower entrance and walk along with the bottom wall on your right. After about 50 yards Anne`s grave and family lie on the right at the end of that section. There are two of them are laying side by side. On her grave there is no mention as to how she died i.e. murdered. The police report said that she was suffocated.

Paranormal Background – In 1974 a pig farm reported paranormal activity of doors locking and unlocking by themselves and a solid figure of a girl was seen by a worker playing in a corner of the barn area. When the worker approached to speak to the girl she simply vanished into thin air.

A séance was held in 2000 where it is widely believed by those present that the spirit of Ann Noblett made contact who named the killer as a man who at the time was still alive and worked at Whipsnade Zoo.

Pre-Investigation information – It is important to acknowledge that apart from Andy F no other member of LPS had any knowledge or information about this murder.

Marshall Heath Lane – Séance held

Andy G feels that a black Car is parked on the road just before the houses on a grassy area. Andy G feels that the girl he is picking up is wearing a red jumper and a black skirt. Lee F observes a figure seen near one of the tree in the trees like a small flash of light. Charlotte observes a shadowed figure peeking out from behind a different tree that was a few metres away from the group, this shadow figure was very wary of the investigators and kept peeking its head in and out of the tree.

Rose Grove woods – Due to the overgrowth access into the woods is very difficult. However the team stop at a spot where the sensitive members feel that that area feels different to the rest of the woods.

Séance held – Andy G feels that there is spot in the woods that does like feel like the rest of the wood.

Paranormal Experiment – The team use a Echovox and the first word that came out was Grave which was relevant and then Rose which considering where the team were standing in Rose Grove woods was again relevant. The team then use and Olivus three and the name Murry came out followed by the words Found and Hallow then Business and property. All produced strong signal strength and the final word was pendent which promoted the team to look for a pendent in the undergrowth without success.

St Helens Church – Visit to Ann Noblett grave. At the grave itself Andy F along with other members of the team felt an intense sadness at the graveside. Photographs were taken of Andy F next to the grave that contained orbs.

Analysis – Why did LPS investigate this murder? – LPS took a decision to investigate this unsolved murder in the hope that we could shed some light on this murder since the police were unable to do this. We were also contacted by someone who was a local resident at the time of the murder for whom we are extremely grateful for the information he gave us to help us investigate this murder although it worth pointing out he was just 15 at the time and has had an interest in this all his life.

Upon reflection whilst we were also unable to ascertain who the murderer was as well. We did pick up on the black car and it would be worth know what the colour of her clothes were on the day of the murder was it a red top and a black dress?

Without doubt the atmosphere around Ann Noblett grave is one of the saddest I have ever encountered in 13 years of paranormal investigation – Andrew Fazekas

In addition to the above

Hello Again Andrew,

Very many thanks for the work of yourself and colleagues in investigating this tragic case. Whilst I realise that you will no longer be working on it, I assume that the name Murry, a worker at Whipsnade Zoo, the description of the black car and the man with the horn rimmed glasses, the words `found`, `hallow` and `pendent` will be further investigated by someone,- possibly the local paper?

Have not heard of the equipment ECHOVOX or OLIVUS 3, sounds to be interesting. If I lived nearer I would probably join your group.

If anything further does develop I would be pleased to hear of it. Again with thanks to all.

Sincerely, Rex Harpham.

America

Fingest

23.09.2016

A good turnout of LPS members made the long journey to investigate all of the legends and myths only to uncover more spiritual activity in the churchyard of two young children a boy who keeps crying and a young girl both of whom were picked up in far corner of the cemetery where the rubbish is dumped from the graves.

The ghost of Henry Burghersh, 14th-century Bishop of Lincoln, is reputed to haunt the area. The Green Forester or Green Man of Fingest is said to have reputedly haunted the churchyard of the Norman St Batholomews and Chequers Lane as he walks between the site of the old manor house and the church.

There seems to have been some conjecture as to whether the Bishop Burghesh’s ghost was successfully exorcised with the land being being made available to villagers once more and suggestions that this repentant bishop was somehow morphed if only in folklore into a ‘Green Man’ figure common in pagan traditions.

Another member sensed someone walking with bare and dirty feet covered in dry dirt and a horse and carriage were also sensed in Chequers lane.

A phantom Black Dog is said to haunt Fingest Lane between the village of Fingest and Skirmett. Sadly despite a long walk the dog was nowhere to be seen.

Elstow

9.09 2016

An angry spirit of a man of the cloth who still walks the cemetery of the church in Elstow. The spirit of a woman and a young child who is afraid of the angry man of the cloth and even in death he still prevents her from doing what she wants. A black figure seen by a member walking along side of the church tower wall and a figure that the team were unable to debunk.

Bright spheres caught on camera and through the investigation some team members experiencing the presences of things unseen by the human eye and on a night of paranormal activity that can only be Elstow.

Marston Moretaine

19.08. 2016

It is not surprising that the legend of the Devil’s Jump-stone should belong to Bedfordshire, home of the most famous Puritan author, John Bunyan, given that the story is a grave warning against sport on the Sabbath – his own epiphany came one Sunday when he was playing not praying.

In a field near the village there is an ancient stone. One Sunday the devil, who was busily engaged in trying to carry off the church tower – explaining why it’s separate from the main body of the church – noticed that three young lads were in that field playing at leapfrog instead of observing the holy day in a more fit and proper manner. Recognizing the chance to add to his stock of souls Satan sprang down to join their game, alighting on the stone itself. The foolish lads were tricked by him making a back for them to jump over, and one by one they took up the challenge, leaping over the stranger. But rather than land on the earth beyond him, they found that a gaping hole leading straight to hell had opened up, and all three plunged down it to eternal damnation. The hole closed above them, and all that was left to tell the tale was the Devil’s Jump-stone – and the church tower that old Nick had shifted before finding more fruitful sport
http://www.information-britain.co.uk

English Civil War
During a Civil War skirmish, the cavaliers retreated into a tunnel that led from the church to the rectory. Rather than follow them in, roundhead troops sealed both ends of the tunnel. The trapped cavaliers slowly died and the last sounds heard were of the drummer boy beating his drum. His instrument is supposed to be still heard beating in the village on windy days.
http://www.paranormaldatabase.com/bedfordshire

Luton Paranormal Society had not investigated at his location since around 2004 in its infancy. Now with the added use of a thermal imaging camera on a LPS investigation for the first time hopes of finding paranormal activity were high.
During this investigation members did hear sounds of movement coming from inside the tower while stood by the tower door which for one member seemed to be in a state of constant vibration. The church cat also put in an appearance startling another member as it sat by the graves.
Most members felt that the rear of the church seemed to be the most unsettling area next to a tree and it was at the this location using various experiments using the Echovox and Olivus Three that a possible spirit named as Alf briefly made himself known through the Echovox. Another name that came up was Talbot.
The area itself felt calm and was in terms of paranormal activity very quiet. However the team are yet to analyse sound recordings for any EVP and who knows we may find that we were not as alone as we thought at the time

Tilsworth

12.08 2016

In the world of the paranormal the unexpected always seems to happen and so it was for this LPS Investigation at Tilsworth.

The plan for the investigation was to try and uncover more information about a murder that took place in Tilsworth in 1821 and visit the grave of the unknown female murder victim in the local cemetery.

Instead LPS may have accidentally stumbled onto the previously unknown location of a murder victim called “Dorothy Spires” who was born in Dunstable in 1933 and worked locally as a hairdresser until she was strangled by a large male who had a tooth missing and placed in a large bag and then buried at a location in Tilsworth during 1953.

And this is where you the members of the public could become involved in helping us to solve this mystery. If you have any knowledge of a person called Dorothy with a date of birth of 1933 who worked locally as a hairdresser and then disappeared please do send the information to us because while we were in contact with Dorothy she was asking for justice and help.

Of course we have no proof that Dorothy ever existed or that her body is still buried at the location we found unless we go there and dig it up. But would you want to miss an opportunity to discover more and maybe even help to lay a lost soul to rest……

Leavesden

29.07.2016

A feeling of sadness hangs over Leavesden cemetery as a result of many years of abuse by people who were placed away from society because of mental health issues were treated as not human and experimented on in ways that Hollywood could not even imagine sometimes horrifically.

Even Death has not given many of these poor souls a release from the pain and cruelty they suffered at the hands of so called experts where even being a single mother could place you in an institution.

Hidden away in life and hidden away in death from society these poor souls rest in unmarked and sunken graves and no one knows who they are and no one cares who they are except for one person in particular who is alleged to be buried at the site and is linked to the infamous “Jack the Ripper” Murders of 1888.

Despite being on the doorstep of LPS this was the society’s first investigation at this location and a very interesting investigation this would prove to be. Two figures on wearing reed and another wearing blue were seen moving around the perimeter of the cemetery at the start of the night but upon investigation no one could be found. An old man seen by the group wandering near some unmarked graves who was there one minute and gone the next.

Another member who was physically pulled backwards by his arm by an unseen force and the Name Jim first coming up on the echovox and then second later coming up on the Olivus three and then the team discovering the grave they were located at having the name Jams inscribed on it. One of the very few gravestone standing in the area. The team were constantly being watched by a large number of spirits at this site and many attempts were made to communicate with them.

Film of the investigation and EVP along with full reports containing so much more to come shortly but based on what took place last night this site is worthy of further investigation by LPS

Willington

15.07.2016

LPS Members encountered a plethora of paranormal activity when they investigated at Willington. On this occasion it was decided to use two teams, one team would use technology and the other team would simply use themselves to make contact

The techno Bots team as they were nick named spent time behind the Dovecote. They used a Echovox on his tablet and another member listened briefly to an SB7. The number 21 was said three times within two minutes of each other. The team then heard the words ‘very spooky’ come from the SB7.

Then the Echovox went absolutely crazy starting with slight interference building up to constant high pitched squealing. The group switched it off and rebooted it. At this point another member hear the words “five minutes” on the SB7.

One team member asked how many people were sat there on stools. The Echovox replied ‘three’ which was correct. The same member asked the Echovox whether ‘they’ liked them being there and it replied ‘yes’. After asking for confirmation, it confirmed with another yes straight away. The team then asked for a ladies name to which it replied ‘Eva’. Later the Echovox said randomly ‘doves’ and when questioned about birds and it said ‘white’.

Meanwhile over at the site of the stables another team of LPS investigators called the mediums were having a discussion with a man from 1643 called the “Squire” (you can find the audio recording for this by visiting our website and going to the EVP page where you can listen to events as they happened).

Turns out the squire was trying to warn a group of royalists that a group of parliamentarians were approaching the area looking for the group of royalists. The squire was none too happy at finding out a member of this LPS team had republican links as well and stated the member was “going to hell with Satan”. Though, he did calm down after the pleas rites were exchanged.

The teams then swapped locations and the Technobots at the location of the stables with the Echovox said ‘help me’ spontaneously but wouldn’t answer further.

It also told the group ‘I’ve seen them’ but wouldn’t elaborate on this. When asked for a name it said ‘Edward’. During the period of time the group were outside the stable doors, they reported they were told numerous times by the Echovox to ‘leave’ and the number 90 was given out several times also. During both vigils a K2 was used with no activity to report.

Meanwhile over at the Dovecote site the Medium team were having a brief conversation with the former wife of a vicar from the mid 1700’s who use to come and sit and watch the birds as time away from her husband the vicar.

She was never buried at the location as her husband got a bigger parish and moved away but she always loved this spot by the Dovecote. She use to make tapestries to hang up who knows there may even be some still around in the local church which produced no activity on the night

Everyone agreed it was a lovely site with easy access and agreed it warranted another visit in the future.

if you go to the EVP page you can listen to an audio of events as they happened and some disembodied voices picked up on the night at the stables. Is this the Squire? You decide …..

Stanton Low

01.07.2016

Tales of legends such as werewolves and long dead villagers who could change shape into any form they wanted and even a close appearance from the planet Mars could not deter the Luton Paranormal Society from undertaking a third investigation at this site.

Much has changed to the area since LPS last investigated the area in 2008. Gone are the cattle grids and the long walk to the site although some members did choose to do this. Now there are footpaths and new fences and wooden gates and clearly an effort has been made to make the area more accessible to those who enjoy the countryside walks and horse riding.

But enough of these pastimes LPS was there for a paranormal investigation not only at the church itself but also the area where the village was supposedly buried. Sadly the large tree that used to be part of this location has long since been burned down leaving only charred remains.

LPS members were split into two teams one of whom captured an orb in the village area in daylight. During the investigation another member who was sat in the Chancel area of the church facing the Nave doorway. When he sensed something was there with him in this area. This experience caused him to go and find another member of the team to return together and see if they could pick up anything further. But nothing was found.

One of the experiments used on the night was to place the Olivus 3 and a sound recorder into a opening in the wall of the church and leave it running with no human intervention and see what words if any it produced

So far early results have the words in this order and some words that did not appear to be in English at all so in order to ascertain this further we have sent the recording off to analysis to get clarification. So far the words on the recording are as follows;

The following words came from the Olivus 3

Anthony – Mathew – Inhuman – general – Ride- Seat – Sting – Table – Send – Gilgamesh – Thomas – Torrid – Tom Hat –summaries – count – Cattle – Tom Hound – Hat – Hat (again)– Hound – Rabid – Dig – erect – men – ferment – cloth – hide – ten – clean – mothman – tell – Tom penny – Talking – (two members are then heard talking as they come into the area) – hide – invader

Roll Rights Ancient Stone Circle

2016

The Rollright Stones is a ancient site located on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border in England. The complex consists of three main elements, The Kings Men stone circle, the King Stone, and the Whispering Knights.The name “Rollright” is believed to derive from “Hrolla-landriht”, the land of Hrolla.

The Kings Men

At present there are 77 stones of heavily weathered local oolitic limestone, which were poetically described by William Stukeley as being “corroded like worm eaten wood, by the harsh Jaws of Time”, which made “a very noble, rustic, sight, and strike an odd terror upon the spectators, and admiration at the design of ‘em”.

Aubrey Burl has, in a more down to earth way, called the Rollrights “seventy-seven stones, stumps and lumps of leprous limestone”. This number seems to have altered considerably over the years – drawings from the tail-end of the 19th century, just before the Stones were scheduled under the 1882 Ancient Monuments Protection Act along with Stonehenge and Avebury, show about 25 stones in the Circle. “In the year 1882 the proprietor of Little Rollright replaced all the fallen stones in their original foundation.”

The Rollright Stone Circle is the southerly cousin of the Cumbrian circles such as Swinside and Long Meg and her Daughters in the English Lake District. Family traits include similar size, shape, close-set stones (it is believed that there originally some 105 stones standing shoulder to shoulder), astronomically-aligned entrance and a pair of outlying portals where gates were hung to stop the sheep from straying into the road.

The King Stone

Its purpose and age are unclear, although it is believed to be of middle Bronze Age origin. Some sources suggest that it might be an outlier to the Stone Circle.

The strange shape (likened to a seal balancing a ball on its nose) of this standing stone has less to do with the weathering effects of nature than with the destructive habit of 19th century drovers who chipped off small pieces to act as lucky charms and keep the Devil at bay. Thankfully this superstitious vandalism no longer goes on.

The Whispering Knights Dolmen

The 5000 year old burial chamber, believed to be part of a Neolithic long barrow . The Knights are a small group of five upright stones 400 yards away from the actual Stone Circle, who got their name because of the conspiratorial way in which they lean inwards towards each other as if they are plotting against their king.

http://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/index.php

Pre-Investigation

This was the third investigation by the Luton Paranormal Society at this location having investigated previously in 2008 and the stick man incident in 2011.

In 2011 a LPS investigator was making his way along the path from the Whispering Knights to the Kings men stone circle when he approach the corner of the pathway he could observe coming the other way down the path a Black Figure walking along the path which this investigator presumed was another investigator who was known for wearing long black leather coats.

Unfortunately the investigator observing the figure was making his own way along the path and so had no equipment on as his was not expecting to see anything at that time. He could observe he figures arms and legs motions as you would expect with anyone walking.

However when he drew closer he observe that the figure appeared to be two dimensional and had no face and any other features including clothes it was completely black.

Black stick men are just that…walking stick figures, the kind you would draw as a child, The figures have been described as unusually tall, black in appearance, lacking any facial or bodily features and very lean which is how this figure was described at this time.

Since both were coming along the path towards each other they should have met. However to the investigators astonishment the figure turned left and went through some bushes. When the investigator reached the same spot he found that there was a high metal fence in the bushes making access to get through impossible.

It was then with some anticipation that the same investigator tried to repeat the previous conditions that lead to that strange encounter. Unfortunately on this occasion despite being called out the Black Stick Figure did not show up. However some high energy readings were observed in that location during the investigation.

One LPS member experienced equipment that would not work within the Kings men circle itself, but started working when she took it out of the circle. This was repeated three time with the same results.

Other members in the circle used an echo box with correct answers to questions coming back to the team and when the team, asked the name of one of the members. Everyone heard the correct name mentioned.

Lastly at midnight a full moon appeared over the team as they sat talking in the middle of the circle which to some felt very calming and relaxing.

Derby Gaol

14.05.2016

LPS celebrated 13 years of Paranormal Investigation holding an investigation at Derby Gaol. This was the second investigation that LPS had conducted at the Gaol the first having taken place on 9^th April 2005. Much had changed since then not just to the Gaol itself but also to two other added locations at Vernon gate in access to a Martello tower and the hanging room.

The old “Derby Gaol” can be found under numbers 50 and 51 Friargate in Derby. It is said to be one of the most haunted spots in the country. The jail (“gaol” is an old-fashioned variant of the word) was used between 1756 and 1828 and was originally (it’s believed) two separate cell blocks – in fact, it’s thought the facilities could continue under neighbouring properties, too). It is now a museum and much of the jail has been restored to its former condition.

The Vernon Street Prison served as the County Gaol from 1843 to 1919, at which time it was demolished. The last public execution at Derby of Richard Thorley for the murder of Eliza Morrow took place here in 1862. From 1919 to 1929 the prison acted as a military prison

While members were standing outside the gaol entrance a ghostly face was caught on camera staring at the group. Another member saw a figure who seemed to have a mask on similar to something made out of cardboard. On entering the building a member had a strong feeling of his neck being pulled very tightly.

During the investigation in the main corridor distinctive whistles were heard inside the building itself during the night and on one occasion a whistle appeared to come from an area in between three members of the group as if an invisible person was stood between them

One member is sat in the police museum in the dark and a light anomaly appears to go up his right shoulder and into his neck. This light anomaly is shape changing in appearance. A number of orbs are caught on film both on the stairs at the Martello tower and the main corridor at Derby goal some are attributed to dust others are less easy to analyse.

A static camera is situated in the main corridor of the Gaol where no one is located and yet loud bangs are head right next to the camera and the sound recorder stops working

A few minutes in and a member has made contact with a spirit. Other members both asked questions. He wasn’t friendly and whenever one member spoke he kept saying “Nag nag nag why don’t you shut up”. He then proceeded to talk about the man he’d stabbed and how he had stabbed another down in London: that his mother was a whore and he didn’t care if he died, that he just wanted to be left alone. After a few questions one member said well at least you can’t hurt anyone else now and he said “you wanna bet” and the member who had become possessed began to pump his fists at which point other members in the cell had to call for assistance.

Probably the weirdest incident came at the end of the night when a member was standing on one side of the bar talking to the museum curator and on the bar inbetween them was a bottle of water. At the end of the conversation the member went to pick up the bottle and it was gone. A search was made including the dustbins and the bottle was never found and even now it is still reported as missing …….

Minsden Chapel

06.05.2016

Mentioned in the Doomsday book as being held by King William, the Chapel at Minsden has the history and ingredients that make the site attractive for paranormal groups and historical buffs to visit despite the local farmer’s effort to prevent access.

When the Luton Paranormal Society first visited in 2003 there was certainly more of the chapel standing than can be seen these days even with the large amount of overgrowth that covers the site.

The Chapel itself is alleged to be haunted by a monk which was photographed in 1907 although some sources claim that this was a fake photograph. However History does note one interesting story in that of Reginald Hine a local historian who vowed to protect Minsden Chapel such was the effect it had on him. Sadly in 1949 Reginald committed suicide at Nearby Hitchin Station when he calmly stepping in front of a coming train.

Fast forward to 2016 and the fourth investigation at the site by LPS, on this occasion the investigation began with a séance which invoked the presence of two monks who spoke in Latin. Fortunately we had a member of the group who did speak some Latin and was able to speak one or two Latin verses which initially got the attention of the two monks inside the chapel but nothing further happened.

LPS then tried using the Olivus three and some EVP experiment without any real significance of paranormal activity. The group than moved to a small wooded area
around the back of the chapel, to the back wall with the small hole for a window as one member was picking up a message that the group should not venture there. The atmosphere in this area was very still and static feeling hanging in the air and nothing seemed to move. A benin presence was felt in this area and the group felt that this was nothing to do with the site but the presence may have been left as the result of someone messing about with an Ouija board or a dark ritual. Members experienced feeling hot and cold in different areas here but the presence did not try to make contact with the group.

Lastly the group split into two areas and while one group stayed outside the rear of the chapel another group conducted a silent vigil within the chapel both resulted in no further activity.

Conclusion

LPS have visited this site four times since 2003 and whilst the previous visits have been paranormally active it was not so on this occasion however the one constant in all four visits has been the creepy feeling one gets of being watched by something dark and evil when outside in the wooded area at the rear of the chapel. As the nursery rhythm goes.. “if you go down to the woods today you are sure of a big surprise” …………

Grendon Hall

02.04.2016

Staff have reported strange figures and have refused to enter rooms in this building and the ghost of a gardener is said to haunt this property.

Luton Paranormal Society and Marston Vale Paranormal Investigation along with a guest group form Norfolk had an opportunity to become the first paranormal groups ever to investigate this building.

During the investigation Shadow people were observed, temperature drops were experienced all over the building. Toilets flushed by themselves with no one near them. A shower that had not been on was observed to be in a state of having just been used.

A team making their way off the first floor on the front staircase all heard a clear female voice say “WOO HOO”. All three members of the team confirmed that they had heard this independently and then heard a male voice go “whoa”. Another team heard footsteps coming along a corridor, but it was empty.

Get Out is heard from the Spirit Box. About two minutes later, Go On is heard. A Pendulum begins moving by itself. The pendulum is placed on an end table by the first of the two beds.

EMF meters went crazy all over the building sometimes at the same time. Orbs were captured on film and you can view these for yourself on the LPS website site, You Tube site and Facebook

An Ovilus came up with a name ‘PAUL’, an a pendulum gave a confirmatory yes. Team members asked if Paul prayed here and a voice on a ghost box came back as yes to the question and this was confirmed by another team member who was using a pendulum also got a yes to pray. Another question was asked if the spirit injured during the war and Olivus came up with country and the pendulum answered yes and then the rank of General came up on the Olivus just as as another members asked if he had served in the world war

Elsewhere a team sat on a table for four and carried out a small séance style vigil asking questions. On the far end of the room by the piano all four of the team saw a movement as it blocked the light around the edge of the wooden shutters momentarily, moving toward the piano (left to right) some team members also saw blue lights in between them and the movement.

Fulmer

18.03.2016

The Fulmer Haunting is a ghostly black carriage that seems to appear without any explanation or reason. There are no known historical records of a crash and the ghost just seems to appear from time to time. Legend has it that the ghostly carriage begins its ghostly journey south of the village on Framewood Road. Heading north its passes through the village before heading out along Fulmer Road. (Haunted Places of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, R.Matthews (2004) p95)

Framewood Road Investigation

The team are spread out along the road from the edge of the nearby farm to nearby houses. One member observes a figure wearing a hooded cloak, disappear behind the stone wall. Another member in the same area observes a figure come up the road and pass behind him but when he turn around there is no one there.

Pointer in Compass experiment begins moving erratically on lane. Various tests after this experience, the pointer was calmer and more static and there are no known energy fields around. One member reports walking into energy field, while other members are smelling smoke.

One member feels he could see a black carriage pulled by two black horses seen moving along the lane towards the village. From he could see it would appear out of a mist and driver again all in black didn’t have a face.

Fulmer Ford

One member was standing near the tip of the ford with a flashlight turned on. He looked to a set of trees to the left then back to the ford. Upon returning his eyes to the ford, he suddenly felt my head aching. This was followed by aching arms (Both arms) as if he had carried something heavy and legs feeling like jelly. In addition, he did not feel straight headed and he was panting despite the fact he did not run. All of this led to him losing stability in legs, making him crouch down with face looking at the ground. It felt as if something unseen had drained ninety-nine percent of his energy from my body in a matter of seconds.

Another member noticed him facing the ground and crouched at the tip of the ford. At this time, he did not feel like his usual self and was taken to the cars After what felt like five minutes he member got over the negative feeling and got back to the investigation team.

At the same time another member went over the other side towards the ford she suddenly got a sharp stabbing sharp stabbing pain in the side of her head. It was like somebody had pierced her skull with a knife although this lasted for about 20 seconds and then went.

Everyone felt that this was a good investigation and the Framewood road area was definitely worth another visit

St Lawrence Church Bovingdon

19.02.2016

Although being on the wet side this was quite an enjoyable investigation. Just before we started Andy was aware of a young lady by the name of Annabelle. She was dressed in white and constantly sobbing. She relayed a sad story of a love triangle in which her lover was killed by her husband.

We walked along a path to an area Andy felt she is most commonly felt or even seen. She is looking for her lover (name not given) who is buried somewhere in the area. Andy G was then given a vivid picture of herself in a room talking to her love. He has his back to the door.

Suddenly the door opens and her husband rushes in and stabs the man in the back killing him instantly. The husbands name is Captain Edward Rogers. Both men have the same red tunic on as though they were in the same regiment. The year given was 1901. A little time after this she began screaming at me so I let her be on her way.

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