Southern Paranormal - Investigations
The Old Crown Court and Cells Dorchester
Saturday 12th Aug 2006 - 9.00pm-3.00am
Attending Investigators: Julie Harwood, Steve Gilbert, David Ireland, Ed Ashton, Wayne Blyth & Alison Blyth, Kerry Price, Mandy Bradley,Abbie Holding,Brian Ward,Amanda Horley,Suzanne Gilbert,Paul Martin,Hannah Martin.
Introduction
If you visit any court in this country, you know that it will have seen many people pass through it on a daily basis, but to visit a court and cell complex that is over 200 years old and still stands in its original form is a real honour. When West Dorset Council agreed to allow us access to their building, it created an excitement in the group as it is the first time Southern Paranormal UK have had the chance to investigate a place like this. To our knowledge no reported sightings have been documented and being the first paranormal group to investigate it, we did not know what to expect. However it did lead us to question, just because somewhere has no documented evidence of paranormal activity, does that mean there is none? This was a place that saw people convicted for crimes and treason and sentenced to death, long term capture and transportation to foreign lands. If buildings could speak, this one could tell many a tale!
Two periods in history make this building famous. Built in 1797, this Grade I Listed Building was designed by London architect Thomas Hardwick. It retains the courtroom where the Tolpuddle Martyrs were sentenced to transportation to Australia for their part in the early trade union movement in 1834. It appears today as it did at that time. The court is contained in the old shire hall - an earlier court stood on the site - the Trades union Congress briefly acquired the court and after renovating it opened it as a memorial to the tolpuddle mayrters on the 17th july 1956 the court was later returned to the council.
The Old Crown court is likely to be the first court in England to have a press box - which played an important role in spreading the news of the Tolpuddle Martyrs fate.
The royal arms of the house of Hanover that is displayed above the judges seat has been restored to their original position in the old court. The Queen has approved their continued display.
The building also played court to "The Hanging" Judge Jeffrey's, under the court are the cells in which prisoners were kept while waiting for their appearance in court. He held court in either the earlier court on the site ( pre - 1797) or in what was the antelope hotel across the road.
Please see the history of The Tolpuddle martyrs and Judge Jeffrey's below.
The Tolpuddle Martyrs
Tolpuddle is a village near Dorchester in Dorset where in 1833 - 4 a great wave of Trade Union activity took place and a lodge of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers was established. Entry into the union involved a payment of a shilling (5p), and swearing before a picture of a skeleton never to tell anyone the union's secrets.
Lord Melbourne was Prime Minister at this time and he was bitterly opposed to the Trade Union Movement, so when six English farm labourers were sentenced in March 1834 to 7 years transportation to a penal colony in Australia for Trade Union activities, Lord Melbourne did not dispute the sentence.
The labourers were arrested ostensibly for administrating unlawful oaths, but the real reason was because they were trying to protest at their already meagre wages. The labourers at Tolpuddle lived in meagre poverty on just 7 shillings a week and wanted an increase to 10 shillings, but instead the wages were cut to 6 shillings a week.
The Whig government had become alarmed at the working class discontent in the country at this time. The government and the landowners, led by James Frampton, were determined to squash the union and to control increasing outbreaks of dissent.
Six of the Tolpuddle labourers were arrested: George and James Loveless, James Brine, James Hammett, Thomas Stansfield and his son John Stansfield. It was George Loveless who had established the Friendly Society of Agricultural Workers in Tolpuddle.
At their trial the judge and jury were hostile, and the six were sentenced to 7 years transportation to Australia. After the trial many public protest meetings were held and there was uproar throughout the country at this sentence, so the prisoners were hastily transported to Australia without delay.
The people were incensed at this treatment and after 250,000 people signed a petition and a procession of 30,000 people marched down Whitehall in support of the labourers, the sentences were remitted. After some delay, the the six were given a free passage home from Australia.
When finally home and free, some of the 'martyrs' settled on farms in England and four emigrated to Canada
The tree under which the 'martyrs' met is now very old and reduced to a stump, but it has become a place of pilgrimage in Tolpuddle, where it is known as the 'Martyrs Tree'. A commemorative seat and shelter was erected in 1934 on the green by the wealthy London draper Sir Ernest Debenham.
Judge Jeffreys & The Bloody Assizes
Judge George Jeffreys (also known as Jeffries) was born in 1648. Educated at Cambridge, he was appointed Solicitor General to the Duke of York, and was knighted in 1677. He became recorder of London in 1678, and by the time he was 33, he became Lord Chief Justice of England and a privvy counsellor, later becoming Lord Chancellor. In 1683, he became Baron Jeffreys of Wem.
For many years Judge Jeffries was the bogeyman of history especially in the West Country where he is remembered for the part he played in the 'Bloody Assizes' following the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. Legend has it that he was more often drunk than sober , a debauchee and had an unpredictable temper and would rant and rave at those unfortunate enough to be brought before him - but - considering that he suffered intense pain and discomfort from recurring kidney and bladder stones it is hardly surprising (too bad if you happened to appear on an 'off day'!). Even after his death in 1689 the legends continued, one being that he was walled up in a house in Dorchester where he had held what was, perhaps, the bloodiest of the assizes (In 1685, Judge Jeffreys came to Dorchester and lodged at 6 High West Street Dorchester, now the restaurant, Judge Jeffreys).
The events leading up to the Bloody Assizes started on the 11th June 1685 when James, Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II and pretender to the throne, landed at Lyme Regis with a small band of men. By the following week had arrived in Taunton, been declared king and presented with flags embroidered by the maids of Taunton pupils of Mistress Susanna Musgrave and Mistress Mary Blake (a plaque commemorating this event can seen at the bottom of the High Street). The uprising was a disaster and it was only a matter of weeks before James was captured, taken to London and executed by Jack Ketch, who, unfortunately for James, had to take several blows with his axe before the deed was done.
The Assizes started at Winchester on 25th August 1685. There were five judges - Baron Montagu, Baron Wright, Justice Wythens, Justice Levinz and Sir Henry Polexfen, led by Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys. It was here that the trial of Dame Alice Lyle took place. From Winchester they proceeded to Dorchester and on to Taunton before finishing up at Wells on 23rd September. More than 1400 prisoners were dealt with and although most were sentenced to death about 300 only were hanged or hanged, drawn and quartered. Some 600 were transported to the West Indies where they were worth more alive than dead as a source of cheap labour. Others were imprisoned to await further trial although many did not live long enough, succumbing to 'Gaol Fever' (Typhus) which was rife in the insanitary conditions common to most English gaols at that time. The Taunton Assize took place in the Great Hall of Taunton Castle (now the home of the Somerset County Museum). Of more than 500 prisoners brought before the court on the 18th/19th September, 144 were hanged and their remains displayed around the county for all to see and know what happened to those who rebelled against the king. The 284 who were transported were treated worse than slaves as, unlike slaves who had to be bought and paid for, they cost nothing and were therefore expendable. This may seem a cruel and bloody period in our history, but even into the 1800's people were still being imprisoned, executed, and transported for rioting and rebellion. Jeffreys returned to London after the Assizes to report to the king who rewarded him by making him Lord Chancellor (at age of only 40), 'For the many eminent and faithful services to the Crown' - -he eventually died in the tower of London in 1689, the cause of death probably due to his chronic medical history of kidney and bladder stones leading to an acute infection, kidney failure and possibly toxaemia.
There is more to this man than 'blood and thunder' and his life story is well worth reading. A portrait of Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys, painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller hangs in the Monmouth Cabinet in the Great Hall of Taunton Castle where he presided over the Bloody Assize 315 years ago. After looking at the contents of the cabinet which also contains artefacts from the battles of Sedgemoor (the last battle fought on English soil), spend a few minutes looking around - try to imagine what it was like on that September morning - a vast bare room with no central heating, no electric light and probably no plaster on the grey stone walls beneath a heavy timbered roof. The cold light of morning coming through the great windows and falling on the rich robes of the Lord Chief Justice and his colleagues as and your friends shuffle across the cold flagstone floor to hear your fate from the lips of the most feared man in England
The Investigation
Team List
Team 1
Kerry, Wayne, Mandy, David, Abbie & Suzanne
Team 2
Alison, Brian, Amanda, Ed, Paul & Hannah
Julie & Steve - monitoring equipment and joining teams as and when.
Baseline Readings
Court Room - EMF reading 00.01 - 0.07 no fluctuations apart from near cabling, temperature 13 - 14 constant.
Cells - EMF reading 0.01 - 0.04 no fluctuations, temperature 12 - 12.5 constant
Note - through age decay the ceiling/flooring between the cells and courtroom is very thin. Teams to be aware of this when on vigils. Noise to be kept to a minimum as to not disturb others.
Itinerary - Not released to investigators as to keep time of lone vigil experiment secret
9.00pm Arrive
9.10pm Tour of building with Chris
9.30pm Start setting up equipment, locked off cameras, trigger object experiment etc
10.00pm Short break before start
10.15pm Vigil 1
Team 1 - Court Room
Team 2 - Cells
11.30pm Break
11.50am Lone Vigil Experiment
1.00am Break
1.30am Vigil 2
Team 1 - Cells
Team 2 - Court Room
2.45am Pack up equipment
3.00am Depart
Locked off equipment
Locked off wireless camera in court room
Locked off wireless camera in cells area
Locked off night vision camcorder overlooking trigger object - toy gun in jailers area
Locked off dictaphone in court room
Locked off dictaphone in committee / team room
Each team had the following equipment for vigils
2 x Night Vision Camcorders
1 x EMF meter
1 x Laser / non contact temperature gun
Note Sheets, clipboard & pen
2 + Digital cameras
Glass for divination if required
Lone Vigil Experiment Brief
KERRY - CAMCORDER, CALLING OUT, WALKIE TALKIE
ABBIE - CAMCORDER, NOT CALLING OUT
DAVID - CAMCORDER, CALLING OUT
ED NO - CAMCORDER, NOT CALLING OUT, WALKIE TALKIE
WAYNE - NO CAMCORDER, NOT CALLING OUT
ALISON - CAMCORDER, CALLING OUT
PAUL - NO CAMCORDER, NOT CALLING OUT, WALKIE TALKIE
MANDY - NO CAMCORDER, NOT CALLING OUT
HANNAH - NO CAMCORDER, NOT CALLING OUT
SUZANNE - NO CAMCORDER, NOT CALLING OUT
Structure of the Lone Vigil Experiment
As exciting for people as this is, and I can understand why, it is an experiement and so needs to be tightly controlled. At the start of the experiment, people taking part will be asked to congregate together in the team room. 6 of you will stand together in 1 part of the room. The other people will be stood on their own in different parts of the building. We ask that all watches (or any time telling devices) are removed at this time. After a set amount of time you will be taken down to a holding area (Jailers room) Julie and Steve will then take 1 person in at a time (alternatively) and place them in their cell. From the minute you are in your cell (which I am warning you are not the most spacious spaces in the world) we ask that you remain silent. You will not know who is in the cells next to you, around you etc When everyone is in their cell, either Julie or Steve will let you know that everything is in place and the experiement is starting. We will then leave the area.
The area outside the cells will be monitored by a night vision camcorder / wireless camera's. This monitors what is happening in the area and makes sure we can know that no one has entered the area during the experiment. A couple of you (non camcorder holders) may be asked to hold hand held wireless camera's that we will monitor in the hub.
At no point will you be told how long you are going to be down in the cells for. Only myself and Steve will know this. A couple of people in the cells will have Walkie talkies. These must not be used unless their is an emergency or unless someone in a cell wants to be let out early.
When you are let out of the cells at the end of the experiment, please do not discuss anything with anyone else. You will be let out 1 at a time so you still will not know for sure who is next to you around you etc. When you come back into the team room you will be given a questionnaire. Please complete this immediately, again without talking to anyone else. Then hand it back to me. When everyone has submitted their questionnaires, people can talk as the experiment is now over.
Research and experiments is an important part of what we do. Please make sure, for the sake of the experiment that these rules are adhered to. It could make for some very very interesting results.
Cell Allocation - witheld from investigators taking part in experiment
Order Investigators were taken to their cell -
1) Ed
2) Suzanne
3) David
4) Mandy
5) Alison
6) Hannah
7) Wayne
8) Kerry
9) Paul
10) Abbie
Cell Layout -
Wall Wall Wall
CELL 1 Hannah CELL 2 Kerry
CELL 3 Abbie CELL 4 Mandy
CELL 5 Ed CELL 6 David
CELL 7 Paul CELL 8 Suzanne
CELL 9 Wayne CELL 10 Alison
Wall Door to Jailers Area Wall
Time from the beginning of the experiment to the end of the experiment was - 15 minutes
Questions Investigators had to answer on leaving the cell were -
1)Full name including any middle names -
2)How long was the lone vigil experiment for? -
3)Your date of birth -
4)Age on last birthday -
5)What number person were you to go down into the cells? ie 1st, 3rd, 7th etc
6)Your full address including postcode -
7)What is the colour of the camper van parked outside?
8)What is your mothers maiden name?
9)What did you do last Sunday 5th August ? (please give as many details as possible) -
10) 25 + 47 + 9 - your age =
11)What is your full job title at work?
12)How many minutes are there in 3 1/2 hours?
13)What did you have to eat Friday for your dinner / evening meal?
14)Who do you think were in the cells next to you / either side of you?
15)Were you nervous when entering the cell ?
16)Please be honest, have you had to think a little more than usual about some of the questions above?
17)Please note here anything unusual you experienced on the vigil ie any knocks, whispers, cold spots (anything you would normally write on a vigil note sheet) -
18)In a couple of words, what did it feel like being locked in a cell?
19)In a couple of words how would you describe the darkness in your cell?
20)Any thing else you would like to note about your lone vigil in the cell? any names that came to you etc
Results of Lone Vigil Experiment
Questionnaire results -
Question 1 - Full name - I am glad to report all investigators got this correct
Question 2 - Only 3 out of 10 got the correct time of 15 minutes and this was Suzanne, Paul & David. Other answers ranged from 4-5 minutes up to 35 minutes
Question 3 - Date of birth - All investigators got this correct
Question 4 - Age - All investigators got this correct
Question 5 - Number taken into the cell - Only 3 out of 10 got this wrong and they were the people taken in 5th, 7th & 8th.
Question 6 - Address - All investigators got this correct
Question 7 - Colour of the Camper Van - All investigators got this correct in a sense. 8 out of the 10 put it was white. Only Abbie & Hannah were
were more specific and put it was White & Cream.
Question 8 - Mothers Maiden Name - I presume all got this correct
Question 9 - What did you do last Sunday 5th August? - Last Sunday was the 6th of August not the 5th! Only 1 person out of the 10 noted this and
that was Suzanne.
Question 10 - What is 25 + 47 + 9 - your age=? - Only 5 out of 10 got this calculation right (Suzanne, David, Hannah, Wayne & Kerry) On closer inspection of the answers 3 out of the 5 that got it wrong, had actually added their age at the end rather than minusing it.
Question 11 - Full Job Title - It looks as if everyone got this correct from what I know
Question 12 - Minutes in 3 1/2 hours - 8 out of 10 got this correct
Question 13 - Dinner Friday - Most people had put something down though on 4 questionnaires something had been put down, then scribbled out
so something else could be put down.
Question 14 - Cells next to you? -
Ed thought he had Abbie to his left and he did not know who to his right - He was correct about Abbie & he had Paul to his right.
Suzanne thought she had David to her left and Kerry to her right - She was correct she did have David to her left, but it was Alison
to her right not Kerry.
David did not know who he had to his left but he thought he had Alison to his right - David actually had Suzanne on his left & Mandy
on his right.
Mandy thought she had David on her left & Kerry on her right - She was correct on both sides.
Alison thought she had no one on her left and David on her right - She was correct there was no one on her left but on her right was
Suzanne not David.
Hannah - excluded as new to team and did not know names
Wayne thought he had Hannah to his left and no one to his right - He actually had Paul to his left and not Hannah, but he was correct
he had no one to his right.
Kerry thought she had Mandy to her left and no one to her right - She was correct on both counts.
Paul - excluded as new to team and did not know names
Abbie - thought she Suzanne on her left and Paul on her right. She in fact had Hannah to her left not Suzanne and Ed on her right not
Paul.
Question 15 - Nervous entering the cell? - 8 our of 10 of the investigators said No they were not nervous when entering the cell.
Question 16 - Did you have to think any more than usual about the answer? - 7 out of 10 of the investigators stated yes they did have to think a little more than usual about the answers.
Question 17 - anything unusual you experienced on the vigil ie any knocks, whispers, cold spots - some of the answers included - a possible voice
that they did not recognise as another group member, an unfamiliar noise a bit like a bang but like it came from the wall next to me,
severe back ache, a deep voice that said either "no" or "Hello", scratching, people moving about in their cells, musty smell, sharpness of breath, heavy breathing (in cell next to me?), voice, orbs caught on camcorder, felt like crying (bottom lip quivering),
sound of woman giggling towards the end, whispering, cold spot in front of me.
Question 18 - words to describe being in a cell - some of the answers included - ok but slightly un nerving, disorientating & lonely, ok but only for a short period of time, Horrid!, did not faze me like I thought it would, peaceful, I wanted to go to sleep, not scary at all, claustraphobic
and lonely, not nice for a long time but ok for a couple of minutes, I expected to feel calustraphobic but I could hear people around me.
Question 19 - Darkness in the cell - some of the words used to describe the darkness in the cells - Dark, blurry, blinding, deceiving, extreme, had a
camcorder so it was not so bad as I could see my surroundings, not very dark, absolute when torches were off, pitch black, total, had camera so it was not that dark.
Question 20 - Any others notes from the experiment - notes included - image flashed up in my mind of a man hanging from the wall above the door, severe backache, felt like someone was inside the cell with me (female), a bit noisy with the sound of others breathing and moving etc.
Lone vigil conclusion - by Julie Harwood & Steve Gilbert
A very interesting experiment with some very interesting results. We will go through the questions 1 by 1 and give our conclusion / reaction -
1) I had hoped everyone would get this right. It was a simple question that should be imprinted in each persons mind. You would expect only illness of some kind to make answering this impossible, however if someone had been down there a lot longer then ie weeks like some of the prisoners were kept down there, along with other enviromental factors such as lonliness and isolation, mental illness could ensue making even remembering your own name difficult.
2) People perception of time can be greatly distorted when placed in the dark especially when you take away their watches or any other means of telling the time. Even when placed in the cells for such a short time, only 3 investigators managed to correctly predict the time of the experiment.
3 & 4) Again as in question 1, fairly easy questions although reports have shown that in 95% of people their mind recalls letters easier than numbers meaning they may have had to think a couple of seconds longer before writing down their age and full date of birth.
5) 7 people got the number they were taken into cells correct. It is human nature to remember an order of something, especially if you are involved and even though you do not think you remember it often whe asked you can recall even if it is by using images of the situation in your head. It was surprising that with everything else going on that 7 people got this correct. We expected this number to be lower however it does prove that your mind will remember things that can be recalled at a later date even when you have been through a stressful situation. For example if you have been mugged. You see the person, you get mugged and then someone asks you what they looked like. Most people think that if they were in this situation they would not be able to remember their attackers face yet police reports show that it is quite the opposite. Despite the trauma of the mugging between when you saw the person and when you are asked for a description, 79% of people can still recall their muggers facial features, build etc.
6) Another seemingly simple question however even this may be difficult to re call after a long time away from home ie like the prisoners would have experienced. Can you re call the full address of the house you lived in 15 years ago. Studies show 45 % can but 55% can not.
7) Like question 5, an observation question, this proves that once information is logged in a persons mind it is hard to dislodge it. Reports show that colours are remembered and recalled a lot easier than numbers or letters and I think this proves the case in the fact that every investigator got this correct.
8) Mothers maiden name - another easy question which I presume most people got right. I can not answer if they did or not but it was not the point of the question. It was another question that would make the investigators think a little bit more as it would not be a question they are expecting.
9) Ah the last Sunday the 5th of August question! I did not want to know what theydid last Sunday. I wanted to know after an experience like they had, would they just want to complete the questionnaire as quick as possible reading as little as they could or would they read,as they were taught at school "the question very carefully". It appears most read as far as what did you do last Sunday and went on to write their answer. Only 1 person read the question all the way through to realise that last Sunday was not the 5th but was in fact the 6th. Lots of prisoners would have had to sign or cross confessions, alibys etc and so not only would their sight have been bad after spending so long in the dark but they would have done anything at speed to get away from the court even if it meant back to the cells. You could get anyone to sign to anything if people did not read what they were signing properly!
10) Again another reading the question wrong. Of the 5 that got this wrong some were due to miss calculations but some amazingly were because they had added their age to the total (and some had even shown the working out on the side) rather than taking away their age as the question asked.
11) Another what should be simple question of recalling. Very few people use their full job title every day, so it was again to make people aware of having to think.
12) A fairly simple calculation that most of us should be able to do in a couple of seconds as it is something we learn at school however studies show that when deprived of light our brains find even the most simple and well known calculations that we have been doing since school and may use every day, more challenging. I would bet that even if the investigator got it right it took them a little longer to get the answer.
13) An interesting result for this question. As it was only Saturday it should be fairly easy to answer what you had for dinner Friday night however it showed that people were 1) having to think hard about it as some answers were written down then scrubbed out to make way for a different answer & 2) they were worried about getting the question wrong as we are in no position to know whether what they have put is right or wrong, but on atleast 2 questionnaires it was writtentwice then scribbled out before a final answer was put down. If it was hard to think of the night befores meal after 15 minutes in a dark cell, can you imagine how hard it would be for prisoners who were asked where they were on a certain date after they had been locked in the cells for days or even weeks.
14) No one was told who they would be next to in a cell and in some cases I think it was a case of people guessing however many people were sure they had it right and yet could not have been more wrong. Only 3 people were calling out and so we thought that perhaps as they were placed all on one side of the cells room, it would be easier for people on their side to guess who they were next to. However they are the ones that got it most wrong. The people on the other side, with no one calling out, we thought were the ones that would just have to guess and therefore stood more chance of getting it wrong and in fact were the ones that got it most right. This I believe shows how disorientating being in the dark can be. People who they thought were right next to them were either a couple of cells down or in some cases on the completely opposite side. Other people who seemed a lot further away were actually right next to them. Plus on top of this, it shows how in a small space sound can be distorted to feel closer, further, more distant, quieter, louder etc. Its fuuny that lots of people obviously found it hard to tell who was next to them and yet many people commented that they could hear other members moving around, coughing etc
15) 8 investigators claimed they were not nervous when entering their cell. Unfortunately I would have to challenge this. We saw peoples faces as they were led to cells.a good 5 out of 10 atleast looked terrified and on at least 2 cases (and they are not the 2 that admitted to being scared) we observed shaking hands. I think this question shows that after an event that may not have been as scarey as they thought it is all to easy to try and retain brevado& say no I was not scared, worried, nervous yet if we had asked before the lone vigil I know the answer would have been different. We listened carefully to investigators throughout the evening right up to the time you were in the holding area and also when we heard the groans of "oh god as we put you in your cell and in some cases shut the door. I would say 8 out of 10 were very nervous about being put in their cell.
16) 7 people admitting they had to think more carefully about the answers we think was a very honest answer. It proves that even the most simple of questions become that little more taxing after depravation of some sort. The cells for most part were very dark, speaking was kept to nominal amounts and only some people were allowed to speak and things like watches were taken away from people. Even though not hugely deprived, as they were not expecting the questions there was no time to prepare answers. They knew there would be some form of questionning but no one knew what would be on the forms. Very very interestling 2 of the 3 that said they did not have to think any harder about the questions got their questions on arithmatic and observation wrong. Again, and I know it has been mentioned several times in this conclusion, think how this must have been for the people being kept in the cells. Deprived of decent food, sleep, light and then after days and sometimes weeks, they were suddenly marked out, up a short flight of stairs and straight into the dock in front of the judge where questions that could determine their fate were fired at them unmercifully. It makes you wonder what chance they stood of being not convicted !
17) When investigators exited the area and completed their forms many stated things like "oh it was not bad at all nothing happened" & "I would do that again, it was so quiet" yet on the forms everyone reported hearing something even if it was what they thought was the persn next to them. In some more extreme cases scratching was heard and voices that no one recognised. If we had heard those on a vigil we would be reporting them as highly abnormal.
18) Some people did admit that they were not as worried as they thought they would be at being put in a cell however it is funny to look at forms that on 1 page say 8 of the team were not worried about being put in a cell and then to see the end people describing it as horrid, claustraphobic, lonely , disorientating, all negative words used by 6 or more of the team. When asked for a one word answer, yes or no, people find it easy to maintain brevado and in this case put down NO yet when you ask a little later on after you have asked about anything they experienced, it is harder for them to maintain that brevado and some of the true feelings start coming out as we have seen in this answer.
19) Again when many investigators came out they were chatting about how it was not as dark as they thought etc however while this may be true for camcorder holders and in some parts true for people near people with camcorders, some of the descriptions of the dark say otherwise.
20) Every investigation we do whether the building is reported haunted or not and we have done our fair share of both, we usually have some names come up from vigils from sensitives and non sensitives alike. I am not saying we should expect this but it was interesting to note that while people came up with images no 1 single person noted that they were given a name or came up with a name of any sort. That surprised us. When in a different situation than you have been in before, is the pressure on, are people worrying about other things, does the lack of names but the reported images to mind have something to do with the darkness? This is all speculation. We may never know.
Vigil / Team Notes
Team 1
Vigil 1:Courtroom 10:15pm - 11.30pm
Temperature all around 21c
No EMF
10:31pm-Draft by judges chair. Temperature increases to 25c on chair
- Wayne feels draught
10:35pm-1st floor balcony temperature drops to 19.5c then back to 21c
10:40pm-Wood creaked on 1st floor balcony (left hand upper balcony if
facing the judges chair).This was heard by Julie and
Abbie. Kerry goes to sit there.
- David senses the name Lawrence. Temperature drops by
judges chair from 25c to 19c after Kerry calls out.
- Several of the group heard a creak but could not decipher
where it came from because of the acoustics.
10:42pm- All appear to hear what sounds a long ‘ breath’, could
possibly be walkie-talkie.
Weird smell on 1st floor balcony ( smelt by Kerry).
10:46pm- Noise from behind Kerry. Point where noise comes from is 1c
higher than the surroundings.
-David is given the name Lawrence Poncenby, believes he was
neither a judge or defendant.
10:50pm- Abbie feels someone behind her, possibly court usher.
- Footstep/stomp heard from top balcony.
10:52pm- Tapping heard under table by Julie&Abbie, Mandy who is
now sitting in the 1st floor balcony with Kerry feels close to
tears.
10:55pm- Cold breeze on Julie’s left hand, Abbie feels pressure on her
right shoulder and feels as though someone is sat next to
her. On the side where she feels someone the temperature is
2c lower.
11:00pm-Camcorder turns itself off.
-Floor creaked to right of Kerry, temperature 25c.
-Suzanne(upper back gallery) heard footsteps behind her.
Temperature where she heard the noise is 25c, to her right 22c
and to her left 22c.Large temperature variations around the
room.
11:05pm-All hear the sound of something let and plastic (biro?) being
dropped. Could not find the cause.
-Footstep heard by judges balcony.
11:07pm- Large creak by judges chair, heard by all.
- All hear a man talking, when other group contacted they say
that they are sitting quietly.
11:09pm- 3 footsteps heard followed by another 2.
11:10pm- Temperature on judges chair is hotter than it’s surroundings.
11:11pm- David and Kerry smell musty smell and the smell of stale
rum, also smelt by Abbie who was not on the judges balcony.
11:13pm- Creak from right hand corner on judges balcony, feels colder
in that corner although there is not a draft.
11:14pm- Julie saw 3 white flashes next to her, might be torch/camera
shining through floorboards from team below.
11:15pm- David’s arm hurts , Waynes chest hurts. Both Mandy, Kerry
and Julie can picture someone screaming in objection to
something.
11:16pm- Kerry’s arm is colder on the left side by 3c.
11:17pm- Squeaking/crating metallic noise heard by all.
- Mandy feels cold on her left hand side. Temperature 19c to
her left and 24c to her right.
11:20pm- Kerry feels as though there is someone close to her.
- temperature on seats at back gallery fluctuate in temperature.
2 of the seats are hotter than the rest. When measured again
the temperature on those seats had gone back to room
temperature ( 21c) but 2 different chairs were hot. After a
minute or so, all seats are 21c.
Team 1
Vigil 2:Cells 1:30am-240am
1.40am- Team split up. Mandy, Kerry and Abbie go to pit, no-one can
sense anything.
1:45am- Mandy, Kerry and Abbie go to the long corridor where the
ballot boxes are stored. All feel really uneasy. Feel same at the
end of the corridor by small staircase and the room which has
been back-filled.
1:50am- Kerry opens séance in jailers room. Nothing picked up.
- Team return to cells and take cell each while Kerry and Wayne
film in corridor outside. Take turns in calling out but, nothing
picked up.
2:20am- Team split again into previous teams, Wayne’s team go to the
pit and the long corridor while the others stay in the cells.
The door to the air raid shelter is ajar and was previously
jammed shut. Shut it again.Abbie, Mandy and Kerry feel
uncomfortable in
the cells and the guard room.
- When we check on the air raid shelter door it has again
opened.
2:25am- Girls hear a slight rustling noise in the small room behind the
Jailers room.
Personal Reports
Julie Harwood - Dorset & Hampshire Team Leader
What an honour to be able to investigate such a wonderfully prestigious building. It was a first for the Southern Paranormal UK team and we had members from the Dorset & Hampshire team as well as the London & Essex team attending.
Once we had all arrived and had been shown round by Chris the Caretaker (who gave up his own time to sleep in his camper van outside the building so we could investigate) we set up our equipment which included locked off wireless camera's, night vision camcorders and trigger object experiments. After that it gave us time to talk to Paul our newest member and his guest Hannah before we set off on our first vigils.
I accompanied Kerrys team (team 1) in the court room. I watched everyone very carefully especially the sensitives as there were cut out models and leaflets on one of the walls which I did not want them to pick up any information involuntarily from. As we settled down I felt quite comfortable and could not imagine things in this area were going to be very exciting at all. Within minutes, after we started calling out we could hear footsteps above us which seemed to be coming from the Gallery. I immdeiately checked (because of the way sound can travel and the accoustics of the courtroom) by walkie talkie that it was not the group below us in the cells making any noise. Alison confirmed that her team were all together and stationary. That we could not explain as every single one of us had heard footsteps. After that most of the team experienced something around them but only momentarily like something was walking round looking at us all. Wayne and David both had unexplained pains in their chest and arms, Abbie felt someone was watching her write the team notes over her right shoulder, Mandy could feel an intense cold breeze that appeared to have no source and Kerry, Mandy & myself could all imagine a poorly dressed lady leaning over the gallery screaming NO with her arms outstretched. We all commented how Suzanne in the far viewing gallery must be feeling left out as she had not felt anything unusual when we all heard a very loud "breath" noise. It appeared to come from around Suzanne so we are hoping that the camcorder she had has picked this up. David came up with the name Lawrence and a surname a couple of minutes later of Poncilby or something like that. We called out these names and David did appear to get a bit nervous as he could hear creaking next to him. We found out at the end of the vigil that one of the cut outs had the name William Poncenby on it. however I know for a fact David had not been in this area he was right over the opposite side of the room. Kerry and David then stood by the judges chair and both could smell an old musty, dirty, alcohol smell. David described it like Rum. Abbie could also smell the same thing. On top of this we heard a lot of creaks and taps however the team were very aware they were sitting in a area made up nearly entirely of wood and so we can not rule out that the noies were made by the wood settling and creaking naturally like it does.
After a quick break, we started the Lone vigil experiment, details of which you can find on this report page. Each member (I will stress all members were volunteers) were placed in a cell. 10 took part. Some had their doors left open, some were shut in, some had camcorders and other had nothing. No one was allowed a watch and no was told how long they would be down there for. Only the nominated "caller outers" were permitted to speak. It made for a fantastic experiment with very vary and interesting results. On the questionnaires people filled out after the experience most people put No for the question were you nervous? I would have to disagree. Steve, Amanda, Brian & myself all saw their faces before they were put in and most of them did not look like they were not bothered.
For the last vigil I joined Alisons team (team 2) back in the court room. I presumed that it would be another interesting vigil as there had been so much going on in there a couple of hours earlier but I could not have been more wrong. The only thing that Paul, Brian, Hannah and myself noticed was that in a certain area (the Jury gallery on the left of the judges chair and just below where Paul & hannah were sat) there were distinct fluctuations in temperature. Others in the room felt comfortable but at one point I was shivering, I was so cold, yet when we first entered the court room we all commented how hot it was. Apart from this, despite calling out the vigil, for me anyway past without occurence.
After we had cleared all our equipment away, it was time to say goodbye to this wonderful building. I can not, as an avid historian explain what a privelidge it was for me to be able to stand in the court where Judge Jeffries presided and to stand in the dock and visit the cells that would have housed the Tolpuddle Martyrs before their transportation to the penal colonies of Australia. Wow, that made my year!
That you very much to Jenni Dare and everyone at West Dorset Council for trusting us enough to allow us investigation time there and also thank you to Chris, who like I said gave up his evening so we could visit. Last but not least thank you Steve for booking another fabulous investigation Venue. I really hope we will be allowed to return to the courts and cells one day.
Kerry Price - London & Essex Team Leader
It took us a little while to find the court, mainly because everything looked like part of the landscape, it looked as though it had been there for a long time.
After meeting Chris the Caretaker, who was very kind to give us his time, we entered the building for a tour.
To be honest I didn’t think that we would pick much up in the courtroom but, would have more luck with the cells and cellar areas. How wrong could I be?
During the tour we were shown the cells. I found this area ok accept for the 1st cell on the right. Somehow, it seemed darker than the other cells as though it was occupied. Also, when I went past it and looked inside I had a sharp pain to my kidneys. This dissipated when I moved further along the cellblock, but would come back when I approached the same cell. I hoped that I would not be put in the cell for our loan vigil experiments later in the evening.
The other area I didn’t like in the basement was the long corridor which had ballot boxes stacked in it and the room at the end (which I will call the rubble room). All of this area had a really bad atmosphere to it and I also didn’t like it as it reminded me of a recurring nightmare that I have. Also, the other area that I found fascinating was the air raid shelter, obviously we were not allowed to investigate this part as it had been condemned, however I felt as though there was activity coming from this area.
I wonder if it got a direct hit, or if it had been cells at some point? Whatever had been there I didn’t like it.
After the tour of the courtroom, which was in its original condition we set about our 1st vigils.
Vigil 1:Courtroom
We spread out for this investigation which I believe was just the right thing. Once we had taken some preliminary temperature and EMF readings we set about calling out. I found this vigil really odd as we could hear footsteps in the upper galleries and there were really odd changes of temperature in some places as though some of the seats were occupied.
Myself, Julie and Mandy also had an odd impression of a woman in the gallery behind where Julie was sitting screaming out no. I had an image in my head of a woman leaning very far out over the gallery with her hands outstretched towards the bench to the right of the table. She was dressed poorly. She had on a very simply patterned cotton dress (which had a white skirt underneath) and a mop cap and apron which was charcoal grey. It was only a brief image but, very clear. I found it very odd that others had the same noise or a similar image come to mind. The feeling of grief that came from the left gallery (if facing the judge’s chair) was very palpable and Mandy felt like crying.
David picked up on the name of Lawrence, when I called this name David seemed to get a little uncomfortable. He then was given the name Poncenby and had a much stronger reaction to this name. It was only later that when we looked at the cut out figures that were positioned around the courtroom that Mandy discovered this name on one of the boards. David had not been in this area!
So many other things happened in this room, knocks and bangs, footsteps, all in places where the team were not.
The temperature readings were going crazy in some parts. After sitting in a seat, I measured the temperature of the seat which was 25c. I constantly measured around the room which was pretty much 21c all around but, in some seats the temperature was 25c, these were places where no one from the team had been seated.
Fascinating!
Lone Vigil Experiments in the cells
I thought that this experiment was a great idea. We were separated before hand and were not allowed to speak; this would have been the treatment we would have been given if we were being committed so I thought that it conjured up the right atmosphere.
Myself, David and Alison all took turns in calling out. A few noises were picked out however; it was not apparent where the noises came from. I caught some orbs on camera, however these could have been due to dust from the ceiling or brickwork. I did see some orbs outside of the door to my cell, as there are gaps at the top.
The cell I was in was the very last cell on the right, next to the air raid shelter. I felt sad and was surprised to feel my bottom lip wobbling; I don’t feel that this came from being in the dark etc but, from the atmospheres in the shelter. There was a hole in the cell wall, which for some reason I was tempted to put my hand into. The camcorder ran out of battery at this point so I did not do it.
Cells Vigil.
After conducting the cell experiment, I felt ok about investigating the cellar area. My team split into 2 groups, Wayne’s group stayed in around the cell area while myself, Abbie and Mandy went to the pit. We stayed in this are for about 5mins but nothing was picked up on any of the equipment and we all felt comfortable.
We then went to the long corridor with the ballot boxes in and the 3 of us instantly became uncomfortable. A noise was heard in the rubble room which sounded like shuffling, however I put this down to rodents, which I hoped it would be. We didn’t stay long as we were feeling increasingly uncomfortable. I called out once but had no reaction, I must admit I didn’t want to hear anything because if we got in a panic it would have been hard to get out of the area quickly.
Next we reassembled for a séance. Again we didn’t pick anything up and all felt fine. Next we all went back into the cell area. All investigators were in the cells except for Wayne and myself who were filming at either end of the corridor. I was leaning with my back to the door of the air raid shelter, which jammed into the doorframe when leant on, to be honest I wanted it shut properly. Nothing was picked up during this time so we again split into 2 groups with my group staying in the cells while the other went to the pit and the long corridor. At this point we noticed that the door to the air raid shelter had come ajar, so I again closed it. We started to feel uncomfortable as soon as the others left with both Abbie and Mandy detecting a male presence. We moved out of the area into the jailer’s room, as we left we noticed that the door had again come open.
On entering the jailers room we heard a shuffling noise come from the small room off to one side of the fireplace which had a table in front of it so we knew that no-one was there. I also heard a tap come from the fireplace.
Feeling uncomfortable we went and found the rest of the team. No more occurrences happened so I closed the protection.
At the time I felt as though not much happened at this site. However, after typing up the team notes and this report it is evident that this is not so. It will be interesting to see the other teams notes and any pictures and footage that were taken and any additional historical information that can be found for the site.
Ed Ashton
I found this to be a fascinating building. Mostly because of the part it had played in history. Throughout the entire investigation, whether I was in the cells or in the actual courtroom, I kept imaging what people, especially suspected/condemned criminals must have been feeling as they sat in the tiny cells (a lot smaller than I was expecting them to be, I must admit!) awaiting their judgement or being taken up the narrow wooden staircase only to come up directly into the dock to face the Judge in the middle of the courtroom! It painted a slightly unnerving but interesting picture in my mind.
The only occurence worthy of note that I experienced happened during the lone vigil in the cells.
About halfway through the vigil, I thought I heard what to me at first sounded like a faint voice, but not coming from one one of the designated people who were calling out. This was verified when David also apparently heard the same thing and asked if anyone else had just heard it as well. A couple of people also confirmed that they did but no one admitted to speaking at the particular time is was heard, so it was very strange.
The lone vigil itself was a great idea and seemed to work very well given the location and atmosphere! Kudos must go to Steve and Julie for coming up with the idea and organising its very successful excecution.
It's difficult to say if the building is really haunted or not. Apparently there had been no reported sightings but you never can be too sure and who knows we may've got lucky and been the first people to have reported suspected paranormal activity in this very old, historic building!
It will be interesting to read the other teams reports and find out if they discovered anything substantial, but for me, for this particular investigation, the privilege of being there and the fascination of the history of the building more than made up for the lack of paranormal activity!