Tutbury Castle 18-11-05




This Friday saw the (K)nights of Fear assisting at a charity ghost hunt in aid of Children in Need at Tutbury Castle. For the 28 participants, the night started with a meal at a local restaurant which was attended by Karl and Stuart from Most Haunted, before the whole group assembled at Tutbury Castle at about 11:00pm.

Before commencement the participants were split into 7 groups of 4 so that various areas of the castle grounds could be covered almost continually throughout the night whilst the (K)nights of Fear were left to monitor the more active areas throughout the night, giving advice and assistance when required. As there are certain limitations on what we are allowed to do at Tutbury we focused our attentions on the Kings Bedroom, Great Hall and Torture Chamber. The former being reputedly the most psychically dangerous area, where in the past visitors have received scratches or have been taken ill and the latter being the darkest part of the castle grounds where sensory deprivation could lead to the guests compensating with their other senses.

Other areas that required to be kept an eye on were the South Tower and Undercrofts where 2 further vigils were taking place, although not many of the groups went the full distance in these 2 areas with the overnight temperatures dropping to -6ºC.

Although with these temperatures it would be almost humanly impossible to detect any cold spots it was noticed an the commencement of one vigil in the Torture Chamber that the temperature dropped for a 5 minute period from 5ºC to 2ºC before mysteriously rising back to 5ºC. In this location, several of the guests were aware that they weren’t possibly alone and at one point noises were heard emanating from one side of the room where stairs would have once led to the dungeon below. Several of the guests were also conscious of breathing on their faces and one person reported what they could only explain as something or someone blowing up their nose.

In the Kings Bedroom an overpowering scent was at one point noted which for one of the guests started an asthma attack. Another of the guests felt really hot whilst those around were feeling cold. Whilst sat in a corner one of the guests became aware of a little girl sitting along side her and many of the guests were aware of various types of activity on the stairs. There were also reports of twinkling lights and cold spots in what was by far the warmest section of the castle and grounds.

During their stay in the Great Hall, one of the guests was aware of a freezing cold patch on either knee which was thought to be caused by 2 small children sitting upon her knees. Strangely, this was the only point where any Electromagnetic Fields were detected all night. After the guest moved the EMF reading dissipated and was never traced again all night.

We hope that all the participants enjoyed their night and would like to thank them for raising money for such a worthy cause in such a way on an extremely bitter night.

Derby Gaol 12-11-05

On this occasion the (K)nights of Fear were hosts to a party of 23 who were in the main employed in law enforcement. Would the spirits of people who were once incarcerated and in some cases be put to death for what we would not even be considered a crime, wish to try and communicate with those who now uphold the law? Would a group of law enforcement officers who are perhaps trained to be a little more analytical than most be able to find a rational explanation to what if anything was happening to them? We awaited our night with bated breath.

In this report we have taken every care to protect the identities of the people involved and will not report on one particular event as it is too distressing for one of the guests. The evening proper started with the dowsing session which has been referred to in detail in previous reports. An initial scan of the data collected appears to show a variety of answers from the five locations but these of course need to be compared with the results from previous weeks to see if there is a pattern is forming.

Our guests then tried their hand at table tipping in the Museum. As there were once again a large number of guests present the exercise was spread over several sessions. We were particularly surprised during the first session to find that we were in contact with a 26 year old male who was looking for his sister. Further enquiries seemed to show that we were in fact communicating with the brother of the young lady we had been talking to during the sessions in the same location the previous week. When asked if he had found her, he said that he had not. We look forward to trying table tipping in future weeks in the same location to see if there are any further developments. Part way through the first session one of the participants was forced to leave as they had started to feel sick and dizzy. Sadly, after the conclusion of the first session and a change of people we were unable to make any further contact.

We then conducted a séance in the Debtors cell but even before it commenced one of the party was forced to leave they were feeling nauseous. About 15 minutes into the séance a further two people left as one of them felt another hand on top of their own and as with previous guests were unable to come to terms with the situation. In a further 10 minutes the guest who had to leave the table tipping session had to be escorted from the cell and into the fresh air. This guest reported that they were having breathing difficulties and felt as though they had something around their neck whilst something seemed to be pressing down on their shoulders. At this point, the 2 people that had left the séance at the last break rejoined the group. Coincidently, all the people that had been forced to leave the séance at this stage had all ended up standing in the same location.

During our séances we tend to set human trigger objects as it has come to our attention that certain genders and certain types of people appear to be specifically targeted during séances. The next person who was forced to leave was in fact one of our ‘trigger objects’. This person described having hands pushed at their abdomen several times which was making him feel nauseous. Eventually a black mass which seemed to have formed in front of them jumped into the space where they were stood causing their legs to buckle underneath them. This person described an icy cold feeling which seemed to emanate from within them. The séance was closed approximately 10 minutes after this incident.

During the séance other people also experienced the poltergeist activity that has been occurring on an almost weekly basis. During the poltergeist activity the person standing opposite the people that were being affected could see what appeared to be a mass of small twinkling lights. Several of the participants were aware of what appeared to be human forms in the centre of the circle which were either black or white in colour. Others were aware of something or someone breathing on their faces.

After a short break we conducted a glass divination session, once again in the Debtor’s cell. After a few minutes the glass started to move and headed towards the edge of the board and refused to move back to the centre so that further questions could be asked. Eventually the glass was moved back to the centre manually but almost immediately headed back to the same point. Again the glass had to be moved back manually so that we could continue. For a third time the glass headed to the same point on this occasion however we insisted that if the glass was not moved back on its own the session would have to be closed. At this point something very strange happened. The glass started to rotate in a clockwise direction meaning that the 6 participants were forced to walk backwards around the table. Strangely, this resulted in some of the participants left in some of our human ‘trigger object’ positions. We asked the question if there was someone at the table that it particularly liked and the glass moved straight over to the person that had originally been standing in the position where the glass had moved to on the first 3 occasions. We then asked if there was anyone in the room it didn’t like and the glass moved to their partner. Following this almost all the questions were answered by the glass once again rotating meaning that the guests were forced to move around the table by walking either forwards or backwards. The only exception to this was when we asked the glass to point out all the law enforcement people who were around the table. The glass successfully picked out 4 of the 6 people at the table. Eventually the session was closed when the glass completely left the table.

Although our guests had travelled a long way to be with us and many had settled down for some sleep there were still many willing participants for a second séance which was once again conducted in the Debtor’s cell. Once again most of the participants were aware of human forms in the circle. People were aware of having their hands touched although on this occasion there was no poltergeist activity. Our human ‘trigger object’ was forced to leave the circle on 3 occasions once again feeling nauseous and dizzy after experiencing something directly in front of them. After the third attack they decided not to rejoin us and surprisingly, another person who would have made an ideal ‘trigger object’ started to experience some of the sensations.

At about 6:45am our guests gathered their possessions together and set off for the long journey back home.

Derby Gaol 05-11-05

On what is Guy Fawkes night in the United Kingdom the (K)nights of Fear played host to a group of 30 at Derby Gaol. On this occasion the group were carrying out a charity event in aid of breast cancer screening at Derby City General Hospital.

Following the mini ghost walk and sustenance the group participated in a pendulum dowsing session and although they were only working in groups of 3 or 4 the majority of the guests had almost identical answers by the replica of the executions block. As we intend to use the same set of questions at future events we will not publish any of the results but should any of the guests wish to be kept up to date with future findings we will only be too pleased to email you the results.

The group then tried their hand at table tipping in the Museum, which over recent weeks has proved to be disappointing. However, on this occasion the results were overwhelming even with differing combinations of guests. These various sessions continued for close on 2 hours and although we managed to contact on of the gaolers the strongest connection was made with a young girl who died in the 1970’s. We have come across this poor soul on several occasions but since her death is well within living memory refuse to discuss any details in the public domain.

With such a large party present we decided to hold a double séance in both the condemned and debtors cells. The participants in the condemned cell experienced the poltergeist activity which has been affecting people since mid May and at one point saw a figure emerge through the wall from the adjoining debtors cell where the second séance was taking place. Meanwhile, in the debtors cell, one young man was convinced that there was trickery afoot as he distinctly felt something being placed around his ankle. However, since all the participants were holding hands we suspect that something was trying to chain him to the wall. Another participant was also disturbed when they witnessed one of our spirit helpers stood in a corner but he was reassured that there was nothing to fear. Many of the participants were also aware that what little light there was in the cell would on occasions be completely obliterated by what one can only describe as something standing in front of them. After about an hour the séances came to a natural conclusion.

Our guests then tried their hands on 2 of our spirit boards which were placed very close together in the main corridor. On one of the boards there was a little movement but this was mainly an attempt to make the planchette stand up on end although all the participants were barely touching it. Sadly, there was no movement whatsoever on the second board which to us was hardly surprising, as in every attempt in the past it has failed to budge. Of course, our guests had no knowledge of this.

We finished the night with a séance in the condemned cell for those who wished to participate whilst others tried table tipping in the debtors cell. As most of the participants had held their first séance in the debtors cell they were a little bemused when the poltergeist activity struck once again. Again the participants were very aware of being breathed on and conscious of having human like forms stood in front of them.

At about 6:30am we closed the session and had a debrief before releasing our guests from the gaol. We hope that they enjoyed their night and raised plenty of money for their charity.

Scared Senseless 31-10-05

As this night was spread over two separate locations it will take us a little time to compile a complete report. However, in the meantime here are the brief details of the night’s events.

The group assembled at 10:00 pm and were taken on a mini ghost walk, conducted by Eleanor and Vicky, to the Bell Inn in Sadlergate. The group visited one of the most haunted locations within the pub (Room 29) where they participated in glass divination sessions and a séance.

At 12:30 am the group had a further mini ghost walk back to the Gaol where they would spend the rest of their night.

After the group had explored the premises table tipping sessions were held in the condemned cell where there was very little activity in either the two sessions. This was followed by glass divination in the same location where the spirit of a young lady made herself known. She apparently frequented the place during its time as a night club.

A séance was then conducted in the debtors cell which had to be closed shortly after commencement as one of the guests felt as though they had been hit in the stomach. The séance was restarted but again had to be cut short when one of the guests felt very sick. Once again the séance was restarted and this time but once again had to be stopped when one of the participants collapsed. As there was now extra space in the cell the (K)nights of Fear were able to increase the protection in the cell by introducing another medium into the circle. With the added protection the séance was now able to come to a natural conclusion however, as one of the participants was about to leave the cell she joked about not having her sea legs as she felt she was on a boat. On exiting the cell she burst into tears and had to be helped outside.

A spirit board session was held but sadly the planchette refused to move so was replaced with the Rocking Spirit Board. Although none of the guests knew any of their hosts the board came through with amazingly accurate information about the father of two of the members of the (K)nights of Fear.

Shortly after this session a reporter from RAM FM arrived and after brief interviews agreed to join a selected few of us for a short séance in the condemned cell. On this occasion the séance went off without a hitch with several of the participants experiencing things including the reporter himself.

After a short debrief the night was brought to a close. We would like to thank the participants for their help and courage in raising money for the RNIB in this manner and the management of both locations for allowing us access to their properties. We would also like to thank Sue, Vicky and PJ for assisting the (K)nights of Fear at this event.

Derby Gaol 30-10-05

The (K)nights of Fear once again returned to Derby Gaol to play host two just two people which meant that for once we were having to actively participate in all of the nights events. Although we do not object to this as we all love the opportunity to get into the thick of things we do of course have to consider that we could be accused of giving the spirits a little bit of a helping hand. However, if you have read any of our previous reports where it has been left entirely to our guests to obtain the answers you will perhaps have realised that we have no need to ‘encourage’ answers from the spirit world.

The evening began with a glass divination session in the Condemned Cell where we appeared to be communicating with one of the gaolers who would not allow anyone else to come through, insisting he was in charge. Although the glass was moving there was an apparent refusal to answer some of the questions whilst others seemed to be answered untruthfully. This of course is particularly interesting when you consider that the (K)nights of Fear, who know most of the answers, were actively participating in the session.

We then moved into the Museum where we conducted a table tipping session. Over the past weeks these haven’t been particularly successful with other groups, but on this occasion we were able to obtain some fairly dramatic movement. Whether this can be put down to our own influence at the table we do not know but once again we didn’t expect the answers we got. We seemed to be in contact with a religious man who had been put to death because of his beliefs. Further questioning showed this man to be Robert Ludlum one of three Roman Catholic priests hung drawn and quartered in 1588 long before Derby Gaol even existed. At the end of the session one of our guests explained that during their schooldays during sports days the houses were named after the 3 priests, Nicolas Garlick, Robert Ludlum and Richard Sympson. Our guest had been a part of the Robert Ludlum house.

Our guests then had the opportunity to dowse in 5 specific locations around the gaol, asking 5 pre-prepared questions in each place. We are compiling a list of the answers received with those from other parties to see if we receive common answers.

We next held a séance during which time our guests were visually confronted with various spirits from the gaol. The session however came to a premature end when entities, who were very much of the living variety, tried to access the gaol by forcing a window.

To close the night we tried out a couple of new ‘toys’ that we are in the process of developing, in both cases the results proved inconclusive. As our guests had to be at work the next morning we brought the night to a close.