#HarryPrice

[underwood1923]

A Very Brief Chronology of the Ghost Club.

The Ghost Club - A History (2010)

[larabeeuk]

Love a bit of paranormal tv #harryprice #itvhub #catchup

[vivantievents]

With Fairfield Mayor #HarryPrice at #SolanoChristianAcademy #WinterShowcase

[npgroup-blog]

Looking Back : Harry Price - Godfather of Ghost Hunting

Harry Price 1881-1946

In this introspective piece we look back at the life and greatest case of the legendary Harry Price who first pioneered research in Psychical phenomenon and is generally regarded as the Godfather of modern Ghost Hunting.

Born in Holborn, London in 1881 Harrys deep seated interest with the Paranormal began roughly just before the first world war with visits to Seances, Magic shows and travelling Mediums. During his service in WW1 he hit upon the notion of creating a Laboratory where Mediums and Psychics could scientifically have their claims tested. 

In the early 1920s Price was elected member of the London Society for Psychical Research. He held membership there until his death. Price from the outset was unhappy with the methods used by the society and set about restructuring psychical research according to his own ideas as soon as he got the chance.

Harrys first major success came in 1922 with the high profile debunking of spirit photographer William Hope, member of the infamous 'Crewe Circle' of Spiritualists. Price was able to denounce the fraud before the society but this only alienated him from some high profile members including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as William Hope was very highly regarded. His tiff with Conan Doyle continued till his death in 1930.

After travelling around Britain and Europe compiling research on mediumship, Harry finally opened his Laboratory. The National Laboratory fof Psychical Research as it was now known was based in Kensington in London.

In 1927 Harry got involved in the high-profile 'Battersea Poltergeist' case. Harry had heard rumours of poltergeist activity so after the story had ran in the newspers the following month, he decided he wanted to do his own investigation. The case proved to be interesting to Price but not conclusive overall. The remainder of that year saw continued research with well known French and English mediums. Focusing on Psychometry more Harry was able to conduct a number of elaborate experiments including the famous 'Prophets Box' at Church hall, Westminster. 

Rudi Shneider, a reknown medium at the time was the focus of Prices next significant experiment. Under scientific conditions in the Laboratory a series of sittings were conducted using the 'electric control' method. Price was very satisfied with results. Later in 1929 Harry heard through a newspaper editor that Borley Rectory in Essex was experiencing alsorts of Paranormal phenomena. Price travelled down to Borley that same afternoon, little did he know that this case would later make him world famous. The Rectory was occupied by Rev Guy Smith and his wife who had allegedly witnessed seeing the ghosts of a Nun and a Horse and Carriage. They also reported hearing footsteps and voices. Later the phenomema worsened with the arrival of poltergeist activity. A Poltergeist had been reported at Borley at the end of the nineteenth century by the then residents the Bull family.

*Full review of the famous Borley Rectory case posted soon*

1935 saw Harry involved in the most bizarre case of his career. The Talking Mongoose - turned out to be an overwhelming fraud. The Irving family from the Isle of Man had reported befriending a wild animal (mongoose) and allegedly began having conversations with it, the creature could also speak several languages. Harry spent the summer of 35 together with the editor of Listening magazine getting to the bottom of it.

The Spirit of Rosalie case in 1937 proved to be traumatic and disturbing for harry following his alleged meeting and examination of a spirit six year old Girl.  Some have said that Price found what he was looking for that night, it certainly is a case worth reviewing again.

Links for further research

http://www.spr.ac.uk/main/       The Society for Psychical Research -  Founded in 1882 The first of its kind in the world. Harry was a member from 1920 - 1946 

http://www.ghostclub.org.uk    The Ghost Club-  

Founded in 1851 this is Britains oldest running Ghost Club. Harry was chairman for a few years during his life.

www.harryprice.co.uk                 Harry Price Site -

A site dedicated to him, featuring full bio.

[underwood1923]

'PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL' (The famous 'Blue Book' of 'instructions for observers' composed by Harry Price for volunteers to use as guidance to help investigate 'The Alleged Haunting at B----[orley] Rectory'.)

[underwood1923]

Underwood's 'Harry Price' entry for 'Everyman's Library Encyclopaedia 5th Ed., vol.10' (1967), by J. M. Dent - the publisher he once worked for.⠀ ⠀ #HarryPrice #PeterUnderwood

[underwood1923]

‘The Mysteries of Marianne’ (The Ghosts of Borley [1973], Chapter 3)

The case of Marianne Foyster; the reappearance of a classic case file from the #Borley archives…

“Underwood corresponded with her briefly in the 1980s … Trevor Hall did an investigation into her life after he was involved in the SPR Borley critique [‘The Haunting of Borley Rectory’] in the 1950s. He even went to the extent of hiring a private detective to interview her in America. He compiled a book 'Marianne Foyster of Borley Rectory' … among other things he claimed she had murdered her husband, Lionel. Marianne had the last laugh as she outlived Hall by about a year. Hall's MS [manuscript] found it's way to Robert Wood who wrote ‘The Widow of Borley’, basically a condensed version of Hall's thesis. Underwood was going to invite Wood to speak about it to the Ghost Club but after he read it he was so furious that he told Wood he wanted nothing to do with him. Marianne is probably one of the most interesting Borley characters - I am surprised that there has been no serious attempt to make a film out of her life.” Paul Adams, author of acclaimed ‘The Enigma of Rosalie’ (2017), co-author (with Underwood & Eddie Brazil) of The Borley Rectory Companion (2009), and author of the forthcoming biography ‘Peter Underwood: The Life & Times of a British Ghost Hunter’.

https://twitter.com/MarkYarksHopp…/status/880915069240049668

[underwood1923]

Sketch of 'the grandfather of ghosthunting', Harry Price, by Neil Thompson, for use in his painting of ‘the most haunted house in England’, Borley Rectory.