Investigation Report for Derby Gaol
5th April 2003
Brief History
Following the demolition of Derby's old Willow Row Gaol most of the reclaimed building materials had been used for the construction of Derby's second county gaol during 1756 at Nuns Green, Friargate. Between the years of 1756 to 1828 a total of 56 men and 2 women had been executed in Derby with 16 of these being outside the Gaol itself. The prison had been badly designed. The cells at Friargate had been small and this lead to overcrowding often with each cell being occupied by up to 5 or 6 prisoners although they had only been designed for 3. The gaol had only been designed to take 21 long term prisoners but official records for 1817 to 1819 records that the gaol was housing between 63 and 69 prisoners between those years. There was no infirmary or sick wards and disease and sickness was widespread within the gaol. A new county gaol was built at the end of South Street, Vernon Gate and by 1828 the old Friargate gaol had become the borough lock up until 1840 when it was eventually demolished leaving only the basement which can be viewed today.
Ref: http://www.derbyjail.co.uk/
Folklore
Much investigation has been conducted at the Friargate Gaol site over the years and some of these investigations have appeared on television program's such as 'Most Haunted' and 'The Ghost Detectives'. The in house investigation team for the Gaol is the Northern team of Paranormal Dimensions, further details of their investigations can be found on http://www.derbyjail.co.uk/
Investigating Team
C.P.S primary team members
C.P.S Associate Members
- Martin
- Paul
- Dave
- Elaine
- Angela B
- Julie
- Angela F
- Gavin
- Paranormal Dimensions Northern Team
Details of Investigation by Cambridge Paranormal Society
We arrived at the Gaol at 7.00pm and meet up with John Sutton, Medium Paul Ig, and other members of the P.D Northern Team. After a while of unloading equipment and checking out the site we decided to take base readings, set up some of our equipment and leave the Gaol for an hour or so to let everything settle down. Base readings of the condemned cell, debtors cell, museum area and the corridor where taken for temperature, air pressure, humidity and EMF. These where checked on every hour throughout the night.
High EMF readings where recorded in the two cells at ceiling height with no obvious cause but with offices now above the gaol it could be a case of electrical or water supplies running above the ceiling of the gaol. The ceilings are barrel vaulted and could be trapping the natural electrical fields. One wire was noticed sticking slightly out of the wall. This was tested but appeared to be dead. Night vision video cameras where set up along with trigger objects in both cells and then we went for a wander up to Vernon Gate Gaol site while we let the place settle.
On our arrival back to the Gaol we set up CCTV equipment in the condemned cell and lit this with infra red illuminators. Four of the team sat in the darkened cell for observation. The CCTV equipment clearly showed what appeared to be orbs floating around in the cell. Although after trying out a couple of tests we concluded that dust was the most likely explanation.
A group of us decided to try channelling with the medium Paul Ig. During the session one of our team, Angela F. began to feel uneasy and pulled out of the session feeling unwell. The medium felt that because Angela was sitting beside him that she was picking up on the spirit energy that he was channelling. At this point the group who had been sitting in the condemned cell for around half an hour came out and reported that something had occurred in the cell. Here is some of the statement of events.
Julie's Statement
There were four of us in the condemned cell, (Angela, Elaine, Gavin and myself) the door was closed and both the cell and hall lights were out.Angela had noticed a light appear every now and then, we didn't see this. Ellen thought that we had been in the cell long enough, which we all thought to be funny, the mood was calm and we were all quite relaxed, and having a bit of a laugh.
About ten minutes had passed, when I started to notice white flecks on the wall in front of me. Just thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me, so I blinked a few times, the flecks moved in front of me and started to form the out line of a figure, which was getting darker. (In front of me was a dark shadowy figure, over six-foot tall), I still thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, But I suddenly felt a wave of strange wave of emotions, as if I wasn't me, because I personally wasn't scared of this shadow, but it's as if I had just taken on somebody else's feelings.
My heart rate had gone through the roof, I felt intimidated, very, very scared and I had the feeling that he wanted revenge on me, (they were scared for their life). I had the feeling that he didn't for some reason executed this person, but he wanted to. He was the executor and I was the victim, (not sure if they were a villain or not). But I didn't feel as if it was a woman, not sure why. I felt as if this thing in front of me was getting closer, but not physical. I was frozen to the stool for what seamed minutes, but was only seconds, I started to see the out line of a face, but I'm not sure if this was what my eyes were seeing or it was what I knew he looked like. I was feeling very emotional and upset, (I wasn't but they were).
I asked the group if they could see a figure in front of me, I can't remember if they answered, I couldn't cope with these feelings any longer, I ran out of the door crying. I was feeling very emotional and upset, I do feel if I had stayed in there any longer I would have seen and felt more than I had have wanted to, and I wasn't prepared for that.
Once I was out of the condemned cell and I had a few minutes to compose myself, I realised that I personally was only upset because I didn't understand what happen. They weren't my feelings. One of the other members of the team (I think it was Gavin) said, When I opened the door there wasn't any light coming in from the door way, and that suddenly the other end of the cell got much darker. I did feel the need to go back into the cell, which I did as me, but I don't know if I could go back there again.
When we went into the other cell, next door all I could think of was the word Bell and the number 17, I don't know if this was a person's name and age or year or what. Looking up records on the Internet the next day, for crimes in Derbyshire I found only one person with the name Bell, in the years 1600 - 1900. In 1789 he was done for theft and his penalty was 3 months in jail unless sent to sea. I couldn't find any thing else about him so I don't know if he went to that jail or whether he died or anything.
I have tried to write down my feelings but you would have to be me to understand completely. I'm not a crazy person; yes I get spooked just as much as the next person. I'm not really scared of ghosts, I've lived with strange happenings most of my life, but the feelings I had this evening, are to me very strange and I don't understand why or who or what happen. The next day I was so emotional strained, as if I'd been in an emotional turmoil for days, like having bereavement.
Angela B. Statement
I sat in the condemned cell with Gavin, Elaine and Julie. I was at the far end of the cell on the bench with Elaine sitting a bit away from me, also on the bench. I kept seeing a light flash between us, near the wall (unrelated to the equipment). I mentioned this and started noting it. I asked for any friendly spirits to show us they were there by banging. We heard nothing. I saw more and more flashes. Suddenly Julie became aware of a threatening presence in front of her and exited the cell, distressed, followed by Elaine and myself. I saw roughly 26 such flashes before the presence appeared. At no time was I frightened.
More of us went back in the cell with the medium who identified the presence as a man who was a bully and a rapist and who had liked upsetting Julie. Julie said that she felt he had killed the occupants of the cell and was there as there was still someone there. This tied in with something the medium had mentioned while we had been in the cell and out of earshot. He talked to the spirit and I saw the flashes again - and so did John and others. As the medium talked a blanket of darkness seemed to emerge from the end wall covering him and others so we could not see them, even though our eyes had got used to the light and then receded.
The group then decided to try the debtors cell along with medium Paul Ig. During the session video cameras filmed the event and temperature was recorded with no obvious fluctuations. Whilst this was going on Dave and his wife Angela F. where sitting in the condemned cell. The medium suddenly felt the urge to quit this session and go into the condemned cell again. Again many people began to notice the deep darkness and flickering lights and some the smell of roses. Temperature recordings where fluctuating from between 16c to 20c all through the session.
Dave and Angela's statement
I think that we all experienced "the blackness" in the darkened room, which our eyes could not adjust to. This obscured the view of others in the room, after being able to see all, strange that......everyone was saying how dark it was getting.....was this just auto-suggestion ? When I went to join my wife Angela in the condemned cell, we were the only ones in there......the door was left open. My only concern was if Angela was OK, thinking nothing of the room....(we were both sitting on the bench.....Angela on the end nearer the door...me on the other side towards the furthest corner). Angela then told me some one was sitting next to her on her right, and this person stood up then sat down again. She said it was a black figure, she could not see any features. After a short while, the room seemed to come over all darkly black....from the furthest corner up to where I was sitting....this I had seen earlier in the evening, so it did not bother me........what did make me think, was that along with the blackness, as it got to me, I began to experience a tingling sensation all over my body.......I said out loud " back off your not coming in here".....the blackness went away...!
I then swapped places on the bench with Angela, and I looked to my right (where she said the figure was).....I could not see any black figure, but I did see a white shape which I could not make out, move up the wall then down.....I did not see this for long. After talking to my sister Julie, she said that she was sitting in this position, when she had her experience. The tingling sensation I experienced, thinking to a recent investigation, I also had it there....it was only down my neck and back, At Derby it was all over......was it just cold.....who can say ?
Conclusions of investigation
Derby Gaol is in itself an intriguing place although it has been extensively renovated and opened to the public as a museum it still retains much of its atmosphere. Our observations of temperature, humidity levels and air pressure showed no obvious results of vast temperature variations with the exception of the one occasion in the condemned cell where the temperature had fluctuated up and down between 16deg C and 20 deg C.
Video and photographic evidence has the appearance of orbs, but with the CCTV and IR showing what we concluded to be dust orbs, we are unable to rule the photographic evidence as being anything else but the same.
Many of the team who where sensitive witnessed personal experience of some type of activity in the Gaol which was interesting. The feelings of cold, a deep darkness, flickering lights, tingling sensations in certain spots, visual impressions, the smell of roses. Was this simply auto suggestion or was there a presence with us that night?
Our research for the evidence continues����..
Our Quest for the Truth Continues
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