Tynemouth Priory & Castle – Investigation

Tynemouth Priory & Castle

 8 June 2005

Tynemouth Priory and Castle was chosen for our first Field Practice because of each member’s familiarity with the grounds. We limited ourselves to practice with cameras and note writing, with the intention of also working on our sensory perception skills.

We arrived at approximately 12:00 p.m. and finished at 2:16 p.m. The day was clear, sunny, warm and surprisingly calm, with very little in the way of wind or breezes.

The two friendly young women working the entrance office were very interested in what we were there for and had no objections. The only possible set-back we encountered was a group of school children at the Priory for an outing, but they were very well-behaved and caused no interference. The sight of children happily playing on the grass amongst the ruins of this magnificent old Priory took on an almost mystical, pagan quality. I’m sure their unbounded glee brought a smile of joy to many a lonely “ghosts and spirits” walking these ancient grounds.

At approximately 12:10 we entered the chapel with its glorious Rosette stained-glass window. We pulled the door closed behind us to cut off any outside noise and to prevent intrusion. The only sound heard was a soft “whoooo,” of a dove. We all had a general feeling of calm and peacefulness. At approx. 12:30 Jo saw something move in front of the altar. Colin and Cindy took digital photographs of the area around the altar. Three photos appear to have “orbs” or something commonly referred to as “orbs.” Of all the photos taken in the chapel only these three show any signs of anomalies.

We left the chapel at 12:41 and Jo felt drawn towards a particular grave. She walked over to the plain, unremarkable slab embedded in the grass. As soon as she stood next to it she felt as if she were having great difficulty breathing. Cindy photographed the grave slab to show its location in relation to the chapel. The black item at the foot of the grave is Cindy’s black handbag, used as a marker. The surname on the slab appears to be “Morton” but is very illegible and weather-worn. It is located south west of the outer chapel wall.

We entered the Old Battery area at 12:56. Jo, Cindy and Chris all felt a sense of disquiet and anxiety here. Cindy and Chris both had the feeling of being “pushed” while descending the first set of stairs. Near the bottom of the stairs there was a sudden drop in temperature in one area, but was not investigated further as Temperature meters were not being used this day. Colin joined the rest of the team and also felt that something was present. On the whole, the entire Battery area felt unpleasant and unwelcoming, to the point where Chris became visibly shaken and ill. As we intend to investigate this area further I won’t go into more details at this time, except for one particular incident. All of the team felt a very strong presence, with Jo picking up a tall man wearing blue trousers and white shirt. The names “George” and “Arthur” came to her. It was felt that he had been a Mariner or Navy man. This presence was rather bossy, based on what Jo and Colin were able to pick up. At approx. 1:20 Cindy asked him to throw or move something if he had the strength to do so. At 1:22, as Chris was writing notes, the pad was seen to fly out of Chris’ hand, as if hit from below, and just missed hitting Cindy in the head. Chris felt ill at this point and had to be taken upstairs. It appears that we have captured one “orb” in the room that this rather unfriendly presence was inhabiting, as well as another strange photo taken through some bars. There appears to be a misty face.

Upon leaving The Battery at 1:25 Cindy felt compelled to walk towards the gravestones. As she walked her eyes were looking down at the ground. She stopped, turned, and began walking quicker, coming to an abrupt halt. Upon looking at the gravestone in front of her she saw the name “George Donnison,” Mariner, carved into it. Although she stated that she could be wrong Cindy felt strongly that this grave was connected to the unfriendly and bossy presence at The Battery. Bear in mind that Cindy cannot read gravestones unless very close-up.

 

 

 

At approximately 2:00 Cindy and Jo decided to wander about inside the castle for a few minutes. Only a few photos were taken before Cindy and Jo’s cameras both went dead. Cindy had replaced her batteries 5 minutes before. The walkie talkie also went dead. Upon entering the Great Room Cindy walked over to the large fireplace and stood inside of it. In less than 3 seconds a loud, crunching sound was heard to come from above her head, as if a large iron gate were crashing down. At this point Cindy and Jo made a hasty exit from the castle.

Earlier in the day Colin had decided to find a nice quiet spot to meditate and then take some photos. The only thing he picked up on was a general feeling of peace and serenity. However, he did capture some interesting photos. Orbs, refraction, other light anomalies?