The Highgate Vampire

[HighgateVampireArchivist]

"A man who saw the Highgate Vampire"?

I worked on a TV pilot a few years ago on the subject..called 'Sex with Ghosts' ... As part of that investigation I filmed most of the classic Incubus haunted places in England..night viduals etc.. As part of that program I interviewed a man who saw the High Gate Vampire.. I cant remember his name off the top of my head..but as he was the only person in English legal history to be taken to court for Vampire hunting, he shouldnt be to difficult to track down..it was a big case in the national press at the time ... So I've met and interviewed a man who met the Highgate Vampire...

David Farrant (the man you are talking about) has been taken to court for many things, but "vampire hunting" was certainly not among them. Farrant was not charged with "vampire hunting" when he appeared at Clerkenwell Court in August 1970. He was charged with (and I quote) "being in an enclosed area for an unlawful purpose" and that is all he was charged with on that occasion. Shortly afterwards he abandoned his lone "vampire hunting" antics. The magistrate was obviously obliged to acquit Farrant because it was demonstrably apparent to all present, not least defending solictor Mr Jeffrey Bayes, that Highgate Cemetery by any stretch of the imagination cannot be described as "an enclosed area." This technicality secured Farrant's release. However, we should also remind ourselves of what the magistrate, Mr J D Purcell, said when Farrant first appeared before him: "You should be seen by a doctor."



While it is true that Farrant claimed to have seen the Highgate Vampire in early 1970 and soon afterwards gave every impression to the media of hunting it with a cross and stake, he later denied that it was a vampire he had witnessed on three occasions or that he ever went vampire hunting in Highgate Cemetery. This note written by him in August 1970 might explain why:

[HighgateVampireArchivist]

"A very frail, sick man"

Last time I saw David Farrant, he was a very frail, sick man.

On that, at least, we are in complete agreement.

[Jeff Leahy]

It has not been suggested by me or anyone else that it does link David Farrant to child abuse. It links John Russell Pope who at the time was the only known member of Farrant's "coven" and was often referred to in the media as Farrant's lieutenant. Guilt by association is not something I am trying to establish or even subscribe to myself. I merely archive the facts as they are recorded in the public annals.

Hi Highgate Vamp

Then i apologize if this is not your intention. Having done some research in the area of Black Magic (WESTS) i am familiar with people trying to make links between the two subjects..which I dont believe beneficial to debate.

the program i produced the pilot on, was eventually dropped because it was felt to sensitive in the area of sexual abuse. Enough said.

Where are you going with this?

As I said I interviewed Farrent and he largely pooh pooh'ed all the press hyp...his story about an ENTITY, not your normal ghost, seemed to fit with other Global accounts and historical evidence on such sitings. I will see if I can find you a link on the 'Gay Ghost of Zanzibar'. It was far from sensational...he bumped into a large 8' dark shape and he claims it sapped his energy..he couldn't move, it was very cold, he ran away..

Hardly the stuff of Hammer

Pirate

[Ally]

Highgate vampire "archivist"

Since your method of getting out the facts appears to be just copying and pasting crap you've already spammed the whole of the internet with, how's about giving it a rest.

Every single thing you've posted on this thread is merely a copy of something else you've spammed elsewhere. A link is sufficient, you don't need to waste the server space of the casebook with your childish vendetta by copying crap that you've already posted ad nauseum everywhere someone's mentioned the case.

This is a discussion board. So discuss the case if you want. But actually discuss it rather than this infantile copy and paste.

[kensei]

Dabid Farrent gave me his story. All i have said is that the story he gave seemed credible based on the research I had done at the time into such phenomina..

Clearly he was not discribing a Vampire with fangs and a red cape who slept in a coffin..



Pirate

Wow, I was away from this thread for a few days, and after seeming to end it has gained new life.

Pirate Jack, you also referred to DF's supposed vampire encounter as "hardly the stuff of Hammer." I'd just like to point out that descriptions of vampires from actual folklore bear very little resemblance to the creature millions know from the world of horror movies. Bela Lugosi created that, then Ann Rice brought it up to date. Vampires as they were described in actual accounts centuries ago are "hardly the stuff of Hammer" either, but fit very well with the stories told by SM and possibly DF as well. I commend you though on your serious treatment of this case.

And to skeptics such as Wednesday and Ally, I keep an open mind on all paranormal and supernatural claims and try to judge each claim on its own merits. Are vampires real? I don't know. At one time in history the belief that rocks could fall out of the sky was considered crazy. But if the confirmable facts in SM's book (as opposed to the theories and interpretations) are indeed for real as they seem to be, then there were people around Highgate Cemetery once who claimed that a gray spectre chased them, attacked them, threw them on the ground, came in their windows at night and bit them. If those people could be tracked down today and still said, "Yes, that happened to me," then even if vampires don't exist, never have and never will, don't those stories still require SOME explanation?
(And I mean beyond a dismissive "They were nuts" or "Those must have been some good drugs." In fairness, armchair explanations like that should require just as much evidence as the claims they are meant to dismiss.)

Basically, it seems that even if SM and DF both took the story and ran with it and built their own favorite monsters out of it, neither of them was its originator. Both of them became involved in response to actual claims being made by the local people, which corresponded to similar claims for the area in centuries-old history.

[Jeff Leahy]

Popo Bawa

Wow, I was away from this thread for a few days, and after seeming to end it has gained new life.

Pirate Jack, you also referred to DF's supposed vampire encounter as "hardly the stuff of Hammer." I'd just like to point out that descriptions of vampires from actual folklore bear very little resemblance to the creature millions know from the world of horror movies. Bela Lugosi created that, then Ann Rice brought it up to date. Vampires as they were described in actual accounts centuries ago are "hardly the stuff of Hammer" either, but fit very well with the stories told by SM and possibly DF as well. I commend you though on your serious treatment of this case.

And to skeptics such as Wednesday and Ally, I keep an open mind on all paranormal and supernatural claims and try to judge each claim on its own merits. Are vampires real? I don't know. At one time in history the belief that rocks could fall out of the sky was considered crazy. But if the confirmable facts in SM's book (as opposed to the theories and interpretations) are indeed for real as they seem to be, then there were people around Highgate Cemetery once who claimed that a gray spectre chased them, attacked them, threw them on the ground, came in their windows at night and bit them. If those people could be tracked down today and still said, "Yes, that happened to me," then even if vampires don't exist, never have and never will, don't those stories still require SOME explanation?
(And I mean beyond a dismissive "They were nuts" or "Those must have been some good drugs." In fairness, armchair explanations like that should require just as much evidence as the claims they are meant to dismiss.)

Basically, it seems that even if SM and DF both took the story and ran with it and built their own favorite monsters out of it, neither of them was its originator. Both of them became involved in response to actual claims being made by the local people, which corresponded to similar claims for the area in centuries-old history.

Hi Kensie

Things have certainly hotted up. Look what you done

I'm not certain where this is going? but I do know that the phenomina of 'Vampires' is very old indeed. And nearly all cultures with mythologies involving such entity's.

Whether you believe in the super natural or not. And I'm afraid I do not. What cant be denied is that people have actually been attacked and died from such occurances. The scientific explination, for what its worth, appears to evolve around the phenomina of Hypnogogia. Which was the subject of my research.

Check out this link on Popo Bawa.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6383833.stm

http://www.ginalanier.com/paranormalRelationships

And why I was searching I discovered a new site which looked interesting. Havnt explored it yet.

Pirate

[HighgateVampireArchivist]

"Hardly the stuff of Hammer"?

Pirate Jack, you also referred to DF's supposed vampire encounter as "hardly the stuff of Hammer." I'd just like to point out that descriptions of vampires from actual folklore bear very little resemblance to the creature millions know from the world of horror movies. Bela Lugosi created that, then Ann Rice brought it up to date. Vampires as they were described in actual accounts centuries ago are "hardly the stuff of Hammer" either, but fit very well with the stories told by SM and possibly DF as well. [...]

But if the confirmable facts in SM's book (as opposed to the theories and interpretations) are indeed for real as they seem to be, then there were people around Highgate Cemetery once who claimed that a gray spectre chased them, attacked them, threw them on the ground, came in their windows at night and bit them. ...

In his pamphlet Beyond the Highgate Vampire (self-published by Farrant in 1992), he states at the conclusion of his coverage of the Highgate Vampire on page 12:

"Indeed, with the usual precision of Fleet Street, the Society [sic] investigation had been turned into a continuation of clandestine midnight manoeuvres that took place amongst the dank decaying tombs inhabited by a 'blood-sucking vampire,' whilst the author [Farrant] in turn had been reduced to some modern-day Van Helsing-type vampire hunter. Ironically perhaps, concerning the Highgate Vampire itself, the Press Media may have for once come closer to the truth than they originally intended."

What could he have meant: may have for once come closer to the truth than they originally intended while turning the story into a blood-sucking vampire and Farrant into a modern vampire hunter?

Bela Lugosi did not create the 20th century version of the vampire archetype. That honour can be traced back to Dr Polidori and Lord Byron and an early 19th century novel titled The Vampyre (1819) which significantly precedes Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) by almost eight decades.

Needless to say, the Highgate Vampire's description bears no resemblance to the Byronic archetype established in 19th literature and continued in 20th century cinematic and literary fiction.

[HighgateVampireArchivist]

Since your method of getting out the facts appears to be just copying and pasting crap you've already spammed the whole of the internet with, how's about giving it a rest.

Every single thing you've posted on this thread is merely a copy of something else you've spammed elsewhere.

This is a discussion board. So discuss the case if you want. But actually discuss it rather than this infantile copy and paste.

I have "copied and pasted" nothing and resent your unhelpful accusations. I have just as much right as you to make a contribution and will thank you not to dictate how I do it. What have you offered to this discussion apart from negative asides?

If you are going to level accusations at least provide some evidence for what you are saying and don't just launch unsubstantiated attacks because something someone else is saying doesn't match your perception.

There is nothing remotely "infantile" in what I have posted. If only the same could be said of you!

[HighgateVampireArchivist]

"A stick ... to draw a circle"?

... He took with him a stick with a peice of string attached..inorder to draw a circle (to proform exorcism) The police had been tipped off...they arrested David Farrent and claimed the peice of wood he had (with string still attached) was a stake to preform 'Vampire' rituals..It was all rather a carry on..press hesteria..

Could this possibly be David Farrant in Highgate Cemetery preparing to cast his circle with a piece of wood? Doubtless the string is still in his pocket, or perhaps around his neck with a vampire repellent suspended on it?

Ask yourself this: why did Farrant make no mention of his intention to perform an exorcism with a circle using a stick and a piece of string when he was arrested? Why did he make no mention of it in court? Why did he make no mention of it for the next twenty-two years?!!!

[Jeff Leahy]

The Idea of sex with spirits runs deep within our culture, the immaculate conception being one o the corner stones of Western civilization. (which I personally believe, ie christian philosophy, dates back to at least 18th dynasty pheroahs, but thats another story another Day). For centuries the perception of ghostly visitations from incubus or succubus has haunted the darkest regions of our minds. Indeed the part of the brain that deals with sex and fear are very closely connected which is why horror films so often tap into our deepest desires and suppressed sexuality.

Although it may seem bizarre 40% of the worlds population will experience a condition known as 'Hypnopompic Hallucination' or 'Sleep paralysis' at some time or another. (a condition I myself have experienced, as a kid I called them 'wake dreams') The condition usually happens as someone wakes to discover they are still dreaming and unable to move. Typically it is associated with feelings of anxiety, fear, tightening of the chest and sometimes arousal. But does this condition explain all the sexually paranormal experiences that people have claimed to have experienced?

These hallucinations can also take place while the suffer is awake in a condition known as Hypnogogia. As well as such phenomina as Incubus it hs been suggested that this condition may explain the phenomina of Alien abduction which has some very similar parallels to attacks described by incubus attacks. Spectrophilia is a unique phenomina that has never been properly researched or understood.

My interested was in setting up a series to experiments at Goldsmiths University to see if the phenomina discribed by people who have experinced attacks by Incubus or Alien abduction could be replicated under laboritary conditions..unfortunately the program was never commissioned by Channel Five who had shown some interest at first..

So we will never know..would still love to give it a go however

Pirate

[Jeff Leahy]

Could this possibly be David Farrant in Highgate Cemetery preparing to cast his circle with a piece of wood? Doubtless the string is still in his pocket, or perhaps around his neck with a vampire repellent suspended on it?

Ask yourself this: why did Farrant make no mention of his intention to perform an exorcism with a circle using a stick and a piece of string when he was arrested? Why did he make no mention of it in court? Why did he make no mention of it for the next twenty-two years?!!!

Hi Highgate

this photo is clearly not taken at night. David farrents story was that he was arrested late at night in the dark..

If he has never mentioned the string to draw the circle before, all I can state is that with the best of my recollection that is what he told me..

As I say he pooh pooh'ed all this 'Vampire hunting stuff' when I interveiwed him but gave a long detailed story of the old lady with a dog..and what he witness..an entity in dark form..that drained his energy..

Not to dissimilar to accounts of the Old Hag of legend.

Pirate

[Ally]

Vamp flunky,

Your post #24

http://www.amcgltd.com/archives/003355.html

See anything remotely similar? Like oh, word for word verbatim information?

So either you are plagiarizing someone else, or you go around posting the same pathetic vendetta crap against Farrant on multiple boards.

Which is it?

You haven't discussed anything remotely related to the Highgate Vampire. You've posted inane post after post carrying out your massive wood for Farrant. We get it. You think he's a bad man and he's an occultist. Whoopty freaking do. If you want to tell the world what an evil wanker Farrant is, go set up a board. But the title of this thread is not Farrant is an occultist wanker, it's the highgate vampire and you are not posting on topic. You are carrying out a personal vendetta, not a discussion.

Get over it.

[Jeff Leahy]

Vamp flunky,

Your post #24

http://www.amcgltd.com/archives/003355.html

See anything remotely similar? Like oh, word for word verbatim information?

So either you are plagiarizing someone else, or you go around posting the same pathetic vendetta crap against Farrant on multiple boards.

Which is it?

You haven't discussed anything remotely related to the Highgate Vampire. You've posted inane post after post carrying out your massive wood for Farrant. We get it. You think he's a bad man and he's an occultist. Whoopty freaking do. If you want to tell the world what an evil wanker Farrant is, go set up a board. But the title of this thread is not Farrant is an occultist wanker, it's the highgate vampire and you are not posting on topic. You are carrying out a personal vendetta, not a discussion.

Get over it.

Do you mind not using this langage, most unbecoming. As was pionted out to me recently, by a freind of yours, there are young people who use this website as part of their exam studies..

However Ally has a piont Highgate

What are you actually trying to say with this stuff? Do you think theirs a Vampire? all a hoax? something else?

Pirate

[HighgateVampireArchivist]

Hammer Horror Film Antics

this photo is clearly not taken at night. David farrents story was that he was arrested late at night in the dark..

If he has never mentioned the string to draw the circle before, all I can state is that with the best of my recollection that is what he told me..

He mentioned the string to draw the circle for the very first time in his pamphlet self-published in 1992. Why did he not mention it in all the interviews he gave on the subject in the intervening twenty-two years?

Farrant was arrested near midnight on 17 August 1970, but that was not the only time he was in Highgate Cemetery with vampire hunting implements. Read my very first post. When newspaper photographers were not taking pictures of him pretending to hunt vampires, his collaborator Tony was taking photographs of him. Some of Tony's images were also used by the press. Tony has since come clean about his role in Farrant's publicity-seeking and charlatanry.

Barrie Simmons, a journalist, joined David Farrant for a "midnight date with Highgate's Vampire" and recorded the following in the London Evening News, 16 October 1970:

"I joined a macabre hunt among the desecrated graves and tombs for the vampire of Highgate Cemetery. ... David, 24, was all set, kitted out with all the gear required by any self-respecting vampire hunter. Clutched under his arm, in a Sainsbury's carrier bag, he held the tools of his trade. There was a cross made out of two bits of wood tied together with a shoelace and a stake to plunge through the heart of the beast. Vampire hunting is a great art. There is no point in just standing around waiting for the monster to appear. It must be stalked. So we stalked. Cross in one hand to ward off the evil spirits, stake in the other, held at the ready. David stalked among the vaults, past the graves, in the bushes and by the walls. When we had finished he started stalking all over again."

These Hammer Horror film antics resulted in a five column report from Barrie Simmons in the Evening News, together with a half-page feature of Farrant demonstrating his "vampire stalking" technique, but little else. No mention by Farrant of string or circles or sticks. Only stakes and crosses to ward off vampires. And this occurred within a short space of time following his arrest at night in Highgate Cemetery.



In this report about the night of his arrest in the Evening Standard there is no mention of casting circles with a stick and a piece of string. You must ask yourself why it took him twenty-two years to dream up that particular piece of hog-wash.

[HighgateVampireArchivist]

Why link to a hate site?

See anything remotely similar? Like oh, word for word verbatim information?

So either you are plagiarizing someone else, or you go around posting the same pathetic vendetta crap against Farrant on multiple boards.

Which is it?

You haven't discussed anything remotely related to the Highgate Vampire. You've posted inane post after post carrying out your massive wood for Farrant. We get it. You think he's a bad man and he's an occultist. Whoopty freaking do. If you want to tell the world what an evil wanker Farrant is, go set up a board. But the title of this thread is not Farrant is an occultist wanker, it's the highgate vampire and you are not posting on topic. You are carrying out a personal vendetta, not a discussion.

Get over it.

You have provided a link to a hate site on which Farrant and his small cabal of similarly dysfunctional hangers-on fabricate one piece of defamation after another. It is hosted by Scott Johnson, an atheist who detests all religions, spiritual and supernatural beliefs. There are even threats of violence against Seán Manchester on this vile website. Clearly a vendetta is being waged on the site you have linked to. I am not interested in vendettas. My interest is in setting the record straight using archive material. There are only one or two posts from the Society of St George who published Farrant's criminal convictions. Quite right too! No other posts in favour of Seán Manchester were permitted by Scott Johnson who apparently deleted them as soon as they appeared. This I have been told by some who attempted to post on it.

Incidentally, Catherine Fearnley (Farrant's girlfriend from June 2004 to June 2007) who posted some of the libel against Seán Manchester on that site has since apologised, recanted and admitted that she was wrong and deceived into doing Farrant's dirty work. I understand she brought charges against Farrant late last year and his computers were consequently seized by police.

I am not here to judge whether Farrant is a "bad man" or not. Others have already done that, not least the judiciary and juries. Nor am I saying he is an "occultist." That is what some of the media have published after being fed this lie by him. He is a pseudo-occultist or, if you prefer, a charlatan. He believes in none of it. He believes nothing. He never has. That is the whole point. The man is a compulsive publicity-seeker. End of story.