Borley Rectory: The Most Haunted House in England

Borley Rectory was a Victorian-era rectory in Essex, England that became famous as “the most haunted house in England.” During its existence and investigation, it produced an almost overwhelming catalog of paranormal claims - ghostly nuns, phantom carriages, poltergeist activity, mysterious messages on walls, and unexplained fires. The rectory burned down in 1939, but the mystery endures.

History

The Building

Borley Rectory was:

• Built in 1863 by Reverend Henry Bull
• Constructed on a site with earlier buildings
• A large Victorian Gothic structure
• Home to successive rectors and their families
• Located near an ancient church

The Legend

Local tradition held that:

• A monastery once stood nearby
• A monk and nun from different orders fell in love
• They tried to elope together
• Both were caught and executed
• The nun was bricked up alive
• She haunts the grounds

Early Phenomena (1863-1929)

The Bull Family Era

The Bull family lived there for decades, reporting:

• A ghostly nun walking the grounds
• Footsteps in empty passages
• Bells ringing by themselves
• Strange lights in windows
• The phantom coach drawn by headless horses
• Objects moving on their own

The Nun

The most famous apparition:

• Seen by multiple family members
• Walked a path called “Nun’s Walk”
• Appeared at dusk
• Described as sad and mournful
• Henry Bull reportedly tried to contact her
• She was seen by visitors and servants

Phantom Coach

A spectral horse-drawn coach:

• Appeared on the grounds
• Driven by headless figures
• Sometimes with two phantom horses
• Would vanish suddenly
• One of Borley’s signature phenomena

The Smith Years (1928-1930)

Reverend G.E. Smith

When Rev. Smith and his wife moved in:

• Phenomena intensified immediately
• Mysterious footsteps
• Objects thrown
• Servant bells ringing constantly
• Mrs. Smith saw the nun’s ghost
• The Smiths contacted the Daily Mirror

Media Involvement

The newspaper:

• Sent reporter V.C. Wall to investigate
• He contacted paranormal researcher Harry Price
• Stories appeared in the paper
• Public interest exploded
• The “most haunted house” reputation grew

The Price Investigation (1929)

Harry Price

The famous ghost hunter:

• Arrived on June 12, 1929
• Conducted extensive investigation
• Witnessed phenomena himself
• Documented the haunting
• Would be associated with Borley for years

What Price Observed

During his initial investigation:

• A glass candlestick flew through the air
• Keys materialized and dropped
• Objects moved in sealed rooms
• Mysterious knocking sounds
• Temperature anomalies
• Possible spirit communication

The Foyster Period (1930-1935)

Reverend Lionel Foyster

The new rector and his wife Marianne:

• Experienced the most intense phenomena
• Marianne was apparently the focus
• Phenomena became violent
• Messages appeared on walls

The Wall Writings

Mysterious messages appeared:

• Scrawled on walls in pencil
• Addressed to “Marianne”
• Asking for “light mass prayers”
• Appearing spontaneously
• Seemingly written by an unseen hand

The Violence

During this period:

• Objects were thrown at people
• Marianne was physically attacked
• Furniture moved on its own
• Fires started spontaneously
• The phenomena was relentless

Questions About Marianne

Later investigation raised questions:

• Some suspected she faked phenomena
• Her background was complicated
• She gave conflicting accounts later
• The truth remains unclear
• Some phenomena occurred in her absence

Price’s Return (1937-1938)

The Rented Investigation

Harry Price:

• Rented the rectory after the Foysters left
• Recruited 48 official observers
• Conducted systematic investigation
• Held séances and experiments
• Documented everything

The Séance Predictions

During séances, a spirit allegedly:

• Identified herself as “Marie Lairre”
• Claimed to be a French nun murdered in 1667
• Said she was buried on the grounds
• Predicted the rectory would burn down
• Said her bones would then be found

The Fire

February 27, 1939

The prophecy was fulfilled:

• The new owner, Captain W.H. Gregson
• Was unpacking books when a lamp fell
• Fire spread rapidly
• The rectory was gutted
• It was later demolished

Witnesses

During and after the fire:

• Figures were seen in the flames
• The nun was reportedly visible
• Strange lights appeared
• The destruction seemed almost destined

The Bones

Discovery

In 1943:

• Excavation of the cellar occurred
• Human bones were found
• A woman’s jawbone
• Religious medallions nearby
• Possibly confirming the séance claims

Burial

The bones were:

• Given Christian burial in 1945
• Laid to rest in a local churchyard
• Intended to bring peace
• But was the mystery solved?

Criticism and Controversy

The Skeptical View

Critics have argued:

• Price may have fabricated evidence
• Marianne Foyster likely caused some phenomena
• The locals had motivation to promote the legend
• Many claims were exaggerated
• Price was a showman who benefited from the fame

Defense of Borley

Supporters counter:

• Phenomena occurred before Price arrived
• Multiple independent witnesses reported experiences
• The Bull family had no reason to lie
• Not everything can be attributed to fraud
• Something genuinely strange happened there

After the Fire

Continuing Reports

Even after destruction:

• The ruins were allegedly haunted
• Visitors reported strange experiences
• The nun was still seen
• Phenomena occurred at the church
• The site retained its reputation

Demolition and After

The ruins were cleared, but:

• The churchyard remains active
• Some phenomena reported at the church
• The legend persists
• Ghost hunters still visit
• Borley remains famous

Legacy

In Paranormal Research

Borley Rectory:

• Defined the “haunted house” investigation
• Made Harry Price famous (and infamous)
• Produced masses of documentation
• Remains endlessly debated
• Influenced all later ghost hunting

In Popular Culture

The rectory appears in:

• Books and documentaries
• Ghost hunting programs
• Academic discussions
• As the template for haunted houses

Visiting Today

The Site

Visitors can see:

• The location where the rectory stood
• Borley Church (reportedly also haunted)
• The area of the Nun’s Walk
• The grounds where apparitions appeared

What Remains

The legacy includes:

• The church still standing
• The atmosphere of the area
• Local memory of the events
• Continued occasional reports
• An enduring mystery

Conclusion

Borley Rectory was either the most haunted house in England or an elaborate collection of fraud, exaggeration, and misidentification. The truth is probably somewhere in between - some genuine phenomena, some fabrication, some misunderstanding, all wrapped in a legend that grew beyond control.

What we know:

• Many people reported strange experiences
• Some were credible witnesses
• Some phenomena occurred under observation
• Some claims were likely fraudulent
• The séance correctly predicted the fire (somehow)
• Human remains were found

What we don’t know:

• Whether a murdered nun really haunts the site
• How much of the Price investigation was genuine
• What Marianne Foyster really experienced
• Why the phenomena was so concentrated there
• Whether the haunting has truly ended

The rectory is gone, burned as the spirits predicted. The bones have been buried. But the legend of Borley Rectory lives on - England’s most haunted house, destroyed by fire but immortal in mystery.