Whispers of the Past: The Serpent and the King

Unravelling the ghosts of Bicknacre Priory (Part Two)

You can read Part One here: Click Here
You can read Part Three here: (Click Here)

Although we frequently drove past the Priory and, despite how close it was to where we lived, we were never tempted to take time out and re-visit.

Days turned to months, months turned to years.......

And so it was, in 2023, with the school summer holidays looming, we decided to spend a couple of our free days leading up to the summer break by visiting some local locations, our preference being not to visit sites with our young children in tow.

St Peter-on-the-Wall, a half hour drive away was first on the list, however, it was warm and we didn’t fancy driving that far when there were just as suitable locations within spitting distance we could think of.

Beeleigh Falls was a location we definitely needed to revisit but, after the events following our last visit a few months earlier, where we wasn’t able to access the area we needed to visit because of deep flooding, we decided to give this one a skip and settled upon Bicknacre Priory, which we both knew we hadn’t visited for many years and, really needed to pick up again.

So it was settled – Bicknacre Priory it was!


July 2023 – the return.
As with our previous visit, we decided to get there just before mid-day and grab some food at our favourite cafe when we returned.

The short drive to the Priory proved uneventful. However, as we pulled into the car park, Laura reported she felt physically ill as we took the exit from the roundabout 200 metres or so down the road, before we reached the car park.

The feeling of nausea was so strong Laura had doubts she would be able to continue.

Exiting the car, Laura took in a deep breath, hoping the fresh spring air would relieve the feelings she was experiencing.

Pacing around our car, Laura slowly began to regain her composure, to the extent she felt able to continue. Unfortunately, for Laura at least, the feeling of nausea remained with her the entire time we were at the location, until we physically drove from the site and away from the Priory itself.

At that point, little did we suspect how intense the next 60 minutes would prove for her.


The walk to the Priory
Making our way along the path to the remains of the Priory, which was located a couple of fields away, we gradually left the humdrum of the school play ground adjoining the car park.

The noises of the excited children gradually faded, to be replaced by the quiet solitude of the wild flower meadows, embracing us as we drew closer to the Arch.

At the foot of the hill leading up to the Priory, crossing the small wooden bridge over the stream which acted as a boundary for the former Priory’s grounds, Laura paused, telling me she kept getting the suggestion of a hospital.

Although I had no knowledge of such a facility existing historically at the location, I could only advise it wasn’t uncommon for secular buildings to contain what we would now recognise as a hospital of sorts, but it was something we could research later.

At this point, Laura was also feeling ‘sickness’ (in addition to her own nausea) and achy calf muscles, a strong feeling of tenseness in the her calf muscles of both legs, which she described as stiffening up, from the hip, like her leg was locked straight and she had to drag her leg.

After a few more steps, Laura came to a halt.

Laura, being forced to stop as she entered Priory Field

“I feel like I’m stuck here, like there’s a barrier................ like a gate, or..... being stopped here” reported Laura.

I asked her if she felt there was a boundary of some sort? Laura responded to the positive but, at the same time, not sounding entirely convinced.


The Priory Arch
As we recalled from our first visit several years earlier, the remaining arch was still protected by a modern, six foot grey metal slated fence. Nothing had changed, the fencing appearing entirely out of place in its setting.

Walking to the crest of the hill where the Arch was located, we made our way to the entrance of the grim enclosure and tested the gate.

As expected, it was locked.

Straight away, Laura started picking up names – first of all ‘James’ and, a name unfamiliar to Laura, ‘Alicea’. Initially, she thought she was getting ‘Alice’, but after concentrating advised it was ‘Alicea’ or, even ‘Aliceiere’.

I commented it’s likely a lot of the names associated with the Priory, especially in its early history, would be Latinised or Norman (French) names.

Ignoring me, Laura stated ‘Alicea’ was a very old lady.

At this point in our audio recording we received two, unintelligible EVP’s, six seconds apart.

I asked her if she was getting a sickness feeling with the information.

Laura gave the vague response, not directly answering, “Yeah, there’s two arches, like alcoves, together......but like in a corner”. Then finally let out a gasp and advise she felt really sick.

I pointed out a nearby bench, where she could sit down and take a rest for a while, but Laura just stood still, unresponsive.

Letting out a long sigh, she exclaimed ‘Oh!’ and advised she was getting a name that sounds like ‘Duncan’, clarifying it sounded like ‘Dun Eakun’ or ‘Dun Ea Kun’.


At the bench
Guiding Laura to the bench, I warned Laura to be careful of the nettles surrounding the base of the bench. Sitting down, Laura suddenly announced she got the name ‘Fredrieksen’, clarifying it was ‘Fred’ and, spelling ‘R I E K S E N’.

I pointed out this name sounded a bit more modern, although I’m no expert on Scandinavian surnames and, that she appeared to be getting a mix of old and modern names.

Again, Laura didn’t respond.

Turning to the arch in front of us, I pointed out the arch was one of the internal entrances to the four wings of the Priory, which was built in the shape of a cross, as opposed to a crucifix, as many British churches are.

Upon hearing this, Laura returned to her vision a couple of minutes earlier, of two alcoves. In the passing time, she’d received more information.

The two alcoves were on adjacent walls, 90 degrees to each other, in the central core of the Priory. Laura wasn’t entirely sure they were proper alcoves, but she felt to describe them as such all the same.

I advised there was no plan of what the Priory looked like in its heyday, all we have is a modern interpretation of the footprint, from the tentative exploratory excavations from the Maldon Archaeological and Historical Group a few decades ago.

Laura, by this point, was really suffering from the pain of her headache, which she usually experienced when tapping into information. With the amount of information she was getting now, I could only imagine how severe her headache was.

“I keep seeing images of the Priory” Laura exclaimed.

Recognising a possible opportunity to pin down a plan of the Priory, I asked her to describe the building.

Through her pain, Laura explained she couldn’t focus on the building as a whole – she felt like she was watching a slide show of various shots of the building, each image flashing rapidly in front of her, so quickly she was struggling to take in the image in front of her before it quickly switched to the next view.

Attempting to assist, I started to describe the Priory as what exists today, simply an arch, with the hope this could help Laura to lock onto a point within the ‘slideshow’ she was viewing.

This proved futile, all Laura could comment was she’d never felt this ill for so long at any location she’d visited up to now. The feeling was up around the front of her throat, at the base of her jaw.

Accompanying this was the feeling of hands on her throat, possibly as someone would clutch there throat when being ill. However, more ominously, Laura added it could have been strangulation.

Concentrating, Laura opined this was a woman, as her throat felt ‘small’ and whatever it was, occurred a very long time ago, in the depths of history.

After a short silence, Laura advised she kept seeing a light house, but she didn’t know why. I asked her how it appeared, curious as to whether it was a modern lighthouse, or of a design far older.

All Laura could tell me was, it was white and, with windows wrapping around it’s column like construction. Above the windows, she could see a ledge, a balcony, black, going around at the top. Continuing, Laura advised there was a connection between the light house and Bicknacre Priory, possibly involving a person rather than the physical locations. And, a harvest.

After a pause, Laura advised she could now see people, Chinese or Oriental people and, a young man. Also sick people.

Laura complained now she was getting so much random information, it just didn’t make any sense.

She was seeing stained glass windows, windows divided into small triangles and blue, blue, something blue, the colour’s blue – everything’s blue!

At this point, Laura was holding her face in her hands. Whilst remaining in this pose she explained everything just went blue, a light shade of blue, the blue light shining through her hand, obliterating everything else.

I kept quiet.

After another short pause, Laura continued. ‘Curumba’, ‘Curumba’ – although she wasn’t sure of the correct spelling. In a whisper, she repeated ‘Curumba’, with a ‘C’ so it’s C C C ‘Curumba’. What is it? She asked, whispering to herself.

Continued, “a yellow rose with the petals falling......... don’t know’ “, again whispered. “ ‘Dennis’ – I don’t know...... so much...... going on here. Busy”.

Laura exhaled sharply, frustrated with what’s she’s receiving.

Next she got ‘Calliolla’, repeating twice more, the last time whispered.

With Laura losing her patience, we decided upon a calling out session, to see if we could make sense of everything or, even pick up some EVP:


Laura:     “If there is anyone here with us try and talk into the microphone...... try and use your voice, try to speak, make yourself heard”

Laura:     “You’re clearly around us, maybe try and touch one of us?”

Laura:     “Try to focus on one person giving information. What is ‘Curumba’ “?

Laura:     “What is the connection to the light house? (small cough) “

Laura:     “Who’s ‘Fredrieksen’?"

Laura:     “Who’s ‘Matthew Edinson’?” *

Laura:     “What’s your connection to here?”

Laura:     “Why such a negative feeling with the sickness?”

Laura:     “Is there a female that died here? Early 20’s?”

Laura:     “Why do you belong at this Priory?”

Laura:     “Who is the guardsman?”

Laura:     “It’s not even like a gatekeeper feeling like you feel at some place, it feels like...."

Mark:     “Like you g.....”

Laura:     “..... it’s guarded"

Mark:     “Protected?”

Laura:     “back there, like it was like “no, fuck off!......”

Mark:     “Protected”

Laura:     “......Stop!”

Laura:     “Who gave you that power?”

Mark:     “Do you think there is something still here, as in like an object or something to be guarded?”

Laura:     ”I don’t know”

Mark:     “It sounds like, almost, it’s nothing to do with the Priory, it’s actually the grounds”

* Laura was given the name 'Matthew Edinson' as she started calling out her questions.


At this point I decided to leave Laura alone on the bench and take some photographs of the location.

Sadly, upon reviewing the audio for our calling out session, we found we’d recorded nothing of interest other than our own voices.

Photographs taken, I returned to Laura, who was still sat on the bench, five minutes later. As I sat down, she drew a deep breath and sighed, but said nothing.

Laura, at the end of her session, alone on the bench

I informed Laura, the building had been used as a hospital, as Laura had picked up, after it stopped being used as a priory. This prompted Laura into life, who advised randomly “not like an outburst of disease, but like plague”.

I stopped Laura there and told her the last Abbot had died of the plague (1), so the disease had been present at the Priory. Laura confirmed this is what it felt like, or how she imagined it would feel like – it felt like a sickness to her, she’d felt it from the minute we pulled up to the car park.

I surmised that there was likely an outbreak at the Priory, on the basis the last Abbot had died of it. Laura added that she felt there is ‘something’ underneath here, like a death pit somewhere.

This would appear a logical assumption, a burial pit to accommodate the bodies of those who’d died at the Priory and, probably the surrounding community. So I confirmed to Laura this would make sense and such a thing would be nearby.

When I later analysed the audio, I discovered we’d recorded an EVP at this point, a very faint ‘Yeah’ given, as if in confirmation to our discussion.


Click video below to hear EVP (as always, best heard via headphones)




Concluding our discussion regarding a possible plague pit, Laura advised that she felt the pit would have been at the foot of the hill, where we’d entered the Priory field, near to where she’d felt rooted to the spot.

After a couple of minutes, Laura stated that the location was definitely male dominated. I replied to the affirmative, up to 30 monks had lived here in its prime and, added that the monks were Black Canons (Augustinian).

Again, seemingly in reply to my reply, we later found we’d recorded a faint EVP response, although sadly we were unable to work out what this response was.

Laura then asked me where the light house came in? Was there a connection to the sea?

I had to admit I had no idea – we knew obviously it was a religious site, but short of this, nothing. Perhaps this connection is related to someone who was involved in preserving what remained of the Priory, something along these lines?

Laura wasn’t convinced.

I pointed out to Laura it appeared she was getting a lot of information covering a very wide period of history, all jumbled up. Without any further information we could link this to, we were likely never to find the connection.

Perplexed, Laura queried whether people would have come through a port, to come to the Priory? Was it a big priory? Would people have travelled to a port, with a light house?

As far as I knew, other than light ships and the occasional beacon, there had been no light houses in the vicinity – ever.

Without warning, Laura advised she was seeing this feature, like a church font, only on the wall. She described it as similar to terracotta, a light orange, even tan type of colouring, but, was at pains to make the point it was not terracotta.

It was attached to the wall and was like a semi-circle.

I suggested it sounded more like a basin, somewhere where the priests washed their hands, ritually cleanse themselves I suppose.

Laura considered this and advised there were actually two of them. Some of the bricks around the ‘fonts’, or ‘basins’, were sticking out of the wall, forming a pattern.

Being unable to describe what she was seeing, Laura took the note book and drew what she was seeing (refer image below).

Laura's sketch of the 'basins' on one of the interior walls of the Priory, showing the pattern of the interior bricks.

Showing me her completed sketch, Laura emphasised the ‘fonts’ were half bowls, so were probably basins as I had suggested.


The Serpent and the King
Whilst I was studying her sketch, Laura let out another sigh.

There’s a black robe, with a gold...... like, ribbon thing – a gold / yellow band on each sleeve, just before where the cuffs began. There was also a very thin band of gold around the bottom of the robe and, a red, patterned ribbon type band on the robe and, on the collar. Laura wanted to make it clear there was a collar on the robe, not a hood.

Next, Laura got the impression of an imprint of ‘something’ in the wall, an imprint of something but she was being prevented from seeing it.

Laura started to complain about the volume of information she was now being given, the apparent randomness and, how weird it all was – a King, wrapped in a serpent.

I interjected, advising a King, had in fact visited the Priory and actually lodged there.

Laura responded “but the snake is wrapped around his body”

Symbolism? I suggested.

Laura could only repeat it was coiled around his body.

I could only tell Laura I’d investigate this later and try to find if there was a connection with snakes and that particular King.

She continued “and a tent, like a camp, like an army camp here, close by – like a green, tarpy type camp”.

Next she was given ‘Lingun’, a surname Laura felt compelled to spell – ‘George Lingun’.

Not pausing for breath, Laura reported she kept seeing birds - an Eagle, now an Owl’s face close up, a Barn Owl’s face. Then a Tiger’s face, again close up, possibly a big cat.

Laura went quiet.

Then it began again.

“Jewish, something Jewish, there’s the hat, the hat” Laura exclaimed, before she told me there was a soldier buried here.

I asked whether this was a modern or a soldier from more historic times, being mindful she earlier described a modern army camp being here, in the Priory field.

Unfortunately, Laura couldn’t tell, but there were swords with him, swords around the top of his head, sharp ends pointing to his skull, almost like a crown.

After a short pause, Laura started again.

‘Callov’, pronounced ‘Call of’, ‘Hirush’ and 1102, but Laura wasn’t sure if this was a time or, the year.

By now Laura was feeling exhausted and, the headache and feeling of sickness becoming unbearable. She complained there was just too much random information coming through, everything flitting in and out before she could focus on it, just too many images, too many different things.

“People just want to tell you their story, don’t they?”, I commented, wryly.

Walking back to the car, Laura commented she felt the women never went into the Priory.

Referring back to ‘Alicea’, Laura said she didn’t feel like she lived in the Priory or ever went in there.

Suddenly Laura stopped dead in her tracks. We were at the exact point where she had felt rooted to the spot when we initially approached the Priory Arch.

Laura stared at the hedgerow down the bottom of the hill, where the bridge across the stream was. “I can see lots of shadows milling around, between the trees.

I asked if they were watching us, or, doing anything?

Laura gave the question a long hard thought – “I don’t know, it’s like I get the feeling of guarding......”

The hedgerow, to the distant right, where Laura could see 'lots of shadows, milling around

Finally reaching the car, I packed our equipment, whilst Laura looked warily back to the hedgerow where she saw the shadows. Saying nothing, she entered the car, looking forward to leaving the location.

Pulling away from the car park, Laura perked up. “The sickness, it’s gone......”

The journey to the cafe

Driving to the cafe, there was no repeat of the stabbing pain and circles to the palm of her hand that Laura had experienced the last time we travelled back as we drove past Woodham Mortimer Church. 

Nothing.

It appeared, for now at least, we were free from the clutches of Bicknacre Priory.

Aftermath:
In comparison to our previous visit, Laura was able to sense and extract so much more information from the location. And, unlike the frustrations we experienced following our first visit, where we were unable to confirm or dismiss any of the information Laura had picked up, she was able to pick up far more location specific information we could hopefully validate, or reject, with further research.

The hunt was on........






Part One - Unravelling the ghosts of Bicknacre Priory: Click Here
Part Three – The ghosts talk back to us - Summary Findings: (Click Here)