Salem Chapel - East Budleigh - Devon

Investigation Foreword

Everyone will have no doubt heard of the Salem witch trials?  Salem in the USA the  was founded by a Devonshire man called Roger Connant who was born in East Budleigh Devon  in 1592.  The dissenters faith had spread and in the 16th and 18th centuries following a breakaway from State interference on matters of religion many dissenters left the UK in order to establish a new way of life in the USA.  From June to September of 1692 in Salem 19 women and men were sentenced to death by hanging for witchcraft.  This is probably one of the most well known witch trials recorded today.

Whilst the connections with the current Chapel in East Budleigh and Salem Chapel are currently tenuous both of them (UK and USA Chapels) were apparently originally built around a tree as was the custom of the dissenters at that time. Although the current Chapel dates from 1719 it is likely that the site was worshipped on prior to that date.  The chapel hold many secrets and Haunted Devon will be carrying out a long term investigation at this wonderful location.

Byron - Founder Haunted Devon

Investigation

Place: Salem Chapel - East Budleigh - Devon

Date: 03 March 2007

Time: 1800 hrs - 0500 hrs

Weather

Damp and slight rain.

Moon state:

Temperature Readings

A data and humidity logger was set in the fireplace area and recorded readings at 1 minute intervals. A selection of readings and the outline graph appear below:

Time

2023: 17 degrees  66% humidity.

0109: 16 degrees 67.5% humidity.

0440: 25 degrees 68.0% humidity.

Sound clip

        Interview with Kathy Moyle

Introduction

Haunted Devon’s latest investigation led them to Salem Chapel East Budleigh, Devon– A place where locals fear to tread. The night was clear and cold and with a Lunar Eclipse due to take place before midnight the investigation promised much and for once the investigation team was not to be disappointed.

Salem Chapel dates back to 1719 and stands on the edge of East Budleigh, the birthplace of Sir Walter Raleigh, in South Devon. The site is comprised of two buildings, the chapel itself complete with small vestry and a small schoolroom. There is also a tiny graveyard by the chapel.   Salem Chapel has recently undergone an extensive programme of renovation but the inside still retains the atmosphere of centuries past.  The Chapels past is one where smuggling played a major role. The minister from 1768 to 1807 was Samuel Leat, reputably a man made wealthy from the illicit gains of smuggling. After Samuels death in 1817 a scandal arose over embezzled funds and the suppression of his will leading to the desecration of his grave in 1818 when the coffin was dug up and wrecked and the body mangled.  Maybe Samuel’s spirit still resides at Salem as the night was to give the investigators of Haunted Devon many spooky moments and leave all who went there with much to talk about.

As is normal practice for Haunted Devon, a small advance party comprising of Byron, Brian and Caz (Haunted Devon’s Mediumship advisor) left Plymouth early to carry out a baseline test and set up equipment including CCTV night vision cameras, audio recorders and data loggers at the Chapel. They were met there by Eileen, another medium, and Andrew who was on his first investigation with the club.

After contacting Kathy, the key holder of the chapel, Byron and Brian busied themselves setting up the equipment and carrying out a baseline test while Caz and Eileen walked around both buildings to get a feel of the place.  Caz at one point during her walk round was sitting in the chapel up in the left hand balcony; she reported hearing very faint knocking sounds. As she sat in the far left hand corner of the balcony, it felt to her as if she was being watched from behind, at one point she reports that she felt so cold that she started to shiver and had a prickling sensation all over. She felt as if she wanted to throw herself over the balcony, She had been to the Chapel once before and did not experience this on that visit.   With all tasks accomplished, they then spent time with Kathy who regaled them with tales of strange happenings at the chapel along with playing back tape recordings of EVP’s that she has frequently captured there.

By 2000 hrs all of the team had assembled in the schoolhouse but Kathy’s knowledge of the Chapel along with her tales of ghostly happenings and her captured EVP’s which she had brought with her were to hold everyone’s interest for another hour.

Haunted Devon strongly believes in taking as many precautions as they can. One of these is psychic protection and Eileen asked the entire group to hold hands while she performed a ritual designed to protect the group from any harm a spirit might be capable of doing. Byron then gave a health and safety briefing.

At 2100Hrs, the investigators then made their way into the chapel and spread themselves around it. Some made there way to sit in the pews around the upper balcony area while the rest covered the ground floor area. They didn’t have to wait long before things began to happen. Cathy switched off the lights for the right hand side of the chapel which also switched of the left hand side lighting as well; Cathy confirmed that this should not have happened as both sides have independent switches. Nobody was near the switches and therefore this odd occurrence could not be explained.

Byron manned the TV and sound consoles. These were connected to night vision cameras placed around the ground floor and a microphone also on the ground floor. Byron seems to be particularly adept at getting a reaction from spirits when asking them to make themselves known and continually asked any spirit to show themselves as a light or by making a noise. At 2115 hrs he reported seeing lights and orbs on his monitor but nobody else could see them with the naked eye. Members of the team suddenly start to feel cold but all thermometers including non contact ones give the temperature as 25 C. Several of the sensitive's on the team feel that a male energy is present with us.

Byron continues to ask the spirits to make a noise to indicate their presence and a loud bang is heard as if someone was knocking on the wooden pews. This was quickly followed by the sound of footsteps ascending the right hand staircase at 2125Hrs.  Brian, from his vantage point on the left hand side of the upper balcony now saw a shadow moving by the Vestry doorway on the ground floor on the opposite side of the chapel and Caz confirms that she can also see it.  Caz and Helen decide to go into the Vestry to see if any activity can be caught in there. They sat and asked any spirits to make themselves known. They both report hearing a sigh, and various light anomalies were seen by them with the naked eye. Caz began to be aware of a young girl spirit present with them, possibly from the Victorian era. She felt this girl was alone here and needed some help. The ladies invited her to come nearer to them and Caz asked if she would like to sit on their laps. After a short while Caz reports feeling a pressure and tingling sensations over her knees, which went very cold. Caz then asked the little girl to go and sit on Helens lap, and immediately felt her knees begin to warm up again warm while Helen felt her knees go very cold and tingly. The spirit of a young girl was also to make her presence felt later in the night.

While Caz and Helen where in the vestry Eileen made her way onto the pulpit as she has sensed that a spirit may be spending much of its time there and at 2135 Hrs Byron sees a light orb by her. The knocking noises are still continuing seemingly in response to Byron’s prompting. Brian has noticed that his trifield EMF meter is now flickering in the magnetic spectrum with fluctuating readings peaking at 6 gauss. Footsteps are once more heard on the right hand staircase and a loud groan is also heard by all at 2150 hrs.

At 2200 hrs everyone feels the need for a break so the team now head back to the schoolroom except for Brian who has decided to carry out a lone vigil in the balcony area of the Chapel where he would have a good view of the ground floor. Brian has carried out many lone vigils in some of England’s more notorious haunted locations and has never felt, heard or seen anything to worry him. This vigil was different however and almost immediately after the last person has departed he feels the hairs on his neck stand up and is overcome with the most unnerving feeling. He asks any spirit to identify itself and immediately one of the small lights at the south end of the balcony goes out with a loud ‘pop’.

He has the feeling that something is very close behind him, this is something he has never felt before and after 15 minutes of the vigil he is so unnerved that he leaves the chapel to rejoin the others.

Helen then went out the chapel to carry out a lone vigil.  She had never done one before and was quite nervous. She sat in the chair by the monitoring equipment at the back of the chapel. This she did in silence for about 7 minutes. She was glancing at the monitors when she saw a very large orb on the monitor. She gave its location about 3 feet in front of her between where she was seated and the back row of pews. Plucking up courage she then asked for any spirit to show their presence and was rewarded by seeing two tiny blue lights shoot across the room in front of the central pillar. She then heard a click to her right and also heard a door closing to the rear right hand corner of the chapel with the sound of a latch being lifted and 4 to 5 footsteps on the upper gallery again on the right side of the chapel. At this point she found herself wanting to leave which she quickly did.

Andy also carried out a lone vigil in the vestry later in the night and reports feeling an overwhelming sense of total and utter despair, a completer hopelessness. A spirit of a young girl Emily was sensed by him and Andy feels that Emily was trying to communicate what had happened to her. Andy feels that Emily had a disability in that she was deaf and because of this was physically abused and was raped. He got the sense that this started quite early on in her young life as a punishment because of her deafness and things got quite out of hand. Andy felt Emily was very isolated and very, very, alone, she had no one she could turn to. Andy sensed that all the abuse took place in the vestry. This theme was to resurface later during a session of glass divination.

During the break time is taken to watch the eclipse of the moon. The night is clear and still and the eclipse is a spectacular sight which all of the team would have liked to stay and watch but the name of the game is investigating haunted places so with some reluctance the investigators finish their tea and once again make their way into the eerie chapel at 2230 hrs.
Byron once again tries to illicit responses from any spirits, gently egging them on to make some noise or show themselves as a light. Bangs and knocks are still heard by all of the team which seemingly come in response to Byron’s voice and at 2240 a loud bang is heard and Byron sees a light anomaly in the centre of the chapel. Over the next 15 minutes lights are seen by Caz and Byron and also captured on camera. Caz also hears a noise by the Vestry.
At 2250 hrs in an attempt to get a greater response from the ghostly occupants a circle is formed by the team members on the ground floor around the central support pillar. The idea is for everyone to join hands and try and charge the circle with energy which the spirits can utilise to manifest themselves.

Once more loud knocks are heard which seem to emanate from underneath the left hand balcony. After 10 minutes the circle breaks up and people retake their seats in the pews.

Byron now asks if the spirits are bored with him talking to them and a loud ‘Mnnnn’ is heard throughout the chapel. Over the next twenty minutes many knocks and creaks are heard along with light anomalies being spotted by the central pillar. At 2320 hrs the clear sound of a voice is heard. Byron had asked once more if any spirits present in the chapel can make a sound for all to hear and a clear voice is heard answering ‘Yeeess’. This was captured quite clearly on the audio recording equipment.

At 2340 hrs, the group mediums, Caz and Eileen, along with Helen make their way onto the pulpit. Their idea is to read from the old bible that sits on the pulpit rostrum to see whether any spirits will react to this. They hadn’t been there long before all three hear a voice telling them to ‘get out’. The intrepid ladies held their ground to see if anything more would happen but all remained quiet after that although Caz, whilst standing in the pulpit saw a woman in her mid 30’s who appeared very simply dressed. Caz reports that she just simply walked past the front of the pulpit area.

At 2350 hrs Brian hears distinct footsteps coming from the right hand balcony directly across from his position. Byron now asks the spirits to make a noise if they feel that the ladies should leave the pulpit and asks if a man should take over reading the bible. A clear knock is heard in response to this.

It is now rapidly approaching the witching hour and at just past midnight a loud sigh is heard by the Vestry door which was accompanied by a large light anomaly clearly visible to many of the group. More knocks are heard over the next 50 minutes, all seem to be in response to Byron’s questions and light anomalies appear frequently.

At 0050hrs a team member notices that all the lights in the schoolhouse have suddenly gone out. They were left on after the recent tea break and none of the team had returned to the schoolhouse since that time.

The team now decide to investigate this strange occurrence and upon entering the schoolhouse it was found that the light switch was now in the ‘off’ position.

Kathy has already told everyone that there are many strange happenings in the schoolhouse, so as things seem to be happening there the group decide to try some glass divination to try and contact the mischievous spirit. A glass is found in the kitchen area and placed on one of the tables and from 0100 to 0130 hours everyone witnesses the most remarkable glass movement they have ever experienced.

With the members of the team lightly touching the glass with one finger, Byron asks if a spirit is present. The glass moves rapidly in a clockwise direction. Through a series of questions asked mainly by Byron, to which the glass moves very rapidly and very powerfully, it appears that the spirit of a child named Emily is present. She was 13 years old when she died. Her death occurred sometime around 1850. She appears to be scared of the parson whose spirit apparently still resides in the chapel. The name of the parson was never made clear but Emily seems more afraid of his assistant. She is apparently terrified of him. She indicates that she had a child and may have died through poisoning. The indications are that the parson’s assistant was the father of her child. It appears the spirit of the parson’s assistant was present at one stage of the divination and while Emily appeared to always move the glass in a clockwise direction, the assistant would always move it anti clockwise.

Emily implores us to stay clear of the Vestry as she indicates that we would not be safe in there. The Vestry itself did present problems over the investigation as whenever anyone went in there, something or someone appeared to jam the door shut and much effort was needed to open the door so that the ones inside could escape. The door appeared to work normally at all other times.

It was now time to re-enter the chapel. The time was 0200 hrs and thinking that Emily might follow us Byron asked if she could make her presence known as a light in the pulpit. An orb was immediately seen over the pulpit area.  We settled back down into the pews. At 0230 hrs, Brian was once more in the left hand side of the balcony when he felt a draught blowing across his face and neck. They latch of the left hand side stair door was heard to operate and many of the team now witness the stair door opening of its own accord. The door was opening against the action of the spring which was fairly powerful. The spring would keep the door in the closed position and the very mild breeze outside the chapel could not have caused this movement.  At the same time a screech is heard from the opposite stairwell. Shortly after this, at 0235 hrs, all power to the CCTV monitors and recording equipment was lost, mysteriously coming back on a few seconds later. The main entrance door was seen to open at the same time and knocks and bangs were also heard coming from that area. More knocks were heard over the next 30 minutes before the team took another break and went back to the schoolhouse.  Eileen, Caz, Kathy and Sue decided to return to the chapel ahead of the other team members at 0330 hrs. Kathy started to speak out to the various spirits she and her friends had experienced on many occasions.

Various sounds and whispering noises were heard by the ladies. As they stood around the pulpit area they report hearing a door latch operating, and they think the sound came from the front door area. Caz went over to check the door and found it was open. She closed it and made sure it was shut tight. Again the door opened and it continued to do so every time the girls asked the spirits to identify themselves. When they asked if the spirits could open the door wider it appeared to do so. When they asked it to close again it did. Caz closed the door many times and each time it opened as if on command. Caz went to close it one last time when all of a sudden Eileen, Sue and Kathy had to duck as a stone was forcibly thrown from the gallery above. Upon picking up the stone up it was felt to be noticeably warm.

If this was a way of a spirit getting the girls attention then it most certainly achieved its objective and the ladies were very excited when the rest of the group came back into the chapel. This final mysterious event was to bring the nights proceedings to a close.

The Mediums Report

For this investigation Eileen was asked to attend as lead medium and her report is included here.

I arrived about six o’clock just behind Byron, Caz and Brian. I was greeted by the spirit of a woman. She was tall willowy with an abundance of blonde curly hair, although she looked in her twenties, she is in fact the oldest spirit at the chapel, being the guardian of the land. I went through the right hand door to the upper gallery followed by Andy. I was about to step into the gallery but had to stop. I turned and said to Andy that we have to go back down stairs now, although completely baffled he did as I asked. When down stairs I explained to him that there is a spirit of an elderly but powerfully built man up there. He has a real anger about him. I had not at that time put any psychic protection in place and I felt as if to go on unprotected would have been not just foolhardy but dangerous.  So we rectified this and then went then into the vestry but Andy felt uncomfortable in there so we did not stay.

I stopped at the centre pillar and heard the words Oak Knower being clearly repeated. Druids were known as Oak Knowers, and they were so called because of the custom of meeting by Oak trees. From that I just knew that this chapel had been built on ancient Druid sacred ground, and this explained to me the presence of the woman who had greeted me. There is a definite feeling of the Craft of the wise (witchcraft) having been practiced on these grounds. I could feel it in the spiralling energies.

We then went out to Andy’s car for a coffee and to keep out of the way whilst the equipment was being set up,  Caz joined us shortly after, whilst there I could see the chapel surrounded by grass and a crowd of angry peasants coming across the field opposite, although I could see it as an open track. They were heading for the chapel and they were not best pleased. I was aware that people were hiding in the chapel and a man in spirit was telling me that soon after this the community that had lived around the chapel had left the area by means of a large sailing boat for a new life overseas.  Just before every one arrived I again walked around the venue. I was aware of two cold spots up in the balconies, one in the front seats of the balcony overlooking the pulpit from the left and the other on the back wall of the left hand balcony,

Downstairs in the pulpit, which every time I went to enter I experienced a feeling of not being allowed to be there, I showed Caz what happened when I tried to place my hand on the bible. She could see sparks of energy coming from my hand and I could feel my hand being repelled from the bible.  There is a definite feel of fire and brimstone being preaching in this chapel. We then went to the school house to wait for every one to arrive after the health and safety brief, I put some psychic group protection in place and we then entered the chapel and seated ourselves ready for a quiet vigil

During this hour I could see spirits that were just residual energy, like a moving picture of what once used to happen here. One of these spirits was a man playing the organ with a woman next to him. Her job was both to turn the pages and pump the organ.  When Byron started to call out for spirits to identify themselves I went very cold. I was sat on the left hand side of the chapel against the wall. I then had the spirit of a young teenage boy come close to me, I found myself rocking and fiddling with my fingers and a feeling of dribbling from the right side of my mouth, I knew this spirit was only ever referred to as Boy and I felt as if he had both downs syndrome and cerebral palsy.  He told me he saw who took the money and it was the lady, He came across as very frightened, and I felt as if his life had been a pretty miserable existence.

After a short break Byron asked me to stand in the pulpit, He began to call out and during this called to the young boy I had connected to earlier. The boy came and stood at the bottom of the steps but would not come further so I informed Byron that he had done this and stepped down from the pulpit to the boy, Byron then recorded lights in front of me. Just after this when Byron was calling out to Samuel, the former parson of the chapel and asking if he was wrongfully accused of something. I heard the words ‘I was judged by the sword and the sword was wrong’. I repeated this out loud.  Just after this I went into the vestry, it feels to me as if should be bigger, but on later questioning found out that it was always the size it is now. I now think it might be because we were seeing it through a child’s eyes. Has anyone ever returned to a childhood school as an adult and found it seemed smaller than you remember? I sensed a spirit of a man and I knew he did not like me at all. I at first thought it was because of my beliefs, but on questioning I was told this was not the reason,
,
I feel that children did suffer abuse in this room. I believe some of the abuse to be sexual in nature.  I tried to return to the main chapel but could not open the door. I thought the team had bolted the door so returned to the vestry to wait.  When they came to let me out they asked if I had touched the door, it seems that it was not locked at any point during my time in there.

Later on Caz Helen and myself carried out an experiment. We went into the pulpit and each touched the bible to see if any reaction would be got from the spirits. Whilst I was doing this Cathy told us where the original Salem bible was so I went to the vestry and collected it. I really had to hold on to it as I carried it out. I felt as if it was being forced from my hands. I placed it on the pulpit and opened it. We each took in turns reading quietly from it. I became agitated and knew I had the preacher’s spirit with us. He was most distressed that we were doing this and the preacher shouted at me that a woman could not read the word of the lord. I was handed the bible by Caz and started to read but after only a short time I had to put it down as I felt sick and dizzy.

Just after the team took a break after which we did glass divination in the school house. The spirit of a young girl called Emily was contacted she was very frightened  She answered yes when Caz asked if she had drunk poison, although she said yes when asked if her father had given her it, I was not sure that it was her father or if it was a father as in a man of the cloth, just as we ended I knew she had drunk Gin and nutmeg  This apparently was an old recipe for bringing on a miscarriage so it could have been considered poison for an unborn baby.

There was a male energy coming through as well and Emily seemed very frightened of him. After the divination Byron questioned me as to why Emily, if she was so afraid, still resided in spirit at the chapel?  I have thought on this and think it might be because, the abused child is often made to feel as if they are to blame, and therefore guilty of sin. This could mean, bearing in mind the fire and brimstone preaching, that she believes that if she goes over she will be eternally dammed and therefore is scared to pass over.. If I am correct a future investigation might be able to send her over in peace.

Conclusion

Salem Chapel is not one of the more high profile haunted places in England. That is a shame. For a small building it produced some of the best activity that Haunted Devon has ever encountered. We cannot easily explain what at times appeared to be human voices answering questions from Byron nor can we explain the knocking sounds that continued through the night.

The incident with the front door opening, as if on command, may have a rational explanation though. The wind had picked up during the investigation and was quite blustery around 0330 hrs when the ladies experienced the door opening on a regular basis. Upon checking the door Brian found it would open with the slightest breeze and would close slowly as the breeze dropped. It may have been just co-incidence that the breeze opened the door at the same time that the girls were asking a spirit to open it. Eileen though has reported that the door handle was seen to be turning during this time and as only the witnesses can really testify to the events we have to believe their account of what happened.  The left hand stair door is a different matter however. That could not be opened by a light breeze. A gale would find it hard to blow the door open against the action of the spring.

The glass divination produced marvellous results and observation by Brian could detect no forcible pushing of the glass by those taking part.  Many very clear EVP’s have been recorded by Kathy at Salem Chapel and Haunted Devon also captured loud and audible phenomena, some seemingly made by a human voice and this is also hard to logically explain.  Lights also mysteriously seemed to switch themselves off and at one point left Caz in darkness as she went to the toilet. The light came back on again when Caz pulled the switch cord.  The spirit of a young girl called Emily was encountered many times with team members independently sensing her presence. This may have affected the results of the glass divination but no one knows for certain how glass divination works and the results are left for the reader to ponder on. Haunted Devon has asked Kathy if she would kindly research local historical records to see if the information obtained during the divination can be verified.

Various electrical anomalies were encountered at the Chapel with light and power supplies switching off for no apparent reason. Nothing was found to indicate faulty wiring or equipment. Many members of the team felt someone was walking around the balcony area and the stairs with many unexplainable noises emanating from these areas. This appears to tie in very well with Kathy’s observations of phenomena she has encountered in the chapel.

Some members of the team namely Martyn and Helen had to stop in a pub on the way to ask directions. Upon asking the barman the way to the chapel, the clientele of the pub all advised them not to go there as it was one place that none of the local residents liked or would visit. After our investigation we can well understand their reluctance to go near the place.

Haunted Devon feel that the Chapel is most definitely home to many spirits and it produced the most exciting activity that the group, many of whom are very experienced and seasoned investigators, have ever encountered.  Our grateful thanks go to Kathy for her knowledge and friendliness towards us and we cannot wait to visit Salem Chapel once again. We hope it won’t be too long.

Brian Pengelly - Editor, Haunted Devon.

The editor would like to thank the following people for their assistance in the compilation of this report.

Eileen, Caz, Martyn, Helen, Andrew and Caz