Wednesday, November 2, 2011 Bacton Wood: A Brief Investigation

So after researching the history of Bacton Wood I decided to head to Gibbet Piece after dark and see if I could experience anything.

The sun was setting as I headed out from the picnic area down the old cart road. I took a few photos along the way and used Google Maps for Android to point myself in the right direction.

Once I reached the dense woodland near Gibbet Piece I headed off the path into the pine trees. I wandered into the middle of the area and sat down to take a few pictures. Funnily enough my first picture contained an "orb," but the following picture showed the "orb" to have moved in the breeze, just as dust would.
I debunked this as being merely a spooky coincidence.

Left to right: first shot of dense pine area showing "orb", second photo showing how dust "orb" moved in the breeze, third photo showing how dark this area was.

After sitting for a while I headed back to the path and a little further down to Gibbet Piece itself. I veered off from the path again heading deeper into the overgrown brush to the area that was once home to "Bloody" Will Suffolk's gibbeted corpse. As I ventured further into the dark an owl screeched very close to me, needless to say I was getting pretty spooked!
I stopped and pulled out my phone to record some audio. I settled in and recorded audio for roughly 2 minutes.

I peered into the dwindling light and I was sure I saw movement. A black shape moved between the trees before me and the birds chose this moment to fly noisily from the trees above. I must be honest and say I freaked out at this point. I backed up at some speed taking a few more photos as I made my way toward the path and the comfort of my girlfriend (who had, being a sensible lady, refused to follow me into the dark.)

Another strange coincidence had occurred; the digital recording application on my phone failed at the exact moment I saw the shadow figure. (Note: while I already suspected this was coincidence I have since been able to replicate this error under normal circumstances, so I can confirm it was not paranormal influence.) As I headed back out of the wood I took several photos of the path behind me, capturing more "orbs" that I would again debunk as dust.

Left to right: the "orb" that seemed to be following me, the same dust "orb" having been blown to the left, my android audio software failing.

While I do not feel I captured evidence of any significance this experience showed me how the coincidences can really pile up; seeing dust "orbs" on my camera screen while I feel something following me, my audio recorder failing at the exact moment I think I see a shadow figure and the birds nosily fleeing at suitably spooky moments...
It is easy to see how all these factors could be used to support the fact that I had encountered the paranormal. Personally I feel that I probably just spooked myself and happened to produce enough coincidental evidence to make for a creepy blog post...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011 Bacton Wood: Local Legend Tripping

Bacton Wood, also known as Witton Woods is a wonderful place for an after lunch stroll. Thought to have had tree cover since Saxon times, the wood is home to mighty oaks considered to be more than two hundred years old and over thirty species of tree.

Like all medieval woodland however, there is dark history lurking amongst the trees... Gibbeted criminals, murder and possible infanticide are just a few of the elements that make for a potentially paranormally active location.

Two crossroads straddle the north east and south east corners of the wood, at least one of which is thought to have been an unmarked grave. On the western side runs the North Walsham and Dilham canal.

It is generally considered that the flow of water and it's proximity to a location can have an effect on the activity that occurs. Many religions consider water to have a cleansing power over the supernatural as well as being believed to be a barrier to some types of entities. Some claim that flowing water can act as a channel for energy causing paranormal phenomena along the banks of rivers and lakes.

There is also a large amount of history surrounding the canal, as well as a lot of energy expended creating and working the canal. It is also true to say many deceased locals will have had strong emotional ties to the area and some may have even died working the canal and local mills. Not far from the south west corner of the wood is the foreboding presence abandoned Ebridge Mill which once produced flour and provided much cargo to the wherrymen that would deliver goods to and produced by the various mills along the canal.

The eastern side of the wood is marked by road with a crossroad at each corner of the wood. The north eastern cross has a western fork leading off into the wood down the old coach road. This crossroad could have been a burial site. Many such locations were used as unmarked graves for criminals and suicide victims. Slightly further up towards Edingthorpe is another crossroad known on old maps of the region as "Dead Man's Grave" which was indeed known to have been a mass grave.

The wood itself has one particular point of interest; Gibbet Piece. This part of the wood toward the north western side near the old coach road is known to have been the location for the gibbeting of a notorious criminal; "Bloody" Will Suffolk.

On Friday 17th March 1797 William Suffolk sentenced to death for the murder of Mary Beck a young woman with whom he was having an affair. After an argument he struck her a blow to the head, killing her. He then dragged her into the nearby cart-tracks to make the murder look like an accident. William Suffolk also stated in his confession that a child had been conceived as a result of the affair but had been murdered during birth by William and Mary in the isolated countryside. William was hanged at Norwich castle before being taken to Bacton Wood to be gibbeted at the location still know as Gibbet Piece.

The body was displayed for six years before being taken down in 1803 and buried in a unmarked grave very near the gibbet. Many locals visited the site during the six years William was displayed, some even stealing parts of the body as it decayed to keep as souvenirs.

Needless to say the events surrounding the death of "Bloody Will" and the six years his body was displayed in the wood must have created a lot of negative energy. The area seems to have absorbed this as dog walkers have reported strange and uneasy feelings while wandering this part of the wood, some dogs also act strangely with one I myself walked refusing to enter the darker part of the wood. It is also said that the sounds of the gibbet's creaking can sometimes be heard on the breeze.

It is true to say Gibbet Piece has a very creepy atmosphere; with a dense patch of pine trees to the north of the coach road blocking out most of the light and dampening the calls of the birds. It is easy to imagine something watching from behind one of the many tall trunks. Gibbet Piece itself is an over grown patch of brush, with brambles and tree roots to trip up the unwary wanderer.

On the southern side of the wood is an ancient tumulus (burial mound) dating back to the bronze age which I have yet to investigate...

All of these factors conspire to make for an interesting location for paranormal investigation.