Talk:Borley Rectory
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[edit] Re: Richard Morris and his biography of Harry Price
I have great respect for John Randall and his work in Psychic Research. His remarks about Richard Morris's biography, and his dyspeptic remarks about my friend Trevor Hall speak more of his anger that we should attempt to explore the truth behind an icon of Psychic research in the twentieth century, than any glaring errors in Richard Morris's book. My own interest is purely in the Borley Rectory affair, and it is clear to anyone prepared to look at the evidence that even HP's colleagues knew at the time that he was untrustworthy, even if gifted, charming and charismatic. We must, I fear, grasp the nettle that Harry Price's books are misleading, if we are to make sense of what happened at Borley Rectory. I very much regret if the phrase "The final blow to Harry Price's credibility" is upsetting to some, but we cannot afford to take what Price writes on trust. Everything needs to be checked. I think that M H Coleman's excellent work cited in the bibliography, read in sequence, makes a robust case for this. As before, either Richard or I be happy to supply as much primary evidence as you require if you contact either of us. Andrew Clarke 10 June 2008
[edit] Re: Richard Morris and his biography of Harry Price
Sorry to disappoint Sumex but much of the material in my biography is based on Price's papers at the University of London, or the British College of Psychic Science formerly the London Spiritualist Alliance in London. Before writing semi-malicious content you should have made a trip to UCL or the BCPS and studied the documentation. If you had you would have reached the conclusion that I was right about Price. I'm always willing to discuss areas of Price's life with readers so please feel free to drop me a line at harry_price@hotmail.co.uk 217.44.57.36 (talk) 11:28, 10 June 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.44.57.36 (talk)
[edit] Re: Richard Morris and his biography of Harry Price
If what you state is correct, why is the Richard Morris biography hampered by a large amount of errors, mistakes and possible untruths, as indicated by the detailed review of the Society for Psychical Research, as reproduced with permission here? [1]
I'm certainly no Harry Price apologist, but I think that the tone of the material added to the various entries should be moderated a wee bit. I still think terminology such as "The final blow to Harry Price's credibility" is not appropriate for an encyclopedia. Sumex (talk) 12:46, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Re: Richard Morris and his biography of Harry Price
I'm sorry to say that this material that Sumex objected to had nothing to do with Richard Morris. I provided most of it, and I have a great deal of primary material to back up what Richard Morris says. I've spent a ridiculous amount of time researching Borley Rectory, because I live nearby and love Harry Price's books. Nobody wants to destroy a man's reputation without being absolutely certain, but both Richard and I can justify everything we've written. It is, sadly, objective fact, and we have reported the facts with great reluctance. Harry Price was a childhood hero of mine.
If 'Sumex' would like to become more familiar with all the research and material that underlies the case, which is far too detailed for this forum, either Richard or I would be pleased to go through it with him. He will find that the case is even stronger than the book states as some material (e.g. Dingwall's confidential file) cannot me used for some time.
I agree with Sumex that Wikipedia is definitely about truth, not prejudice.
Andrew Clarke 10 June 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.177.8.152 (talk) 10:40, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Richard Morris and his biography of Harry Price
I've noticed that a lot of pseudo-promotional material about Richard Morris and his biography of Harry Price has been added to this page, along with the pages for Harry Price and various other associated topics. This material has been added, removed, and added again over time.
I can only assume that it is Richard Morris himself that is adding this material. He created his own Wikipedia page about himself which Wikipedia deleted as it was purely marketing and promotional in nature, and the text and tone of the additions to Harry Price-related pages (such as this one) are very similar. They are biased and opinionated, and are not in the correct objective style required by an encyclopedia. Phrases such as "The final blow to Harry Price's credibility" are totally out of place here and are a personal opinion.
Richard Morris's biography of Price is itself biased, opinionated, and the author has a personal agenda to push, rendering the biography little more than a character assassination of Price. However, this is not the place to debate such issues. I would suggest, instead, that if material by or about Richard Morris, his book and his opinions is entered into Wikipedia, it is written or edited to the correct style and is made clear that this is just one side of the argument. Wikipedia must be balanced, must include all sides where possible, and personal opinions should not be stated as facts. Sumex (talk) 10:02, 28 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Re: The "Official" website
Vince O'Neil, who owns and runs the http://www.borleyrectory.com site, objects to any publicity being given to it other than the index page. We must respect his views. Andrew Clarke 8th Jun 2008
[edit] Re: The "Official" website
Whilst it may appear that the official Borley Rectory website at http://www.borleyrectory.com is offline, it seems that's not entirely true - http://www.borleyrectory.com/misc/masterindex.htm reveals that a fair amount of the site is very much online and working, but for some reason the main index page has been replaced with a photograph of Marianne Foyster and the words "Requiescat in pace". The site can be navigated quite well from the master index page though quite a few links return "404" errors, which is why I haven't changed the link on the main article. The main page was updated to the current "offline" appearance on 14/02/06 at 23:41:59. Arkady Rose 22:29, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
Maybe it's time to remove this link now? The site isn't archived and a large portion of the content is no longer accessible. If Vincent O'Neil reopens the site we can always put the link back. --Tascio 19:24, 22 March 2007 (UTC)
Yes, it is sad not to have Vince's invaluable contributions. His intentions are that the materials on www.borleyRectory.com should not be accessible. Therefore the link should not be on Wikipedia until his site is once more operational and he gives his consent. Other people who contributed to his site have mostly been able to make their material available elsewhere. References to this material are given in the entry. Andrew Clarke 8 Dec 2007 —Preceding comment was added at 22:54, 8 December 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Re: Rectory grounds?
The rectory is on the opposite side of the road to the church. The garden was sold off and now has bungalows in it. The former coach house, which is older than the Bull rectory, has been enlarged and is now a private house. The site of the rectory is now a garden. The current residents have never experienced anything unusual other than tourists. Andrew Clarke 8th Jun 2008
[edit] Rectory grounds?
The compound is visible on Google Earth, just type in 'Borley, UK'. Where exactly on the site was the rectory? According to the article its ruins are still there. I can't see them, though, and I can't find a footprint that resembles the house. --Ragemanchoo (talk) 23:42, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Rectory grounds?
There is nothing at all left of the rectory. an article with maps on this subject is in my book, 'The Bones of Borley' Where was borley Rectory Andrew Clarke 26th Feb 2008
