| Hereward Carrington | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hubert Lavington 17 October 1880 St. Helier, Jersey |
| Died | 26 December 1958 (aged 78) |
| Occupation | Paranormal Researcher Psychic Investigator |
| Organization | Society for Psychical Research |
Hereward Carrington, Ph.D. (born Hubert Lavington) (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, and he wrote over 100 books on subjects including the paranormal and psychical research, conjuring and stage magic, and alternative health issues.
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Carrington was born in St Helier, Jersey in 1880. He emigrated to the USA in 1899 and settled in Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked initially as a journalist. Initially a sceptic about psychic abilities, his interest grew from reading books on the subject and at the age of 19 he joined the American branch of the Society for Psychical Research (S.P.R.).[1] In 1905 he joined the staff of the American Society for Psychical Research, now constituted as an independent body, and worked as assistant to the director James H. Hyslop until 1908.[2]
An important early case Carrington investigated and described was that of the medium Eusapia Palladino in 1908. Carrington and two companions went to Naples to see her on behalf of the English S.P.R.,[3] an experience which strengthened his belief in the reality of psychic phenomena. He described her in his 1909 book Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena, invited her to the USA and helped arrange a tour for her, but was shaken when fraud was twice detected at sittings during her visit. He also made a detailed enquiry into the case of Esther Cox (the Great Amherst Mystery) in 1910. The events surrounding Cox had occurred more than thirty years previously, but Carrington contacted surviving witnesses for statements and published a detailed account of the Amherst phenomena.
Among Carrington's best known subjects was Mina "Margery" Crandon whom he observed in 1924 on behalf of the Scientific American as part of an enquiry into Spiritualism, sitting on a committee alongside Harry Houdini, Malcolm Bird, William McDougall, Walter Franklin Prince and Daniel Frost Comstock. The committee had differing opinions on Crandon, and eventually only Carrington inclined to the belief that her powers were genuine, although subsequent evidence of possible fraud again led him to express doubts about her,[3] writing that he maintained a "perfectly open mind" about such phenomena pending the arrival of better evidence one way or the other.[4]
Carrington gained his Ph.D. in 1918 from William Penn College, Iowa. In 1921 Carrington founded the American Psychical Institute. It operated for only two years, but he later reconstituted it in 1933 in New York with the assistance of his wife Marie Carrington, Among other researches he made a detailed study of the medium Eileen J. Garrett. Carrington's 1957 book The Case for Psychic Survival is devoted to Garrett, and he appears to have found in her convincing evidence for, as he put it, "the existence of mental entities independent of the control of the medium".[3]
Carrington kept extensive records of his research and investigations, and corresponded with notable figures of the day including Israel Regardie, Nandor Fodor and Aleister Crowley. A large collection of his writings and correspondence is held by Heidieh Croce the heir to Marie Carrington's Estate. As well as the Princeton University library.[5]
He can be heard as a contestant on the 7th October 1953 radio edition of You Bet Your Life.
Carrington published more than 100 books and pamphlets; the following is a selection of some of his major works (in date order):
Carrington's novel The Mysteries of Myra was made into a 15-episode silent movie series in 1916.