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question1t · Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 11 Location: london UK

How do investigators identify ghosts?

This is a fascinating question and yet one that few people discuss or write about. It seems to amount to looking at the history of a building and seeing if anyone fits the, usually vague, description (if any!) of the apparition. However, in a great many hauntings, there aren't even any sightings of apparitions at all. Indeed, most hauntings consist of a few odd noises and apparent object movement with no obvious connection to any kind of ghost at all. And yet ghost are confidently 'identified' in a lot of cases. It's all very odd!

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chiefsceptic · Joined: 29 Dec 2006 Posts: 11 Location: USA

question1t wrote:

How do investigators identify ghosts?

This is a fascinating question and yet one that few people discuss or write about. It seems to amount to looking at the history of a building and seeing if anyone fits the, usually vague, description (if any!) of the apparition. However, in a great many hauntings, there aren't even any sightings of apparitions at all. Indeed, most hauntings consist of a few odd noises and apparent object movement with no obvious connection to any kind of ghost at all. And yet ghost are confidently 'identified' in a lot of cases. It's all very odd!

In some cases it's simply a matter of linking any supposed wooish happening with any violent or dramatic death at the same location. EXAMPLES BEING:-

The Theatre Royal, Newcastle has a "grey lady" who is always linked with the 19th century suicide of a young lass who threw herself from the "gods".

The Marquis of Granby pub at Streetgate near Gateshead has a spectre said to be the ghost of Joseph Leybourne who died violently there in 1865. Apparently he's unhappy that his murderer was never convicted - one guy was charged but acquitted, but the publican who'd been heard to shout that that he would "do for" Leybourne and "knock his soul out" was never even charged. Nonsense of course, the publican, William Laidman (aka "Bill o' the Bank"), was a relative of my wife's and couldn't possibly have done such a thing.

The Victoria Tunnel is 2.5 miles long and runs 80 feet beneath the streets of Newcastle. It was built in 1842 to carry coal trucks from Spital Tongues Colliery to staiths on the Tyne. It was only used until 1860 and then lay empty until 1939 were it was converted into an air-raid shelter for 9000 people. The seven new shelter entrances made the tunnel an ideal short-cut between different parts of the city - and one man who was cycling alone through the tunnel on his way to work reported a ghostly apparition. Immediately it was linked with the only known death in the tunnel, that of William Armstrong Coulson, who died there in 1852 when he was hit by a coal truck while inspecting the tunnel.

So in most cases it's 1) Ghostly apparition alleged, 2) Look for suitable violent death, 3) Link the two. But I'm sure that in many cases - especially in pubs and other public venues - it's more often a case of 1) More visitors wanted, 2) Look for suitable violent death 3) Invent ghost 4) Link the two.

PLUS BY linking an alleged haunting to a traceable historical figure you are humanising the story. They are just stories after all. If you investigated a location and thought you observed/witnessed phenomena and wrote your account of that its very dull. People may read it and say, well that place appears to be haunted etc. However if you observed/witnessed phenomena and traced a historical figure to the location you can attribute said phenomena to this deceased person. The tale could then be of the poor old scullery maid who was abused by the masters son, who fell pregnant and offered to exposed him to his father. In a fit of rage he pushed her heavilly pregnant figure over a balcony and claimed it to be an accident. Her soul tortured by the injustice of her death is said to wander the halls seeking retirbution/justice.

People can then empathise with this "ghosts" plight and it makes the tale much more interesting because we can all relate to it. Cue the lunatic paranormal group to appear at the location waving burning sage and receiting prayers of protection and imagining themselves encased in white auras as they offer to send the poor soul into the light and be at peace. Who then soon get to be thrown out on their ass by the managment who cottoned onto the fact that a ghost on the premises can rake in thousands of pounds of tourism cus of "their ghost"
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