Customer Reviews
Lore of Poor Scholarship - By: Veritas, 27 May 2008 
Peppered with inaccuracies throughout, the entry on Highgate Cemetery serves as a pointer to just how poor the "scholarship" isin Lore of the Land.
The task befell Jacqueline Simpson to provide the entry on London's most famous graveyard which included more than a passing reference to its vampire. Simpson, according to Oxford University's Library Journal, is "an esteemed British folklore expert." This makes her coverage of the case of even greater concern.
"When the apparition was first discussedin the local pressin 1970, it was merely called a ghost," she begins. It was called all manner of things when first discussed, but was already being described as a vampire locally; even from as early as 1965. What Simpson is alluding to is the plethora of readers' lettersin the Hamsptead & Highgate Express where various correspondents spoke of a figure, spectre, ghost & vampire. The British Occult Society, too, often used the term "spectre," but this does not contradict the term "vampire." What she blurs is the fact that vampires (predatory demonic entities) exhibit a certain spectral aspect.
Simpson continues: "The publicity was initiated by a group of adolescents calling themselves the British Occult Society." An adolescent is surely someone between childhood & adulthood. The man she is misrepresenting throughout this entry was past his mid-twenties at the time of the early media curiosity & television interviews. Many of those involved or showing interestin the Highgate Vampire case within the British Occult Society were considerably older.
"David Farrant, their [the British Occult Society's] leader, spent the night there," she claims, despite evidence to the contrary. Farrant did not "lead" the Society. In fact, he owed no connection to the British Occult Society which was originally formed as an umbrella organisation circa 1860. Fellow members & close colleagues included Peter Underwood, Professor Devendra Prasad Varma, Seán Manchester & similar luminaries. Prior to its dissolution on 8 August 1988, it was presided over by Seán Manchester. He featuredin a programme on 13 March 1970 (Today, Thames Television) to represent the Society's investigation into happeningsin & around Highgate Cemetery that had been accumulating since the mid-1960s. A number of witnesses to a vampire spectre were also interviewed by Sandra Harris. These consisted largely of children & a young man who was captioned "David Farrant." Seán Manchester was captioned "President, British Occult Society." No confusion existed as to who "led" the British Occult Society.
Simpson then wrongly insists: "Hardly two informants gave the same story." What was notable, apart from a couple of rather dubious entries subsequently found to be disingenuous, was the similarityin the accounts recorded by the media, not least the local press. Most spoke of a tall, floating figure with burning eyes & an evil aura.
She continues to describe "another local youth, Seán Manchester" (the Oxford Dictionary defines "youth" as "adolescence" & "inexperienced" etc) & attributes the quote "a 'King Vampire from Wallachia'" to him. That precise phrase did not appearin print but a similar sentiment was expressed. However, Seán Manchester did not say anything of the kind & apparently explained at lengthin a book which Simpson read several years prior that the term "King Vampire" was a journalistic embellishment.
Referring to Highgate Cemetery, Simpson erroneously states: "both conducted rituals of exorcism." Farrant did not perform exorcisms. Seán Manchester carried out a spoken exorcism at Highgate Cemetery during August 1970 with consent. This was reconstructed for BBC television & transmitted on 15 October 1970.
Though completely unrelated to either Highgate Cemetery or the Highgate Vampire, Simpson includes: "Manchester challenged Farrant to a 'magical duel' on Parliament Hill." Seán Manchester did not challenge Farrant to a "magical duel," as confirmed by statements made by him at the time & coverage of this occasionin the Hampstead & Highgate Express (articlesin April & May 1973) &in the work From Satan To Christ (1988) where the invitation to exorcise Farrant was incidental to the event itself. Farrant cried off & failed to appear. The Parliament Hill "Ring of Prayer" had nothing to do with a "magical duel" though some exploited it as such due to misinformation fed them by a publicity-hungry David Farrant. Retractions were published.
Curiously, Simpson refers to only one criminal conviction: "Farrant ... was jailedin 1974 for damage to memorials." Farrant,in fact, was sentenced to four years & eight months imprisonmentin June 1974 for malicious damage, ie tomb vandalism, at Highgate Cemetery by inscribing black magic symbols on the floor of a mausoleum; offering indignities to remains of the dead, ie desecration via black magic rites where photographs were taken of a naked accomplicein a tomb where occult symbols were marked out on the floor; threatening police witnessesin a separate case where his black magic associate was subsequently found guilty of indecent sexual assault on a minor; theft of items from Barnet Hospital where Farrant worked briefly as a porterin 1970; possession of a handgun & ammunition kept at his address where discovery was made of a black magic altar beneath a mural of the Devil that had featuredin the press. Simpson obviously felt she needed to downplay the seriousness of Farrant's partin the Highgate Cemetery matterin view of her determination to lump himin with Seán Manchester.
Jacqueline Simpson was president of the Folklore Society from 1993 to 1996 & is currently its honorary secretary. She has written misleading & grossly inaccurate statementsin The Lore of the Land, having placed reliance on her American colleague Bill Ellis whose flawed materialin his own Raising the Devil is even more defamatory & damaging. Some of the press cuttings referred toin his book are wrongly attributed & what he has to say is biased by an agenda to dismiss all things supernatural.
I would give Lore of the Land a wide berth unless a fictionalised version of cases like the Highgate Vampire investigation is all that is required.
Excellent.... - By: Wordy, 22 May 2006 
Lore of the Land does exactly what it claims - it is a comprehensive A-Z of folklore, legends & ghost / paranormal tales organised by County. It's notin the right format to readin bulk, but is absolutely fascinating for local interest & research purposes.
Highly recommended - this is the most accurate & thorough book I have seen on the subject. Not cheap but worth it.
Beautiful and thorough - By: , 08 Nov 2005 This book is not only perfectly designed for browsing, but clearly very well researched.
It works on various levels too. If you are touring or visiting England, or if you live here & want to delve into the legendary & curious aspects of England then just buy this book. It is also thorough enough to be an important source for researchers.
It's also dedicated to the wonderful Katharine Briggs.
Beautiful and fascinating! - By: Matryd, 26 Oct 2005 I bought this as a birthday present for my mum but I'm going to have to get her another copy as I can't bring myself to part with it! The pictures are just fantastic: makes you realise just how many ghostly stories have built up around really famous places like Hampton Court & the Tower of London. But it's not just famous places that get a mention - really tiny villages like East Bergholtin Suffolk arein there too (the chirch was deprived of a steeple by the machinations of the devil, apparently). Highly recommended!
