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Who Ya Gonna Call? Ghost Hunters & Hunting

Yes see clear trousers and shoes - so much for the ghost. And what I thought was a roll of paper is the light reflecting off the top of the back of the bench.
Ah, I thought you meant the article lying on the lap of the 'ghost'. I mean, I suppose trousers, shoes and a short sleeved shirt don't totally rule out a ghostly presence, but the balance of probability...
 
I see what could be trousers and shoes as well. I'm trying to 'read' the shadows in that picture to pinpoint a main light source but it's difficult because of the large amount of windows lighting up the figures from many angles.

It's pretty obvious from the wider-angle shot you posted there's strong sunlight coming in through windows, causing reflections.

I think the mystery figure is a man seated on the bench behind the woman, his upper body is bathed in (relatively) bright light, and he was moving at the moment the camera captured the scene. The combination of his movement and the contrasting brightness created a sort of wad of flare.
 
It's pretty obvious from the wider-angle shot you posted there's strong sunlight coming in through windows, causing reflections.

I think the mystery figure is a man seated on the bench behind the woman, his upper body is bathed in (relatively) bright light, and he was moving at the moment the camera captured the scene. The combination of his movement and the contrasting brightness created a sort of wad of flare.
That's definitely the most likely explanation, yes.
 
It's pretty obvious from the wider-angle shot you posted there's strong sunlight coming in through windows, causing reflections.

I think the mystery figure is a man seated on the bench behind the woman, his upper body is bathed in (relatively) bright light, and he was moving at the moment the camera captured the scene. The combination of his movement and the contrasting brightness created a sort of wad of flare.
That's precisely my opinion too. He may not have been seated directly behind the woman but, on her sitting down and someone pointing a camera, he decided that he didn't want to be in their family photograph and slid along the pew, preparatory to swinging out into the aisle and getting out of shot. He's moving in bright light, that's why his top half is blurred.
 
That's precisely my opinion too. He may not have been seated directly behind the woman but, on her sitting down and someone pointing a camera, he decided that he didn't want to be in their family photograph and slid along the pew, preparatory to swinging out into the aisle and getting out of shot. He's moving in bright light, that's why his top half is blurred.
Ah I was wondering about the head turned and tilted up, if he was preparing to move in that direction it makes sense.
 
Mrs Berthelot seems to have nodded off as well, no wonder she didn't notice the "ghost".
 
I looked at the original photo in Swifty's post. To me, it looks like a woman facing to the left, chin lifted. The head looks like she is wearing a scarf or bandana that may cover the back of her head, though this I'm not sure of. The mid part of head looks thicker, and there appears to have material (?) coming down as if it is rolled and knotted. I am including the black mark as part of the scarf.
 
Mrs Berthelot seems to have nodded off as well, no wonder she didn't notice the "ghost".
From memory of that letter sent to Fortean Times magazine, she wasn't well at the time so joking aside, that might explain her posture. The figure behind her looks more feminine to me, the face and jaw line anyway.
 
From memory of that letter sent to Fortean Times magazine, she wasn't well at the time so joking aside, that might explain her posture. The figure behind her looks more feminine to me, the face and jaw line anyway.
I think she said that she had bad earache and she sat down to pray. So I'd guess, what with that and the hot day, she was feeling pretty rotten and wouldn't necessarily have noticed anyone else in the pews.
 
But hubby didn't see anyone else Shaggy
I don't think he mentions not seeing anyone else though! And on a hot day in summer during the day - it would be vanishingly unlikely for there not to be other people around. He may not have seen the person sitting behind his wife (for the rest of this discussion, including mentions of my discarded underwear, please see Cumberland Spaceman thread).
 
I don't think he mentions not seeing anyone else though! And on a hot day in summer during the day - it would be vanishingly unlikely for there not to be other people around. He may not have seen the person sitting behind his wife (for the rest of this discussion, including mentions of my discarded underwear, please see Cumberland Spaceman thread).
Yes good point
 
I don't think he mentions not seeing anyone else though! And on a hot day in summer during the day - it would be vanishingly unlikely for there not to be other people around. He may not have seen the person sitting behind his wife (for the rest of this discussion, including mentions of my discarded underwear, please see Cumberland Spaceman thread).
So the suggested ghost is actually a pair of your knickers then? ..

We went into town today to print off some A6 copies of the photo (both our printers have run out of ink). Someone very familiar with the church will hopefully be joining us to help us find the exact location of the image, we'll be spending most of the day there because good weather's been forecast so we should be able at some point in the day to get similar lighting conditions. I've got a white jacket so we just need to find a white hat, preferably bonnet shaped but it will probably be a white baseball cap turned back to front instead. I've built a crude rig to support an A4 sized acetate copy of the photo so we can film through that and attempt to take some measurements.

I've also found out a little more folklore about someone who saw the white lady in the early1800's (Green Potter) and was found a gibbering wreck in the tower. He's buried in the church yard so we'll be trying to find his grave stone. Worstead church (St Mary's) burial register records one Green Potter, aged 65, who was buried in the churchyard on 3rd January 1831.
 
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To be fair, my underwear does get about a bit...
I haven't told the team yet but I'll be taking a white shirt (instead of the jacket) so tonight Mathew ..... I'm going to be the lady in white! .. just for photography experiments you understand as a stand in to check light reflections .. honestly .. *cough* .. (if your knickers are still there, I'll fashion them into a bonnet and stick them on my head)
 
If anyone's got any other experiments ideas (that don't involve catseye's underwear), I'd be grateful to hear them ..
 
Do you mean to the right of the figure? Isn't that just light shining through the two pews?
It's a square printed page maybe lying on the pew the woman is sitting on , possibly not connected to the ghost.
 
I've also found out a little more folklore about someone who saw the white lady in the early1800's (Green Potter) and was found a gibbering wreck in the tower.
Don't you think he might have been a gibbering wreck already, and that's why he saw the white lady?
 
Don't you think he might have been a gibbering wreck already, and that's why he saw the white lady?
They had all been drinking in The King's Head pub first according to the legend. He bragged that he was going to the church and if he saw her, he was going to kiss her :) .. so he was probably pissed up at the least.
 
I always thought it was a man sitting behind this woman, he has a white jacket on, with a hood, and was caught turning to his left, one can see his face, a side view of it.
And he is wearing jeans and dark shoes / sneakers.
The sun is blazing on him, making the white jacket and hood look unnatural. The dark spot is his hair sticking out of the hood.
JMO
 
I always thought it was a man sitting behind this woman, he has a white jacket on, with a hood, and was caught turning to his left, one can see his face, a side view of it.
And he is wearing jeans and dark shoes / sneakers.
The sun is blazing on him, making the white jacket and hood look unnatural. The dark spot is his hair sticking out of the hood.
JMO
Although possible because both jeans and sneakers existed in 1971, neither were common attire back then for men in North Norfolk. It is possible though.
 
Although possible because both jeans and sneakers existed in 1971, neither were common attire back then for men in North Norfolk. It is possible though.
Could have been a visitor, someone not from the area? I think the hippie look was in back then.
 
Could have been a visitor, someone not from the area? I think the hippie look was in back then.
It's possible. I don't think it's a ghost pic btw, I reckon it's a person although I'm not sure what's making people say it's a male .. maybe because the person is probably wearing trousers but then women wearing trousers in 1971 wasn't unusual either, maybe it's because the person in white seems tall?.
 
It's possible. I don't think it's a ghost pic btw, I reckon it's a person although I'm not sure what's making people say it's a male .. maybe because the person is probably wearing trousers but then women wearing trousers in 1971 wasn't unusual either, maybe it's because the person in white seems tall?.

She could be wearing slacks, a very 1970s trouser garment.
 
Sure, could be a man or a woman - my first thought on looking at it was a man.
I just looked at it more closely - could be a woman with a fluffly mohair type sweater (they were in style then) with the big fluffy matching white hat popped on top of her head, with light hair. And she was caught while looking to the left, with the sunshine blazing on her creating a blur of light on that sweater and hat.
JMO it's a person, good photo though!
 
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