Readers will know that we’re not the sort of people to hold back from investigating any enigma which
presents itself. UFOs, apparitions, premonitions…between the two of us we’ve covered them all.
Or rather, nearly all. One of the most bizarre phenomena of all is that of vampirism, and to date we’ve
have resisted the temptation to give WraithScape readers our two pennorth on the matter, so to speak.

Some time ago, however, Mike corresponded with a gentleman by the name of Bishop Seán Manchester.
His thoughts on vampirism were so intriguing we’ve put them up on the WraithScape website for new
readers to ponder over.
  
If you thought that vampires were merely struggling Hollywood actors who enjoyed wearing gothic clothes
and rather dangerous-looking dentures, then you should think again. There are serious researchers out
there who are convinced that vampires are all too real.
  
Splitting your sides laughing? Well, just remember the old adage that he who laughs last probably hasn't
realised how serious the situation is.
   
The Vampire Research Society grew out of a specialist group founded in 1967 to study all aspects of
vampirism and associated supernatural phenomena. In February 1970, the VRS achieved autonomy and
eventually became the foremost advisory service in the United Kingdom on all matters pertaining to
vampirism.
   
The society also studied reports of "metamorphic shape-shifting related to predatory wraiths" as distinct
from werewolfism and lycanthropic disorders which it also investigates.
   
Known also as the International Society for the Advancement of Irrefutable Vampirological and
Lycanthropic Research, the VRS in England has uniquely investigated some of the most celebrated
cases of the 20th century - including that of the notorious vampire of Highgate cemetery - and has
published its findings on the latter case in a book called The Highgate Vampire, which was updated
and revised in 1991 by the VRS president as a collectors’ edition in hardcover.
  
The president of the VRS, Bishop Seán Manchester, is actually the Old Catholic Bishop of Glastonbury
and writer of the aforementioned book, which has been reviewed positively by experts. One commented
that Bishop Manchester’s work was "probably the most remarkable contemporary account of vampiric
activity and infestation - and cure".
    
Can such things as vampires really exist? The same expert, after reviewing Bishop Manchester’s findings,
added, "The evidence seems to be overwhelming and the author is to be congratulated on his
knowledgeable and lucid account of the case which is likely to become one of the classic works on this
interesting and mystifying subject."
   
So, just what is a vampire? Forget the comic-book image, which sensible people naturally deride. To
some researchers, vampires are simply disturbed individuals who have taken on the persona of Bram
Stoker’s anti-hero, Count Dracula, and are in desperate need of psychiatric treatment. To others, real
vampires are evil creatures which attack both the bodies and minds of their victims. In the words of one
researcher, "they not only drain the blood – they dilute and destroy the mind".
   
Chilling stuff. However, the Vampire Research Society does not only analyse reports of vampirism. It also
offers hope to those caught up in this bizarre and frightening phenomenon. The VRS has a strong Christian
ethic which warns against dabbling in aspects of the occult that bring nothing but distress and fear.
   
Bishop Manchester is a direct person who pulls no punches. If he thinks you’re heading in the wrong
direction he’ll tell you so in no uncertain terms. I know this from personal experience. On the other hand,
it must be said that vampire hunting is not for the faint-hearted, and we suspect that many people will have
reason to thank the good Bishop and his colleagues for delivering them from a bizarre phenomenon which
is only funny if you’ve never had to go through it.
    
We caught up with Bishop Manchester and spoke to him in a little more depth about his spiritual
perceptions…

How does your faith help you when dealing with the more malign aspects of the paranormal?

“God is the source of all truth, and the Bible is God’s revelation of such truth, deemed necessary for
the world. There is a clear choice between the path of darkness and the one, true path that beholds the
Light of the World.
    
“On Good Friday 1973, along with eleven others, I founded Ordo Sancti Graal on the summit of Parliament
Hill, at London’s Hampstead Heath. After three months of spontaneous organisation, we developed into a
dispersed Order of disciples. By this point I was in minor orders with the Old Catholic Church, an
autocephalous branch of the Body of Christ that seceded from the Roman Catholic Church on 15 October
1724 with the consecration of Cornelius Steehoven as the Archbishop of Utrecht. The succession reached
these shores on 8 April 1908 with the consecration of Arnold Harris Mathew as the Regionary Old Catholic
Bishop for Great Britain and Ireland. Seventeen years after the founding of our Order, I too, would
receive Holy Orders.    

“My Faith in the 1960s offered a very valuable and necessary sanctuary at a time when I still had quite a lot
to learn about demonolatry and exorcism. My knowledge quickly grew as I become trained and seasoned
with the happenings at Highgate manifesting toward the end of that decade; hastened by my being flung
into the deep end while investigating those unearthly experiences. Entering Holy Orders was a pivotal
moment, as I always knew it would be, and led to my eventually accepting the precious mitre on the feast
of St Francis of Assisi, 1991, and later being installed as Bishop of Glastonbury for my autocephalous
jurisdiction. Without my Faith I could not do the work I am called to do. Faith is essential to anyone who
embarks upon the path of the exorcist and is willing to confront the Devil and his demons.”
 
Have you investigated any recent cases of interest, and if so, could you briefly describe them?

“By avoiding where possible the media and ensuring confidentiality to those who need help and whose help
and co-operation is sought, my ministry has become increasingly effective over the decades. Suffice that a
world famous case was written about where media intrusion was impossible to prevent and countless film
documentaries have been made about it. There is no justification in repeating this process over and again.
By not discussing subsequent cases and by not exposing private people to a limelight they would not
welcome, I am able to continue to do my work with a reputation which precedes me for keeping confidences
and not compromising people and places. Almost forty years after that early case was sensationalised by
the media, I am still being asked to discuss it. (http://www.holygrail-church.fsnet.co.uk/Television.htm)”

As a Bishop, have you any advice to give to people who may be troubled by negative spirits
or entities?

“Anyone can open the door to the nether region and invite demonic interference into their environment.
To do so requires no particular occult knowledge or special ceremony. Training and expertise is needed,
however, to cast out a demonic intrusion and to purify a contaminated area. Credence in demons has been
a mark of Man since the earliest times. They and a ruling spirit of evil have a long history going back
millennia before Christ. With the establishment of the Christian Faith, belief in the Devil and his cohorts
also became more firmly established. Certainly down the years there have been many unexplained
phenomena generally attributed to evil spirits which offer very convincing evidence for a reigning
supernatural power. In the times of the New Testament people were certain. Only traditional Christians
of the main Faiths are now still so sure; especially the Catholic and Orthodox hierarchy. For them
demons are not peripheral.
    
“We are as strongly engaged in spiritual warfare as ever we were. Satan is malevolence personified.
For many of those in religious Orders throughout the ages this is exactly what he is: the manifestation,
in corporeal
form, of the Prince of Darkness. He is the cause of sin, aided by his cohorts, the demons, who are ready
to do his bidding. Should anyone feel troubled by what they suspect to be demonic interference they
should contact a traditional clergyman who is also a proficient exorcist. They should not contact
mediums, witches and occultists who might also claim expertise in these areas. To do so will only
aggravate the problem; their claims are largely delusional or fraudulent; their weapons are chiefly
psychological, consisting principally of control and fear. Few occultists anywhere can demonstrate any
power from an external source. After decades of meeting the leaders of such covens, groups and orders,
none demonstrated they had the ability to heal, curse or have a causal effect on anything via their
so-called "powers". They were either deluding themselves, or other people, and often both. The occult
spectrum attracts a large proportion of weak and insecure people who seldom rise beyond the ranks.
The cult leaders employ manipulation and control techniques. That is not to say, of course, that dark
forces and demonic entities do not exist.”

Why do you think that interest in the paranormal is so popular in our current age?

“Next to the hunger to avoid the supernatural, there is no stronger hunger than to experience it. The reason
for initially writing my book about the Highgate Vampire case was due to so many people contacting me
to ask what really happened. Letters ran into hundreds, and this accumulated following the commission
from Leslie Frewin Books to give an account of events up to and including the failed exorcism of August
1970. I thought this might stem the flow, but the case itself was not yet solved and reports of unsavoury
incidents continued to filter into the columns of local newspapers. Hence the complete and unexpurgated
account first published in 1985. A more intimate account was given in a special edition published by
Gothic Press in 1991 where the rear fly on the dust jacket states: ‘[The author] recognises the immense
public interest in the Highgate Vampire case which is why he has written the present volume as a final
comment on what, in his own words, is ‘hopefully the last, frenzied flutterings of a force so dight with
fearful fascination that even legend could not contain it’.’
   
“It was never my intention to try and convince anyone of the existence of the supernatural; yet still I
receive messages asking me to do precisely that. Nor was it my wish to stimulate undue interest in
these matters; though I accept this could be an unintentional side effect. By writing a comprehensive
recounting of that mysterious history, I merely provide a record of my unearthly experience to those who
seek it. The popularity of the paranormal today relates proportionately to the steady decline of belief in
formal religious doctrine. The absence of Christian Faith in most people's lives leads those seeking
something beyond the normal into strange places occupied by mediums, spiritualists, witches,
occultists and parapsychologists (ghost hunters) who offer a myriad of choices to the thrill-seeker who
has opted for a dark ride at the paranormal amusement park.”

What, then, are we to make of Bishop Sean Manchester? Is he a narrow-minded, overly-dogmatic cleric?
Not a bit of it. There is no doubt that his answers and responses carry an aura of certitude; perhaps it
would not be going too far to suggest that they are, in an ecclesiastical sense, dogmatic. But it is
certitude without arrogance; a sense of absolute conviction borne on the wings of faith, not carried on the
shoulders of stubborn human opinion. For this reason it is impossible not to be drawn to the Bishop’s
conviction and be comforted by it.
    
Much of what he says about the paranormal is true, although there may be one or two points that could
be debated. He knows only too well that some who “dabble” in ghost-busting may suddenly find
themselves horribly out of their depth.
    There is much consternation within the ranks of orthodox Christianity currently. Many people,
seeking “constancy amid change”, find that in some quarters where they should be able to expect
constancy they instead find hazy morals, cloudy principles and shifting perceptions. One senses that
this is unlikely ever to be the case with Bishop Manchester. Agree with him or no, you will receive a clear
response. Probably we live in an age where people appreciate that; those without faith are more
concerned about understanding what spiritual leaders are saying than being able to agree with them.
When life becomes turbulent, people want constancy and consistency – not to have their ears tickled.
    Bishop Seán Manchester could, one suspects, have had an easier life had he chosen to do so.
His intellect is not in doubt; he is an accomplished writer. His ecclesiastical knowledge and abilities
would almost certainly be sufficient for him to “swap over” to Roman Catholicism if he wished, instead
of following the lead of the Old Catholic Church. But, quite rightly, he is bound by his own convictions.
As with Martin Luther, it is a case of, “Here I stand; I can do no other”.
    Some readers will take issue with Bishop Manchester because of his views. Others will take issue
with us for posting an interview with someone who has a decidedly negative view of some forms of
paranormal investigation. Regardless, Bishop Manchester speaks with conviction and authority and
we suspect many will find his words both refreshing and enlightening. We are grateful to him for
taking the time out of his busy schedule to allow this interview and wish him very well indeed in his
future endeavours.
                                 _______________________________________________________

Books and CD’s relating to Bishop Seán Manchester can be viewed at:
http://www.gothicpress.freeserve.co.uk/Bookshop.htm
The Vampire Research Society can be contacted via vampireresearchsociety@gothicpress.co.uk