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That's alll bi rds 19 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 1: dot com. Welcome to Unexplained extra with me Richard McClane Smith, 20 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: where for the weeks in between episodes we look at 21 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: the stories that, for one reason or other, didn't make 22 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: it into the show. In the last episode alone with Everybody, 23 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: we ventured to the northern reaches of the Brecon Beacons 24 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: in Cumerie to hear the story of how one couple's 25 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: dream moved to the region quickly turned into a devastating nightmare. 26 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: The couple stayed at the property known as he Old 27 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: Fannog for almost seven years, during which time they and 28 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: their children were said to have been subjected to an 29 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: extraordinary array of supposed paranormal and supernatural episodes. With the 30 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: family unable to afford a move, a great deal of 31 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: time and energy was spent trying to find someone who 32 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: could alleviate their fear and misery. However, despite multiple efforts 33 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,079 Speaker 1: from numerous parties, none were quite able to do it, 34 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: with the exception of one person, Eddie Burks. It's fair 35 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: to say that few people, if asked to imagine the 36 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: archetypal self styled psychic, would have the quiet and modest 37 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: Eddie Burkes in mind. Born in nineteen twenty two in 38 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: the district of Bow, in East London. Eddie's was a 39 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: happy and fairly ordinary childhood, with the exception of one incident. 40 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,399 Speaker 1: At five years old, during a minor operation in hospital, 41 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,679 Speaker 1: Eddie had what he believed to be a near death experience. 42 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: It was while under anesthetic that Eddie found himself traveling 43 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: through a tunnel of light before arriving moments later in 44 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: a bright garden paradise, only to be instantly thrust back 45 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: down the tunnel again, awaking soon after back in the 46 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: hospital ward. The incident was never forgotten, but for the 47 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: most part, barring his involvement in the Second World War, 48 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:15,080 Speaker 1: Burkes's life was superficially at least fairly unremarkable, spending his 49 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: days working as a science officer researching roads for the 50 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: British Civil Service, until one afternoon in June nineteen eighty three, 51 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: when Eddie's life changed forever. There had apparently been signs 52 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: that something was occurring in the years prior to this moment. 53 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: The premature deaths of his wife in nineteen seventy and 54 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: his son a decade later had understandably been devastating. However, 55 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: in both instances, Eddie had been comforted by the belief 56 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: that he had felt their presence within days of them dying, 57 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: but nothing could quite prepare him for what was about 58 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: to happen. On that fateful afternoon in nineteen eighty three, 59 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: Eddie was paying a visit to then Director of the 60 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: College of Psychic Studies, Brenda Marshall, to discuss a growing 61 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: conviction that he might have psychic abilities. The College had 62 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: originally been founded in eighteen eighty four as the London 63 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: Spiritualist Alliance, before rebranding itself in the nineteen fifties. Much 64 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: like the better known Society of Psychical Research, the Alliance 65 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: had been established to investigate and scrutinize the growing number 66 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,839 Speaker 1: of apparent mediums plying their trade in Victorian Britain. However, 67 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: their investigative merits were thrown into question when Eleanor Sidgwick 68 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: of the spr accused William Eglinton, a medium the Alliance 69 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: had previously supported, of being a fraud. The disagreement caused 70 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: somewhat of a schism between the two groups, with the 71 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: Alliance remaining committed to its belief in Eglinton's apparent abilities, 72 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: which were indeed later revealed to have been unquestionably fraudulent 73 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:07,119 Speaker 1: by the nineteen eighties. However, the Alliance had long since 74 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: moved away from the embarrassment, having by then adopted a 75 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: far more rigorous approach to the analysis of potential paranormal phenomena. 76 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: That afternoon in the summer of nineteen eighty three, as 77 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: Eddie Burke's talked quietly with Brenda, the college's president, he 78 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: became suddenly distracted by another man's voice in the room 79 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 1: that seemed to be talking to him. The apparent voice, 80 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 1: he believed, was pleading with him to help him find 81 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: his way. As Eddie would later claim, it was the 82 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: first time he had ever been contacted by a ghost, or, 83 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: more precisely, according to him, a lost soul. From that moment, 84 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 1: after claiming to have helped the spirit move on to 85 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:57,839 Speaker 1: another realm Eddie realized his true calling to help the 86 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: dead find their way out of life. It was sometime 87 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:12,159 Speaker 1: in the summer of nineteen ninety two, nine years after 88 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: she had first met Eddie Burkes, when an envelope bearing 89 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,559 Speaker 1: the logo of Coot's Bank arrived on Brenda Marshall's desk. 90 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:24,599 Speaker 1: The letter was instantly intriguing, since Coots happened to be 91 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: just about the most exclusive financial institution in the country, 92 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 1: serving the royal family, among many other of the world's 93 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:36,159 Speaker 1: most wealthy citizens, which made what she was about to 94 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:41,159 Speaker 1: read or the more surprising. A few weeks previously, one 95 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:43,919 Speaker 1: of the bank's receptionists had been sat at the front 96 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:51,040 Speaker 1: desk when all the computer systems simultaneously malfunctioned. A flickering 97 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 1: of the building's lights was followed by a sudden drop 98 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:58,040 Speaker 1: in temperature and the appearance of a vague, shadowy figure 99 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,839 Speaker 1: without a head, making its way across the bank's vast 100 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: atrium before seeming to disappear into a darkened doorway. When 101 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: she reported the incident to the bank's personnel director, she 102 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: was amazed to discover that she wasn't the first to 103 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: have seen the strange apparition. In fact, three other receptionists 104 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: had also reported the same thing on multiple occasions. With 105 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: all four staff now too terrified to work, unable to 106 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,239 Speaker 1: dismiss the claims out of hand, or perhaps just looking 107 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: for a way to calm their staff, the bank's archivist 108 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: suggested they contact the College of Psychic Studies to see 109 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: if they might help, and Brenda knew just the person 110 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: to ask, are you always taking care of your family. 111 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: Do you often take care of others and not yourself. 112 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: Now it's time to take care of yourself to make 113 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:02,400 Speaker 1: time for you. You vid teledoc gives you access to 114 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling 115 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: your best to feeling like yourself again. With teledoc, you 116 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: can speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video. 117 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: Therapy appointments are available seven days a week from seven 118 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: am to nine pm local time. If you feel overwhelmed sometimes, 119 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: maybe you feel stressed or anxious, depressed or lonely, or 120 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: you might be struggling with a personal or family issue, 121 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: teledoc can help. Teledoc is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches, 122 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: so they make it easy to change counselors if needed. 123 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: For free. Teledoc therapy is available through most insurance or employers. 124 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: Download the app or visit teledoc dot com forward slash 125 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:52,680 Speaker 1: Unexplained podcast today to get started. That's teladoc dot com 126 00:08:52,720 --> 00:09:01,199 Speaker 1: slash Unexplained Podcast. It was three days later, shortly after 127 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,559 Speaker 1: one thirty p m. When a black cab pulled up 128 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: outside the bank's grand glass fronted facade at number four 129 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: forty the strand seconds later, an unassuming middle aged man 130 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:19,120 Speaker 1: in a light gray suit and comfortable shoes stepped out 131 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: on to the pavement, gazing up at the entrance for 132 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:27,080 Speaker 1: a brief moment before making his way inside. The entrance 133 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 1: hall was a huge and opulent space, designed in the 134 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: seventies and the manner of a giant conservatory for maximum 135 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:38,559 Speaker 1: natural light, housing an internal garden of glossy marbled stone 136 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: and lush trees, complete with a pond of koi carp 137 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: Eddie paid it little notice as he made his way 138 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: to the first floor, where he was introduced to the 139 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:53,080 Speaker 1: bank's archivist, as well as three of the receptionists who 140 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: had witnessed the apparent specter. Moments later, the five of 141 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,720 Speaker 1: them discreetly made their way to a small office next 142 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 1: to the front desk to begin the procedure. It wasn't 143 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: long before Eddie was picking something up. After instructing one 144 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:12,319 Speaker 1: of the others to write down what he was about 145 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:17,359 Speaker 1: to say, he began. He is a man of considerable 146 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: pride who did not bend to the Queen's command and 147 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 1: was beheaded not far from here on a summer's day. 148 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: I have been waiting here a long time, he is saying, 149 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 1: Eddie went on to describe the man as being dressed 150 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 1: in Elizabethan clothes of the sixteenth century, who also wore 151 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: expensive jewelry on his fingers and around his neck. Soon after, 152 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 1: the others watched, astounded as Burke's then claimed to see 153 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: a second entity appearing in the room alongside them. It 154 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 1: was the man's daughter, he said, come to collect her 155 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: father and lead him into the next world. Burks reported 156 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: seeing them walk into a blaze of white light before 157 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: they both vanished together. After thanking him for his time, 158 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:14,320 Speaker 1: Burkes suggested they let him know if they have any 159 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 1: more disturbances. They made his goodbyes and went on his way. 160 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:29,200 Speaker 1: Although the bank had requested Burkes's intervention be carried out 161 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:32,560 Speaker 1: under the strictest confidence, it wasn't long before the full 162 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: account was picked up by the press, with both the 163 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 1: bank and many at the college being embarrassed by the exposure. Regardless, 164 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: one thing was certain. The apparent ghost was never seen again. 165 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 1: With the incident now out in the open, Unlike Burkes, 166 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: who was happy just to have helped, a number of 167 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: papers were understandably keen to establish the identity of the 168 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 1: supposed ghost and verify Burke's claims. A few days later, 169 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:10,800 Speaker 1: royal historian and Jesuit priest, Father Francis Edwards, came forward 170 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 1: with the name Thomas Howard, whose description and life bore 171 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: a remarkable similarity to the details provided by Eddie. Born 172 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 1: in fifteen thirty six, Howard, the fourth Duke of Norfolk, 173 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:28,319 Speaker 1: was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth First before becoming 174 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 1: hopelessly entangled in the complex political rivalry between her followers 175 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: and those of her rival to the throne, Mary Stuart. 176 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:41,120 Speaker 1: In a tragic but fitting representation of the ruthless political 177 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 1: climate of the time, Howard, who was at one point 178 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: encouraged by Elizabeth to marry Mary Stuart, was accused of 179 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 1: treason when he eventually agreed to do just that. In response, 180 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:56,960 Speaker 1: he was arrested and thrown into the Tower of London. 181 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,680 Speaker 1: Nine months later, in the summer of fifteen seventy two, 182 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 1: Howard was marched from his cell to the space inside 183 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: the castle known as Tower Green, where his head was 184 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 1: promptly removed from his body. Incredibly, the revelation that this 185 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: may well have been the ghost haunting the offices of 186 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 1: Coots struck such a chord with the Duke's ancestors, they 187 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 1: felt compelled to now lay his apparently previously unsettled soul 188 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:31,119 Speaker 1: to rest. And so it was that, on November fifteenth, 189 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety two, on a wet and miserable afternoon in London, 190 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 1: a handful of aristocrats gathered together in a small chapel 191 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: in Covent Garden to pay their last respects to the 192 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 1: fourth Duke of Norfolk. Joining them were a number of 193 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:53,280 Speaker 1: representatives of Coot's Bank, and of course Eddie Burkes, who 194 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: was even invited to give a speech to mark the occasion. 195 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 1: If you enjoy listening to Unexplained and would like to 196 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: help supporters, you can now go to Unexplained podcast dot 197 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:12,960 Speaker 1: com forward slash support. All donations, no matter how large 198 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 1: or small, are massively appreciated. All elements of Unexplained are 199 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: produced by me Richard mcclained smith. Please subscribe and rate 200 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: the show on iTunes. Feel free to get in touch 201 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 1: with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've heard 202 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation of your 203 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: own you'd like to share. You can reach us online 204 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:38,040 Speaker 1: at Unexplained podcast dot com or on Twitter at Unexplained pod. 205 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: Now it's time to take care of yourself. To make 206 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: time for you. Tell a DOC gives you access to 207 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling 208 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or 209 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:02,920 Speaker 1: video any time between seven am to nine pm local time, 210 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:07,280 Speaker 1: seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is available through most 211 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 1: insurance or employers. Download the app, or visit teledoc dot 212 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 1: com Forward slash Unexplained Podcast today to get started. That's 213 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: teladoc dot com Slash Unexplained Podcast