EQUIPMENT;

LOCATION HISTORY;

The Skirrid Mountain Inn stands in the shadow of the Skirrid Mountain, sometimes called the Holy Mountain, which, according to legend, broke in two at the time of the crucifixion of Christ during a violent storm. In the forecourt of the Inn Owen Glendower rallied his troops before marching on to Pontrilas. Halfway up the magnificent square spiral staircase stands the cell, now used as a store room, where many a prisoner spent his last night before being sentenced to death by Bloody Judge Jefferies. The hanging was carried out from a beam placed across the joist of the staircase and the slab on which the bodies were placed may still be seen at the well of the stairs. The Skirrid Inn claims to have some of the finest oak beams in the country, made from ship's timbers and containing the original peg holes.
The stone structure is original as also are some of the windows and a door-way. The old mounting-stone, standing in the forecourt, has been used by many of England's past Kings. The last person to be executed here was hanged on the instructions of Oliver Cromwell; the crime - sheep stealing. The skirrid Inn is the oldest Public house within the borders of the Principality of Wales and among the foremost claimants to the title of the oldest Public House in Great Britain.  Many of the contenders listed in the Guinness Book of Records are not original structures, being newer buildings on old foundations or have been extended or restored over the centuries.  The Skirrid Inn however has stood for nine centuries. The main rivals for the title of the Oldest Inn in Great Britain are Nottingham's "Trip to Jerusalem" ( 1070), the "Fighting Cocks" at St. Albans (11th century structure on an 8th century site), the "Godbegot" at Winchester (1002). The "Bingley Arms", Bardsay near Leeds is recorded as the Priests Inn (AD 905), while "Ye Old Ferry Boat Inn" at Holywell Cambridgeshire claims an origin as early as AD 560.

  More Historical Facts about; The Skirrid Mountain Inn

Fifty years after the Norman Conquest of Britain, two men stood trial before a court assembled in the main room of a new alehouse on a dusty road below the Skirrid Mountain. The alehouse was called "Millbrook" and the men were brothers, James and John Crowther.  James was sentenced to nine months for robberies with violence and John ended his days swinging from an inn beam - his crime? - Sheep stealing. Thus in 1110 is first recorded the existence of the inn known for centuries as "The Skirrid". The Devil rode abroad in these early days of ignorance and as the night wins howled in the black night, inside the walls of the Inn, the Innkeeper solemnly poured out a pot of "Devils Brew" for His Satanic majesty - and placed it upon the shelf above the fireplace hence "to sip with the Devil"
The Innkeeper may have also left a jug of  "pwcca" on the Skirrid doorstep when the last of his customers disappeared into the night, to appease the evil or mischievous spirits of the darkness.
Shakespeare is thought to have got his idea for Puck of Mid Summer Nights Dream from "y pwcca". The mists of time shroud the early centuries of the Inns existence, but occasionally out of the pages of history steps a legend like Owain Glyndwr (1359 - 1416), who is said to have rallied his troops in the cobbled forecourt of the Skirrid before climbing onto the Mounting Stone and riding at their head in the march on Pontrilas.
This now ancient stone is believed to have been used not only by the Welsh King, but by many of the succeeding Princes of Wales and Kings of England. As far as can be ascertained the stone structure is original and that somewhere behind the first Elizabethan plasterwork is the inscription "JHT 1306" recording the new additional to the early structure. The main doorway and many of the windows are medieval.  The oak beams made from ships timbers and containing the original markings and peg-holes, are amongst the finest in Britain. The panelling in the dining room is said to be from a British man o' war of the age when Drake and Raleigh prowled the Spanish Main. It is likely that both beams and panelling were salvaged when one of the Royal Navy's fighting ships was being broken up, perhaps in Bristol. The Skirrid belonged to the Barony of Abergavenny conferred on Edward Nevyle in c. 1530, it was lost and then restored to the family by an Act of Parliament in the third year of the reign of Mary Tudor.
In 1535 on the death of George Neville, 3rd Baron of Abergavenny, the ownership of the land was willed to all his successors and remained in the family until 1900 when the Most honourable William, Marquis of Abergavenny sold the property to David Lewis, a professional Innkeeper. From earliest times the Skirrid was a public meeting house as well as an alehouse and courts were held within its walls.
Between 1100 and 1485 Manorial Courts could have been staged, with Church Courts, Assize Courts and possibly the Skenfrith Petty Sessions in later centuries.  It is assumed that the first floor was a court room, complete with a Judges retiring room.
A "mesne" floor halfway up the stairs to the courtroom was used to house the prisoners, both before and after their trials, and it was here that many common criminals - foot-pad, highwayman, robber, thief or cheat spent his last miserable night listening to the sound of a low alehouse below. It is at the bottom of the stairs where many of them are thought to have met their end, hanging from a beam, upon which scorch and drag marks of the rope can still be seen.
Although no exact or positive records exist, local legend that passes from generation to generation by word of mouth suggests that upwards of 180 persons were hanged at the Skirrid Inn between the 12th and 17th centuries - the last, as was the first, for sheep stealing in the time of Oliver Cromwell.  The hanging cycle had come full circle. Did the bloody hand of the Hanging Judge brush the Skirrid?  Did the Master Hangman Bloody Judge Jeffreys (1644 - 1689) sit in judgement in the Skirrid's courtroom?  There is a widespread belief that Jeffreys may have been the Kings reaper in dealing with the localised Papish plot scare of about 1679 in Monmouthshire.  He certainly played a grim part in suppressing Monmouth's rebellion 15 years later, but this was James, Duke of Monmouth, nothing to do with the County of Monmouth. It is possible however, that during the supposed Papish plot the fervent anti-catholic occupant of Llanviangle Court, Squire Arnold, may have prosecuted local Catholics and tried them in his Courthouse - the Skirrid - and that Judge Jeffreys, a son of the Marches might have been ordered from London to put down murder and violence.
Jeffreys at this time was Recorder of London under Lord Chief Justice Scrogs. It can be supposed that a brief bloody taste of power over life or death dealing with an anti catholic backlash in the Marchland backwater, may have helped him towards his post of Lost Chief Justice (1683) and to prepare him for the red-harvest in Somerset - the Bloody Assize in 1685.

INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM; www.skirridmountaininn.co.uk/history

REPORTED EXPERIENCES;

There are many reported experiences from the Skirrid Mountain Inn, far too numerous to list here, both from locals and the many visitors that flock to the area. There have been many photographs taken of ‘orbs’ which some believe to be the first manifestation of a spirit. No-one can possibly be sure who actually haunts the bedrooms and stairways of the Inn but many people believed that hanging Judge Jeffreys, could not rest or that some of the 180 people he sent to the gallows have come back for revenge.

The Skirrid Inns colourful history has attracted a lot of attention over the years and it has recently been featured on Living TV in their ‘ Most Haunted ’ programme. The reported activity here has been well documented, because of this our expectations were high and we entered the Inn feeling very optimistic.

INVESTIGATION PREPARATION; We arrived at the well known Skirrid Mountain Inn at 7.30 pm. Although it looked very imposing from the outside, it was warm and had a friendly atmosphere inside. The whole group enjoyed a delicious meal before setting up our equipment. We were most concerned with the upper floor of the building at the Inn.

In Bedroom One; We set a locked off infra red camera with sound, to survey the right hand side of the room and the area around the bed. We did the usual base line tests throughout the room and there were no readings from any of the meters. The Temperature was 17*C. The en-suite in bedroom one was originally part of the holding cell for the prisoners who were due to appear in front of the notorious Bloody Judge Jeffrey’s. With this in mind we set a trigger object on the window sill in the en-suite with a locked off night vision camcorder trained onto the object. In this room we also placed the infra red lamp so any results could be clearly seen on camera footage. The en-suite area was slightly colder than the bedroom and was recorded at 16*C

In Bedroom Two; We set another infra red locked off camera, this we placed down by the entry door to the bedroom, resulting in the camera managing to encompass most of the room. Again base line tests were done throughout the area, there were no readings from our meters and the temperature was recorded at 17*C.

Bedrooms one and two were originally one large room, which would have been the actual court room area of the building. The far end of bedroom one, is believed to be the part of the original room where Judge Jeffreys would have sat presiding over his prisoners, metering out the punishment as he saw fit for the many victims that stood below him.

Bedroom Three; Even though there had been reports of activity in this room prior to our visit, we decided against setting another locked off camera in this area. Apart from it being supposedly far less active than the other two, we also wanted to keep enough ‘ free ’ cameras for us to carry around throughout the investigation. Again there were no readings from our base line equipment in this area but the room felt considerably colder than the other bedrooms. The temperature was recorded at 15*C.

The Landing and Stairs; This area was originally felt to be the most interesting and unnerving, whether this was down to the dimly lit landing and dark wood of the stairway, or possibly the realistic model of a hanging man. There was even the figure of a witch strategically placed on the stairs, maybe this had something to do with any discomfort felt. Base line tests were done thoroughly throughout the landing and stairs yet there was again nothing to report. Temperature was recorded at 16*C.

After setting up our equipment we still had three night vision camcorders to carry with us throughout. Armed with these three, our baseline meters and with a number of digital cameras.

At 11pm we were ready to begin the investigation.

INVESTIGATION;

The whole group; began down in the bar/ restaurant area. Even though the Inn was now closed, there were a few lights that had to remain on. Daryl the owner of was in a section of the bar adjoined to where we were, watching television. The whole group felt the area was too light, too busy and lacked any atmosphere that tends to go hand in hand with a good investigation. We all felt under the circumstances, our short investigation time would be entirely wasted in this area.

The Whole Group; decide to go outside to the graveyard and locate the graves of the Price family who were connected to the Skirrid Mountain Inn. Graveyards are renowned for their ‘ spookiness ’ but the entire area outside the Inn and surrounding the graveyard was without street lighting and very dark. Most people would balk at the very thought of entering a graveyard in the dead of night, but the whole group entered and located the graves fairly easily and without incident. It was extremely cold and after a while the majority of the group decided to go back to the warmth of the Inn, with the exception of Trudy and Kevin. They stood by the graves long after the others had gone, the whole area and the road which was situated close by was deserted. Trudy kept looking to her left and decided to take a few pictures, she took a few consecutively and in the first picture taken with the digital camera. A strange mist is seen around the graves over in that particular part of the graveyard. It couldn't possibly have been caused by smoke, there was no-one in the area and even though it was very cold, there was far too much mist to warrant it being caused by Trudy and Kevin breathing in the cold night air. A picture taken immediately after showed a clear picture and no mist.

We all re-grouped in bedroom one and had a short break to discuss further plans.

Group 1 – Anne and Austin; Bedroom 3. Anne had felt particularly uneasy in this area during our baseline tests. They sat quietly in this room for approximately 40 minutes but there was nothing to report. Later viewed photographs taken in this area throughout the night, shows a moving ‘ orb ’ over one of the pictures in bedroom 3.

Kevin; Alone in Bedroom 2. There were a number of orbs caught on camera but other than that, there was nothing of interest to report.

Group 2- Trudy and Val; Remain in Bedroom 1. They were having a cup of tea to warm up after the graveyard visit and were not really investigating at this time. There were incidents to report. Again many photographs were taken in Bedroom 1, most notably one which shows two strange blue circles along side a mirror.

The Whole Group; Bedroom 1. While having a break the whole group were sitting around chatting. Trudy was standing up to the left of the mirror, not near enough to touch it, when Anne and Kevin both clearly saw the mirror move. It seemed as if it had been quickly lifted up from the wall. Baseline tests were done immediately and there was a significant reading from the Negative Ion Detector by the bed.

The Whole Group; Stairway and Landing. The group spent some time in this area and their expectations were high. They all felt the stairs may have been the most active, because of its past history and the known fact, that this is where all the hangings took place. While sitting quietly there were several strange noises, including slight movement and tapping noises, that were not caused by any members of the group.

Group 1; Trudy, Anne and Val Bedroom 2. The group spend sometime in this area, a number of orbs were picked up, most notably the strange shaped ‘ orb ’ that was filmed coming across the room towards Trudy.

Group2; Kevin and Austin Bedroom 1. They spend some time in this area but had no further incidents.

CONCLUSION;

Strange Mist in Cemetery; This was very strange, neither Trudy nor Kevin are smokers and the other group members had long gone. The Skirrid and the graveyard are situated in a very sleepy village location and there was no-one else around at such a late time. The graveyard is very close to the road, which is little more than a lane, so in the unlikely event someone was around, they would have been easily heard. Stranger still, the next photograph which was taken immediately after shows nothing. If it had indeed been caused by smoke or any such like, it could not possibly have dispersed so quickly. ( see pictures- Skirrid 041 and Skirrid 042)

Photograph of Moving Orb in Bedroom 3; This could have been taken at any point throughout the night but considering the sequence of pictures, it was most probably taken during baseline testing. Many people believe orbs are easily explained by dust or moisture in the air. However, in this photograph the ‘ orb ’ can be seen moving across the picture and is clearly seen having already moved across the frame. (see picture- Skirrid 017.)

Photograph of Blue Circles on wall in Bedroom 1; We cannot find any reason for these strange blue shapes. There was certainly nothing on the wall and once again the photograph taken immediately afterwards shows nothing. (see picture Skirrid 006)

The Mirror Moving in Bedroom 1; Both Anne and Kevin were startled to see the mirror move. Trudy, who had been standing to the left of the mirror, wasn’t near enough to feel the mirror move. It is very unfortunate, there was not a camera nearby that could have recorded this movement. The locked off infra red camera was facing the other way as were the two other members of the group.

It is interesting to note; the movement of this particular mirror, when earlier two blue circle shapes had been photographed next to it.

The Negative Ion Detector reading; near the bed is significant and very interesting. The reading is picked up just after the mirror moves. This entire area had been tested before and there were no such readings produced. Negative Ions can be found in places where there is high humidity but this is not likely in a bedroom at the Skirrid Inn. Later viewed photographs show a small white shape/mark on the bed post around where the meter went off. Whether this mark is already on the bed post or it has some significance to the meter going off, it is impossible to tell at this late stage. (see picture Skirrid 007) Note this should be compared with the bed at the Skirrid in bedroom 1.

Noises on the Stairway and Landing; These could have been caused by the building cooling down or settling after the business of the day. We have to also bear in mind the equipment situated in the bar area, which was just below, could also have been a probable cause. Not having any further evidence we have to discount any possibility, other than these noises being made by environmental causes.

Orb filmed moving towards a group member in Bedroom 2; The member of the group filming this was very excited about this orb moving towards her. The orb itself is very strange, it is more of a ‘ squiggle ’ than a standard orb circle. It was clearly followed with the camcorder, coming across from the dressing table, over the sofa before eventually reaching the wardrobe where Trudy is standing, before disappearing altogether. When later viewed the film clearly shows it as being a ‘ squiggle ’ of light so it cannot feasibly have been caused by fluff or dust or any such like.

Its well documented history was a significant factor in the group’s optimism and high expectation, when conducting an investigation at the Skirrid Mountain Inn. It was certainly an interesting night and there remain a few unexplained incidents that the group would need a further opportunity to look more closely at.