Shire Hall Museum, Dorchester, Dorset
19th April 2025
7.30pm – 2am. Eight members present. Prior to the evening starting, the group met in the pub across the road from Shire Hall (Shire Hall is the old court house) and had the spirit box on. It said, ‘My name is Iris. You’re going down. I’m innocent.’
In Shire Hall, the evening began in the cinema room. Everyone sat on benches and did some calling out. One member was talking but their voice sounded different from usual. Two people sitting on a bench said the bench was vibrating yet they were sitting completely still, and at the same time the K2 meter was going off. The spirit box said, ‘Arse hole.’ The group asked, ‘Were you held in the cells?’ The spirit box said ‘Sorry,’ and the K2 meter went to yellow. The group said, ‘Do you want to whisper in someone’s ear?’ The spirit box said, ‘Soared. Strangers. Omne. Snowed. Go away.’ Note: Omne is a latin word meaning all or every. The plural is Omnes which means everyone or all people. Humming could be heard and the K2 meter on the bench went off. The spirit box said, ‘You are the enemy.’ The group asked, ‘Am I your enemy?’ The spirit box said, ‘Freedom,’ and the K2 meter went up to red. The group asked, ‘Are there children here?’ The spirit box said, ‘There’s a kid. He’s six.’ Members of the group said they felt cold on the face and legs. The temperature was 19.8 degrees. The group asked a few questions and the K2 meter went to red or flickered at green in response. The group said, ‘Are you six?’ The spirit box said, ‘Eight.’ The group said, ‘Are you eight?’ The spirit box said, ‘Yes.’ Everyone heard a strange noise, like someone was whining, and both K2 meters went to red at the same time. A black shadow was seen in the doorway by the back hallway. The spirit box said, ‘Bad entities,’ and a hissing sound was heard. A door was heard slamming in the area adjacent to the cinema room but upon investigation no doors looked as if they had moved. The spirit box said, ‘I protect this place.’
The group moved to the area where there are eight cells and everyone picked a cell to sit in by themselves. Teddy and cat balls had been placed in the passageway outside the cells. The spirit box said, ‘Leave this place. I will flash the lights.’ A flash of light was seen and someone’s face got touched. Someone complained of feeling suddenly anxious and their heart was pounding. The spirit box said, ‘Hiding. Keys. Harry. Beware of him. John. My name is Albert.’ People were complaining of feeling cold all over, or cold faces and legs. Everyone said they felt nauseous. One member made a knocking noise and asked the spirits to copy it. Another member could hear ‘shhhhh’ in their ear. The member knocked several times over and each time the ‘shhhhh’ was heard, but no knocking from spirits. The spirit box said, ‘You’ve got to be careful,’ and the cat ball went off. Someone heard a sigh and the cat ball went off again. Orbs were seen as the cat ball went off. A really bright orb shooting up the wall was seen in someone’s cell. The spirit box said, ‘I’m making a noise.’ More orbs were seen on the cell wall. Some people were feeling really hot and some felt very cold. The average temperature was 16.6 degrees but in cell three, the temperature was 11 degrees. The spirit box said, ‘Gaol. Empowerment.’ The cat ball was going on and off on request. A big orb was seen going through the door of cell one. Teddy’s eyes lit up and orbs were seen in the passageway outside the cells. One member suddenly got a really bad headache. The spirit box said, ‘I did bad things.’ The group asked the spirit to take the headache away and it did go. Banging could be heard. The group asked, ‘Did you hit someone on the head?’ The cat ball went off and the spirit box said, ‘Scarlett.’ The spirit box then said, ‘Malevolence’ and the cat ball and the K2 meter went off at the same time. Orbs were seen in the passageway again and the spirit box said, ‘I’m standing right here.’ The group asked, ‘Where are you standing?’ The spirit box said, ‘Here.’ The cat ball lit up again and the K2 meter went to yellow. The spirit box said, ‘I’m leaving to use this.’ A cat ball went off in someone’s cell and the K2 meter stayed on a solid yellow light. The group asked, ‘Are you trying to tell me something?’ The spirit box said, ‘Sit and listen.’ The K2 meter was still stuck on yellow and more orbs were seen in cells. It felt as if a spirit was wandering in and out of cells. The group said, ‘You can touch me if you like.’ The spirit box said, ‘It’s a good idea. I’ve been here for centuries.’ Everyone heard a high pitched whistle then sobbing was heard. The cat ball in the corridor kept going off, an orb was seen in a doorway and a bright light was seen hovering in a cell. Growling noises were heard. One member left their cell and walked along the corridor. A white shadow was seen following them (this was caught on the camera). Note: a white shadow is often interpreted as a positive omen, symbolizing protection, guidance and purity. The group said, ‘If you like us being here, light the cat ball up.’ The cat ball went off. One member said they could feeling a cold draught heading towards them and someone else’s head got touched. A door was heard banging. The person who had their head touched was sitting in cell three said they said they suddenly felt very uneasy. The SMS camera picked up a stick man standing right behind that person. A big fat orb was seen going into cell one. A very strong smell of stale urine was smelt in cell three. Humming was heard and the spirit box said, ‘Penelope. You are not safe.’ One member asked if their arch-angel was here looking after them. A pale blue flash was seen on the back of the door in cell two. Note: Blue orbs are associated with positive energy, peace, protection and the presence of spirit guides. The spirit box said, ‘Want to know the truth.’ One of the members was talking about taking a photo of the ceiling. She was laughing as she said, ‘What would you do if a head appeared followed by a hand?’ Suddenly, the person in cell three let out a piercing yell and ran out of the cell. She said she had seen what looked like a head looking over the top of the cell wall followed by a hand looking like it was crawling over the top of the wall. The person who had been in cell three refused to go back in there and stood in the corridor, obviously shaken. A black orb was seen near cell three. Note: A black orb is often seen as a sign of negative energy or danger. It may indicate the presence of a troubled or malevolent spirit – not necessarily evil, but just angry.
All the members left their cells and opened an Ouija board in the corridor outside the cells. As soon as the board was opened, the spirit box said, ‘Open a portal. Run now.’ Door handles could be heard being turned on the doors either end of the corridor. The board spelt ‘H’. The spirit box said, ‘Why have you come.’ The spirit on the board said they were aged sixteen and had been sentenced for twelve moths for arson in 1845. The spirit confirmed they had burnt down a building on purpose and that a male employee had been killed. The spirit box said, ‘I’m freezing cold. Died. Fire here.’ The spirit box said, ‘They hate me. Cow.’ The group asked, ‘Did you work on a farm?’ The spirit box said, ‘Yes.’ The planchette confirmed the spirit was paid one guinea and it wasn’t enough. The group asked, ‘Were you just in cell three?’ The spirit box said, ‘Calves were in there.’ The group asked a few more questions and the spirit box said, ‘I’m going. Gone. Lost my soul.’ The group asked, ‘Is there anyone else here?’ The spirit box said, ‘Bye. Terry.’ The planchette spelt fourteen. The group asked, ‘Is that how old you are?’ The planchette went to ‘goodbye.’ The spirit box said, ‘ Ten year old. Thank you. I’ll take your wallet. Police.’ The planchette spelt ‘Karetd’. Note: this appears to be a girl’s name, maybe a variation of Kateri or Katherine? The spirit box said, ‘Hilary. Can you see us. Edward,’ A draft was felt by several members. The number twelve was spelt on the board. The spirit box said, ‘Bernadette. Look up and wait.’ A new male spirit came on the board. He said he had worked in the building and spelt ‘Corpc’ and ‘cort’. Note: Corpc is a shortened form for corporal or corporation. Cort is a variant of court, a surname or an enclosure for livestock (pens, stables, stys, etc). The spirit confirmed the spirit had been a clerk who sentenced prisoners. He spelt his name as Burt. He then spelt ‘Ownef’ and ‘Ofne’ (owner? One?). The spirit said he was a clerk in 1326 but in a different building to the one we were in now. The spirit box said, ‘MacDonald’. The spirit confirmed his name was Burt MacDonald. He said there were seventeen spirits in the area and three were bad ones. They were trying to scare the member who had been sitting in cell three. One member stood in cell three and noticed a strong smell of stale urine in there. A few more questions were asked on the board. One member felt something hit them on the leg and a few orbs were seen. Nothing else happened so the board was closed and the group went for a tea break.
After the break, the group went to the area next to the holding cell and did some calling out. The spirit box said, ‘Hello,’ and the K2 meter went off. The spirit box said, ‘Please don’t go now,’ and the cat ball went off. One member thought she could see a face in-between the bars. The spirit box said, ‘Lillian. Move away. I love this,’ The group asked, ‘Can you whistle like this.’ One member did a wonky whistle. The spirit box said, ‘Terrible.’ That made the group laugh. One member suggested that he should go into a cell by himself. As he was preparing to leave, the group started to tease him about not seeing him again and the skull’s eyes lit up. The member decided he didn’t want to go in the cell any more. He asked the skull to light up if he was to go into the cell. The skull lit up and at the same time, dolly lit up. The member was really scared now and really didn’t want to go. For several minutes the member kept asking the toys to light up if he was to go into the cell and every time they did so. At one point the member asked everything to light up and the skull and two K2 meters lit up at the same time. Reluctantly, the member left to go into the cell and the spirit box said, ‘Good spirits here.’ The rest of the group sat quietly. They could faintly hear the member in the cell asking spirits to make a knocking sound. The K2 meter went to red and someone said they could hear whispering. After a few minutes, the member in the cell came back to the group and said nothing had happened. Update: listening to recorded footage the member took in the cell, you can hear the member asking the spirit if they can make a clicking noise then a sinister voice says ‘yesssss’. The member who had been in the cell said his left arm felt really, really cold. The group did a temperature test on him. His whole body was 21 degrees but his left arm was 19 degrees.
The group moved to the room that has the old toilet area and fireplace. The member who had gone into the cell was laughing about his experience and the skull kept going off. The group did some calling out and asked any spirits to make a knocking noise to show where they were. A knock was heard on the closed door that leads to the cells. Lots of orbs were seen in the room through the camera and a high pitched whine was heard. One member said ‘Flash’ as he took a photo. Then the spirit box said, ‘Flash.’ The group asked a few questions and another knock was heard on the door that leads to the cells. At the same time, the cat ball on the table went off. One member asked a lot of questions and the spirit box said, ‘Are you an investigator?’ The member asked more questions and the K2 meter on the table lit up a few times in response. The member asked if there were less than five spirits in the room. The spirit box said, ‘They will attack.’ A little orb was seen coming up from the table. Lots of knocking noises were heard coming from all over the room. One member sensed someone was standing next to the table and the K2 meter went off. Footsteps could be heard walking about in the court room above. The group opened an Ouija board. A male called Leon came through for one of the members who knew him and they were able to have a conversation. Leon said there were four spirits in the room and three were trying to harm the group. A green orb was seen next to the table. Note: a green orb may be interpreted as a sign that a human spirit or a supernatural entity or force (thought to be physically manifested by occult means) may be nearby. Leon spelt a lot of correct things on the board (the member who knew him was not on the board at the time). Another spirit came on the board and said they knew another member. The spirit said he was a negative spirit and answered a few questions. The member the negative spirit said he knew did not know anything the spirit was saying, but he did say his face was burning hot. Clicking noises could be heard in the room, two green flashes were seen next to the side table and a large orb was seen on the wall.
The group went upstairs to the court room. Some members dressed up and pretended to have a court session. The skull went off twice and the cat ball went off twice but nothing else happened. The group moved to the hallway next to the outside door where the prisoners would have gone in and out of the building. A K2 meter on the steps went up to orange and just stayed there. The spirit box said, ‘Angry. Slam.’ The group put out a second K2 meter and that also went to orange and stayed there. Teddy sitting on the steps lit up and the spirit box said, ‘David. Greg.’ The group started to ask questions about prison life and both the K2 meters started flickering to green. A whistle was heard. The group did some calling out and a really long second whistle was heard. Two members said they heard a third whistle. The group asked a few more questions about prison life and the K2 meter flickered from green to orange, then green again in response.
The group went back in the eight cells but nothing happened apart from one member had a bad headache for a few seconds but then it went away. The group went back to the room with the fireplace and did some calling out. One orb shot past a member. That member started to sing some funny songs and the K2 meter went up to orange and a cat ball went off. One member was playing with the skeleton on the table and pretended to kiss it. A cat ball, which had been placed on the skeleton, appeared to jump in the air and landed on the floor.