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Friday, July 1, 2011

Lord Combermere's Ghost

Lord Combermere, the 2nd Viscount Combermere, was born Colonel Wellington Henry Stapleton-Cotton on November 24, 1818.  Lord Combermere died on December 1, 1891 after being struck by a horse-drawn carriage.

While Lord Combermere's funeral was taking place about four miles away, Sybell Corbett, Combermere's wife's sister, set up a camera in the library of the Combermere home---a former monastery in Cheshire, England, now known as Combermere Abbey). The camera was set up for an exposure time of approximately one hour.  According to a butler for the family, no one entered the library during this time period, and very few people were even IN the home, as many were attending the funeral.

However, when the photo was developed, the image of a man seated in Lord Combermere's favorite chair was clearly visible.  Those viewing the photo at the time commented on the image's likeness to Lord Combermere himself, and thus believed that he must have come back to relax in his library one last time.  Still, others hold fast to the idea that a servant or guest must have wandered into the shot, sat for a few minutes, and then got back up...only to be partially captured by the long exposure time.

To this day, the photo has not been fully debunked, although the above-mentioned theory, plus several others have been explored and debated.  Whether or not this photo is a real example of spirit photography, it is interesting to note that Lord Combermere's father, the 1st Viscount Combermere is famous for his own connection to the paranormal field, playing a part in the Moving Coffins of Barbados phenomenon.

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