Dave Wood from the Paranormal Site Investigators has compiled a report for the BBC Cornwall website, after his team spent the night at Pengersick Castle in west Cornwall in mid November 2005. Just how haunted was it...read his report, listen to an interview with Nicky Sewell from the PSI, and then let us know whether you have been spooked at Pengersick, or anywhere else in Cornwall. Use the link below to hear BBC Radio Cornwall's James Churchfield discussing the PSI findings with Nicky Sewell from the team. PSI Ghostwatch: Pengersick Castle
There is evidence of inhabitation at Pengersick stretching back to the Bronze Age, 5000 years ago. The family later to take the name Pengersick settled at the site in the twelfth century and became a name associated with murder and Satan-worship. The grounds of the remaining Tudor dwelling show evidence of a chapel, ancient settlements and a possible plague burial ground.
 | | Is this a torch light effect? |
The claims of the presence of over twenty separate spirit manifestations span back decades, so ten members of Paranormal Site Investigators (PSI) conducted an overnight investigation on 12th November to assess the eyewitness claims that the building is haunted. Hundreds of photographs and hours of videotape were analysed, but natural explanations accounted for nearly all of the unusual evidence.
 | | Pengersick Castle |
Investigators reported a large number of experiences over the course of the investigation. 80% of the unusual experiences were only witnessed by one investigator at a time, so had to be ruled out. Most of the remaining sightings by more than multiple people were also ruled out, but an interesting few remained. Two investigators reported ‘figures’ following the group around the Castle grounds that night, a representative of the Castle later confirmed that many visitors to the site report similar experiences.
The Castle’s “Solar Room” saw most of the alleged ‘ghost activity’ throughout the investigation. Activity included shooting lights and thuds around a video camera, whilst the video camera drained two batteries. However, the tricks the eyes play on us at night could explain the lights and the very low temperature could play tricks with the camera’s performance.
A medium and a sensitive investigator separately reported plague connections and a plague burial ground where we were later told there allegedly is one – but coincidence can explain such findings.
 | | Moisture illuminated by the flash? |
PSI also used the Pengersick Castle opportunity to look into the effect of an individual psychology on their perceptions of ghost-like activity. Scientists have suggested that if a room ‘looks spooky’ that people are more likely to report activity there – whereas PSI’s findings found the opposite, more ghost-like activity was found in the places considered ‘less spooky’. PSI did find that the group of more ‘sceptical’ investigators that also thought Pengersick was ‘less spooky’ did report much less ghost-like activity during the night. After one night PSI cannot confirm whether or not Pengersick Castle is haunted, but has certainly added to the growing evidence about the case. | 
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