213 episodes
Maurice Barbanell: The Forgotten Architect of Modern Spiritualism With Dr Nick Richbell
04/09/2026 | 41 mins.How does someone shape an entire movement... and yet almost disappear from history?
If you've explored Spiritualism, the paranormal or psychical research, you've almost certainly encountered the legacy of Maurice Barbanell—even if you've never recognised his name.
In this episode, historian Dr Nick Richbell joins me to discuss his new book, Silver Birch's Medium, and the extraordinary life of the man behind one of the most influential voices in twentieth-century Spiritualism. We explore Barbanell's remarkable journey from sceptic to believer, his role as the medium for Silver Birch, his decades editing Psychic News, his investigations into mediumship, his legal battles, and the lasting influence he had on Spiritualism in Britain and beyond.
But this conversation is about much more than one historical figure.
Together we ask how belief is formed, what people consider to be evidence, how personal experience shapes conviction, and why these questions remain just as relevant today. From science and religion to media, authority and public trust, Maurice Barbanell's story offers a fascinating window into the way people negotiate extraordinary claims in the modern world.
My Special Guest Is Dr Nick Richbell:
Dr. Nick Richbell received his PhD in History from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. His research focuses on the history of Spiritualism, and his doctoral dissertation examined the life and influence of the medium Maurice Barbanell and his spirit guide, Silver Birch. While Silver Birch's teachings continue to be discussed in Spiritualist churches today, Maurice Barbanell's significant contributions are often overlooked. Barbanell devoted more than six decades to the Spiritualist movement, and Nick’s research seeks to restore his place in history as one of the twentieth century's most influential advocates of Spiritualism.
Nick recently completed his book, Silver Birch’s Medium: Maurice Barbanell & Twentieth-Century Spiritualism, scheduled for publication on September 10, 2026. Based on his doctoral research, the book expands on his dissertation with previously unpublished photographs, two new chapters, and substantial revisions incorporating newly discovered archival material.
As a Spiritualist himself, Nick embraces the movement's principle of thoughtful inquiry: to question what one reads and hears, and to accept only what resonates through personal experience and reflection.
If you value this podcast and want to enjoy more episodes please come and find us on https://www.patreon.com/Haunted_History_Chronicles to support the podcast, gain a wealth of additional exclusive podcasts, writing and other content.
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https://www.drspooky.com/
https://www.instagram.com/officialdrspooky/- There are landscapes where history never seems entirely past — where an ancient track, a ruined church, a lonely cave or a stretch of woodland can feel like a threshold between what we know and something altogether stranger.
In this episode, we journey into the old borderlands of Mercia, exploring a Midlands steeped in folklore, witchcraft, ghost stories, strange encounters and centuries of belief. We discover how stories become embedded in the places where they are told, why certain landscapes seem to invite the supernatural, and what can happen when we leave the familiar path behind and begin to look at the countryside through older eyes.
From forgotten traditions and the realities behind witchcraft accusations to haunted ruins, liminal places and the enduring power of local legend, this is a conversation about the magic that can still be found in the landscape — and the stories waiting there for those willing to walk into it.
My Special Guest Is Hugh Williams:
Hugh Williams was born in Worcester at the heart of the Midlands of England. He has spent years exploring, discovering and researching the stranger places of the Midlands and beyond, telling their stories and musing on their magic. With four books and regular appearances on TV and radio under his belt, you can find him at the liminal space where folklore, history and the supernatural converge.
If you value this podcast and want to enjoy more episodes please come and find us on https://www.patreon.com/Haunted_History_Chronicles to support the podcast, gain a wealth of additional exclusive podcasts, writing and other content.
Links to all Haunted History Chronicles Social Media Pages, Published Materials and more: https://linktr.ee/hauntedhistorychronicles?fbclid=IwAR15rJF2m9nJ0HTXm27HZ3QQ2Llz46E0UpdWv-zePVn9Oj9Q8rdYaZsR74I
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Guest Links
Website: http://www.mysteriesofmercia.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mysteriesofmercia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysteriesofmercia/ - Why do some places suddenly feel unnaturally cold—and could there be more to it than a simple draught?
In this episode of Haunted History Chronicles, I welcome back psychical researcher Ciaran Farrell to explore one of the most frequently reported yet least understood features of paranormal encounters: cold spots.
Far more than a simple drop in temperature, Ciaran explains why investigators have long associated cold spots with feelings of dread, nausea, unease and even the sensation of an unseen presence. Drawing on decades of research, he discusses how cold spots can be investigated using both scientific methods and eyewitness testimony, and why he believes they may provide important clues in understanding hauntings, shadow figures and apparitions.
The conversation also explores whether environments can retain traces of past events, and examines how investigators attempt to distinguish between naturally occurring temperature changes and genuinely anomalous phenomena.
Join us as we ask a simple but fascinating question: when the temperature suddenly changes, are you feeling nothing more than the environment… or something that shouldn't be there?
My Special Guest Is Ciaran Farrell:
Ciaran has served as a Council member of the Society for Psychical Research, SPR and the SPR’s Spontaneous Cases committee, SCC for many years.
He has had many psychical experiences and adventures when he was a boy. This led him to formulate his own early theories about ghosts, poltergeists and telepathic veridical dreams of the dead gained through direct encounters with ghosts, spirits and poltergeists.
He went on to build and design some of his own ghost-hunting equipment and to improve upon his previous theories about Cold Spots building on his own experience of them and his own ghost adventures.
He formulated the concept of ‘my body as an instrument’ to monitor and evaluate his perception of the atmospheres of rooms and outdoor places and preternatural Cold Spots within them as well as the perception and detection of poltergeists and ghost encounters.
If you value this podcast and want to enjoy more episodes please come and find us on https://www.patreon.com/Haunted_History_Chronicles to support the podcast, gain a wealth of additional exclusive podcasts, writing and other content.
Links to all Haunted History Chronicles Social Media Pages, Published Materials and more: https://linktr.ee/hauntedhistorychronicles?fbclid=IwAR15rJF2m9nJ0HTXm27HZ3QQ2Llz46E0UpdWv-zePVn9Oj9Q8rdYaZsR74I
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Last week, TyLean Tuijl challenged many of the assumptions surrounding possession, encouraging us to move beyond Hollywood stereotypes and consider a far more complex psychological, cultural and experiential picture.
In this follow-up conversation, we explore another question that naturally emerged from that discussion:
Why do so many reports of hauntings, apparitions, possession experiences and other extraordinary encounters seem to occur while we're asleep—or in that strange space between sleeping and waking?
Together, we explore why sleep may be one of the most important gateways to extraordinary experiences. From sleep paralysis and shadow figures to vivid dreams and altered states of consciousness, we examine why these experiences have been interpreted so differently across cultures and throughout history. We discuss what the Society for Psychical Research is discovering through Project Sleep, why sleep disturbances so often appear alongside reports of hauntings, possession and other spontaneous paranormal phenomena, and why listening without judgement is essential when people come forward with these deeply personal experiences.
My Special Guest Is TyLean Tuijl:
TyLean Tuijl is a PhD researcher in psychology investigating possession and altered states of consciousness. She has a background as a solo, avant-garde composer and recording artist with many songs inspired by the paranormal, altered states of consciousness, and human psychology. She has performed on dozens of albums and on tour for various bands, most notably Attrition. She is a method-trained actress who has worked in film, television and on stage as well as voice over. Her experience with The Method became the foundation from which she would later study altered states of consciousness and possession.
TyLean is a council member and office holder for the Society for Psychical Research and a case investigator for the Spontaneous Case Committee, where she also serves as the Safeguarding Advisor.
If you value this podcast and want to enjoy more episodes please come and find us on https://www.patreon.com/Haunted_History_Chronicles to support the podcast, gain a wealth of additional exclusive podcasts, writing and other content.
Links to all Haunted History Chronicles Social Media Pages, Published Materials and more: https://linktr.ee/hauntedhistorychronicles?fbclid=IwAR15rJF2m9nJ0HTXm27HZ3QQ2Llz46E0UpdWv-zePVn9Oj9Q8rdYaZsR74I
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Links to the Society for Psychical Research: https://www.spr.ac.uk/report-an-experience - What does it really mean to be possessed?
For centuries, stories of possession have been shaped by religion, folklore and popular culture. Films have taught us to expect dramatic exorcisms, distorted voices and supernatural battles between good and evil. But what if the reality is far more complex?
Can possession be explained by psychology alone, or is there something more? In this episode, PhD researcher and Society for Psychical Research investigator TyLean Tuijl explores possession, altered states of consciousness, dissociation, exorcism, mental illness and the paranormal, challenging many of the myths created by popular culture.
My Special Guest Is TyLean Tuijl:
TyLean Tuijl is a PhD researcher in psychology investigating possession and altered states of consciousness. She has a background as a solo, avant-garde composer and recording artist with many songs inspired by the paranormal, altered states of consciousness, and human psychology. She has performed on dozens of albums and on tour for various bands, most notably Attrition. She is a method-trained actress who has worked in film, television and on stage as well as voice over. Her experience with The Method became the foundation from which she would later study altered states of consciousness and possession.
TyLean is a council member and office holder for the Society for Psychical Research and a case investigator for the Spontaneous Case Committee, where she also serves as the Safeguarding Advisor.
If you value this podcast and want to enjoy more episodes please come and find us on https://www.patreon.com/Haunted_History_Chronicles to support the podcast, gain a wealth of additional exclusive podcasts, writing and other content.
Links to all Haunted History Chronicles Social Media Pages, Published Materials and more: https://linktr.ee/hauntedhistorychronicles?fbclid=IwAR15rJF2m9nJ0HTXm27HZ3QQ2Llz46E0UpdWv-zePVn9Oj9Q8rdYaZsR74I
NEW
Podcast Shop: https://www.teepublic.com/user/haunted-history-chronicles
Buy Me A Coffee https://ko-fi.com/hauntedhistorychronicles
Links to the Society for Psychical Research: https://www.spr.ac.uk/report-an-experience
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Curl up and enjoy discovering the history and ghostly events that surround different places, locations and people.
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