The following is a direct quotation from
their book...
"The outside world might never have heard
of tiny Christ Church, on the remote West
Indies island of Barbados, were it not for
a remarkable series of events that
occurred more than 150 years ago. Even
today, the residents of Barbados still
talk about the mysterious happenings that
kept their ancestors in a state of turmoil
for almost a decade. In July of 1807, a
routine application was made to the rector
of Christ Church to bury the remains of
Mrs. Thomasina Goddard in an empty
underground vault in the churchyard. The
vault was built in 1724, but we do not
know why it was empty or who Mrs. Goddard
was. In any case, her wooden coffin was
placed in the tomb, which measured twelve
feet long by six and one-feet wide.
"In the following year, Mrs. Goddard was
joined by the remains of Mary Anna Maria
Chase. The cause of Mary Anna's death is
unrecorded, but we do know her small
coffin was made of lead.
"In 1812, just four years after little Mary
Anna's death, Dorcas Chase, an older
sister, died under strange circumstance.
It was widely believed that, driven to
despair by her tyrannical father, she
killed herself by refusing all food.
Whatever the truth of these rumors, the
funeral of the elder Chase daughter was
uneventful, and her lead coffin was added
to the tomb, which had come to be known as
the Chase Vault.
"Only four weeks later, it was necessary to
open the vault again, this time to receive
the remains of the Honorable Thomas Chase
himself. But, as the massive blue
Devonshire marble slab that guarded the
vault's entrance was removed, a remarkable
scene confronted the burial party. The
coffins were not in their original
positions! That of little Mary Anna Chase
was found resting, head downward, in the
corner opposite the one in which it had
been placed. The mourners were indignant!
They assumed that the desecration of the
tomb was the work of natives who resented
the wealthy Chase family. The coffins were
restored to their original positions, and
the vault was sealed.
"Four years passed before the underground
vault was opened again, this time to
receive the lead coffin of an eleven month
old infant, Master Samuel Brewster Ames.
As the giant marble slab was removed, a
scene of wild disorder was unfolded before
the assembled mourners. Coffins lay
tumbled every which way. Grief turned to
rage, and then to bewilderment.
"How could anyone have entered the vault
undetected? There was only one entrance,
and the marble slab guarding it had been
found firmly in place, its cement seal
unbroken. The walls and ceiling were
constructed of coral blocks cemented
together so tightly that the vault
appeared to be hewn out of one solid piece
of rock. Beneath the vault was hard
limestone, virtually impossible to tunnel
through, let alone without leaving a trace
of digging. Finally, the lead coffin were
so heavy-weighing up to 700 pounds-that it
would have taken at least eight men to
shift them around. It was unlikely that a
work party of this size could have broken
into the vault and left without leaving a
clue.
"Now the affair of the restless coffins
became the main topic of conversation on
the island. The natives were convinced
that the disturbances were due to
"jumbies" or "duppies," the ghosts of whom
they had a pious horror. The white
population, on the other hand, could not
accept the idea of ghostly forces.
However, they did begin to doubt their
accusations concerning the natives.
"Only fifty-two days after the burial of
Master Samuel Brewster Ames, it was
decided to move the body of his father,
Samuel Brewster, to the Chase Vault from
its temporary resting place. As soon as
the ponderous entrance was removed, those
nearest the vault could see that IT HAD
HAPPENED AGAIN! The four lead coffins were
scattered about like bowling pins!
"This time, the rector of Christ Church,
the Reverend Thomas Orderson, and three
other men conducted a thorough examination
of the vault. On the theory that the
disturbances might have been due to
flooding, they checked for traces of
moisture on the walls and ceiling, and for
cracks in the floor, but found nothing.
With a sense of foreboding, the Reverend
had all the lead coffins returned to their
original positions, and once again the
vault was carefully sealed. It remained
unopened for almost three years.
"During this time, news of the weird
happenings at Christ Church spread
throughout the West Indies. Excitement on
the island became so intense that the
colonial Governor, Lord Combermere,
decided to investigate the situation
personally.
"And so on July 7, 1819, an unusual
procession followed the modest wooden
coffin of Mrs. Thomansina Clark as it was
carried slowly toward the Chase Vault.
First came the immediate relatives, then
Governor Combermere followed by his aides,
next the Commander of the Garrison, then
most of the island clergy, and finally
hundreds of spectators.
"The superstitious workers were unable to
open the vault. Something seemed to be
holding the massive marble slab in place.
Finally, additional workers helped to move
the stone, and the nature of the
obstruction became clear. The coffin of
the Honorable Mr. Chase was blocking the
entrance. The other lead coffins were in
disarray. Only the light wooden coffin of
Mrs. Goddard was in place, apparently
untouched by whatever forces had caused
the havoc in the vault. Lord Combermere
took charge of the burial party. He
instructed his aides to examine minutely
the inside of the vault, as well as the
coffins. But their investigations produced
nothing. The coffins showed no evidence of
having been tampered with. There were no
cracks in the walls of the tomb nor
evidence of a subterranean passage.
Apparently the vault was as dry and
airtight as the day it had been built.
Lord Combermere was mystified, but
undeterred.
"First, the governor ordered the coffins
carefully restored to their original
positions. Next, he had a thick layer of
fine white beach sand sprinkled over the
floor of the vault. Surely, this sand
would reveal the footprints of anyone that
entered the tomb. Lord Combermere sternly
supervised the work of the terrified
workers.
"Finally, he was satisfied. The marble slab
was eased into place and secured with
fresh cement. As a final safeguard, the
Governor made several impressions in the
wet cement with his official seal and
invited his aide, secretary and several
others present to add their private marks.
Now, whoever entered the vault would have
to break the seal.
"During the following months, speculation
about the restless coffins reached new
heights. Visitors came from all over the
island to view the mysterious Chase Vault.
Eventually, even the curiosity of Lord
Combermere could no longer be contained.
"On April 18,1820, the Governor visited
Eldridge's Plantation, next to Christ
Church. On the spur of the moment, he
decided to re-open the vault. Gathering
together some friends and several field
hands, the Governor proceeded to the
churchyard. Their party was spotted, and
by the time they arrived at the vault
hundreds of natives were on hand.
"An examination of the exterior of the
vault showed no evidence of any
disturbance. According to Mr. Nathan
Lucas, an eyewitness observer, "Every
outward appearance was perfect- not a
blade of grass or stone touched, indeed
collusion or deception was impossible; for
neither ourselves or the Negroes knew
anything of the matter; for the subject
was hardly started in conversation before
we set out for inspection, and the
Churchyard cannot exceed half a mile from
Eldridge's." The impressions of the
Governor's seal were as sharp and unbroken
as on the day they had been made.
"With difficulty, the cement seal was
chipped away, and the heavy stone slab
removed. Again the vault was in chaos! The
Honorable Mr. Chases's heavy lead coffin
rested upright against a wall of the tomb,
flipped there as if it were no more than a
toothpick. Each of the other lead coffins
had also been moved. But there were no
marks in the sand, except streaks where
the corners of coffins had moved across
the floor.
"Without much hope, Lord Combermere ordered
a careful inspection of the tomb. Mr.
Lucas reports that he himself "examined
the walls, the Arch and every part of the
Vault and found every part old and
similar; and a mason in (his) presence
struck every part of the bottom with his
hammer, and all was solid." The tomb, so
far as could be determined, was airtight,
waterproof, had secret entrances, and
could not have been entered by any human
or animal without breaking the seal on the
door. Yet some force had tossed massive
coffins around on FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS!
"Without further ado, Lord Combermere
ordered that the vault be left unclosed.
The coffins were later removed, and buried
separately in unmarked graves throughout
the churchyard. The tomb was left open and
was never used again.
"Here our story ends, or should, except for
one brief, tantalizing tale. Some years
ago, a young native boy, who later became
the church sexton, noticed a large object
jutting out of the ground in the
churchyard. This was near the present
vaults containing the remains of the
members of the Chase family who died in
more recent times. On further examination
the protruding object turned out to be the
corner of a lead coffin. Terrified the boy
left it untouched, and avoided the spot.
Weeks later, when he returned to the spot,
the coffin was gone, leaving a gaping
hole.
"Numerous attempts have been made to
explain the mystery of the restless
coffins. Most explanations, however,
simply don't account for all the facts.
For example, the belief that natives were
responsible for the movement of the
coffins does not explain how the vault was
opened and closed without leaving the
slightest trace of a human presence.
"As for natural forces, flooding can be
ruled out because repeated inspections of
the vault showed no evidence of any water
entry. And, lead doesn't float, but wood
does, yet it was the lead coffins that
moved. Earthquake can be ruled out because
their effects would have been felt in
other parts of the churchyard, not only in
the Chase Vault.
"This leaves electromagnetic forces,
perhaps the most plausible theory. After
all, it was the lead coffins which showed
signs of violent movement. The idea that
unknown electromagnetic forces may have
caused the lead coffins to move is
attractive, but leaves unexplained why
these forces operated only within this
particular vault and only after it was
sealed.
"If the mysterious happenings in the Chase
Vault cannot be accounted for by human
agents or natural forces, what about
SUPERNATURAL causes? Spiritualists and
psychic researchers base their explanation
on the fact that the tomb became
"restless" only AFTER the burial of Dorcas
Chase, a reported suicide. But how does
the fact of "suicide action" explain the
lack of movement of the wooden coffins?
The spiritualists are vague on this point.
"One of the most famous of the psychic
researchers to offer an explanation was
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He suggested that
the disturbances were caused by the
interaction of "unused vitality" (which,
Sir Arthur stated, lingers on whenever
life has been cut short by suicide or
murder) with the "effluvia" (or
exhalations) given off by the workers who
carried the coffins into the tomb. This
interaction, according to Sir Arthur,
produced combustive forces that tossed
around the contents of the tomb. Needless
to say, such explanations, however
imaginative, lack precedence or factual
documentation.
"Efforts to explain the mystery of the
Chase Vault have been hampered by the
absence of accurate records about the
people who were buried in the tomb.
Unfortunately, the Reverend Orderson's
original records were either lost in the
hurricane that destroyed Christ Church in
1831, or in the fire that gutted the
rebuilt edifice in 1935. Only copies of
the records, or copies of the copies were
left for later researchers to deal with.
Whether these original records would help
to solve the mystery can never be known,
but their absence does leave considerable
gaps in the evidence.
"Should you visit beautiful Christ Church
today, you might wander around the
churchyard and even walk in and out of the
Chase Vault (if you are not
superstitious!) without encountering
anything more exciting than a few stray
leaves.
"It is unlikely that we shall ever know
exactly what happened to turn the Chase
Vault into a restless tomb, but one small
fragment of the mystery has now been
solved. We do know what finally happened
to the coffin that reappeared in the
churchyard some years ago. Native
fishermen surreptitiously removed it and
used its massive lead walls to make
fishing sinkers!
"If the coffin was that of Dorcas Chase,
perhaps her tormented spirit had at last
found peace in some tranquil deep. Or,
maybe even now, it continues its restless
wandering...still seeking a final resting
place. WHO KNOWS?"
We took a little nap in the afternoon. At
3:30 pm. I walked up to the bus line with
my pad and camera. I caught a bus and rode
as far as the hospital in Oistins. I got
out there and walked back one block and
took a street to the north. At the
street's end was a flight of stairs
ascending to the highway above. When I got
to the highway I took a right and walked
about one-tenth of a mile to the Christ
Church Parish Church. For many years I had
read about a mystery that occurred there
in the early 1800s. It was one of the
sights on the Island that I wanted to see.
The Church sits high on a hill overlooking
the sea to the south. It was founded in
1629. In 1831 a hurricane ravaged the
Island and destroyed the Church. It was
rebuilt and in 1935 was gutted by fire. It
was remodeled at that time. A tall masonry
wall encompasses the Church and its
Cemetery. The wall is pierced with an iron
gate that leads to the front of the
Church. I had taken photos of the Church
and the cemetery from the outside. Upon
entering the gate I turned right and walked
about 15 paces to the Chase Vault. A
caretaker was working in the cemetery. He
was a tall man with a medium build. He
greeted me in a friendly manner and told
me that he had the responsibility for
maintaining the grounds. He had on a pair
of overalls and a hard hat, with brogans
on his feet. He too was very difficult to
understand. I learned from listening to
him that they were preparing for two
funerals. Well dressed mourners were
beginning to arrive.
You must ask your questions of these
people in a simple, slow, clear manner,
and hope that they answer you in the same
way. They have a tendency to clip their
words, and rattle along at a very rapid
pace. The English language in its full
richness and beauty must be spoken more
slowly.
Next door to the Church is an old school
where our newly acquired friend Orlie
Carter had gone to school. He had secured
his education within one hundred yards of
the Church and the Chase Vault.
Heavy clouds had covered the sky, as I
began to explore the Chase Vault. I took
pictures of the exterior and then
descended the seven masonry steps into the
vault. No one is buried inside it today.
The inside is of brick and mortar in the
form of a graceful arch. The vault appears
to be about 6 to 7 feet by 12 feet and
maybe 5 feet tall at the crown. A couple
of people have been buried on top of the
tomb and their graves capped over. Around
the periphery of the lot there are
concrete posts standing at intervals with
a black chain running through eyes in the
posts. The chain was down so that one
seemed to be invited to enter. A black
wrought iron gate stood open at the foot
of the steps going down. In the vault I
tapped the floor with my heel. There was a
hollow sound. Stooping down I gave the
floor a sharp rap with my knuckles and
again it resounded with a hollow
reverberation.
The Chase Vault has been at peace for more
than 150 years. There are as many
questions today as there were back then. I
did not feel that I had had a brush with
the supernatural. It was a story that I
had read in several books over the last
quarter century, and a place that I had
always wanted to visit.
There are still a couple of hundred people
in the telephone book named Chase. Whether
they are descendants of the family that
made such a stir in the early 1800s, I do
not know. I hope if they are that the
living have had more rest than those who
were buried in the Vault so long ago.