Newby Church near Ripon

In 1963 the vicar of Newby Church, the Reverend K. F. Lord, took photographs of the church interior. When developed one had a strange hooded figure in it. In all probability this is a fake picture although now hard to verify without further research.

One interesting point to note is the figure’s headgear, which for all purposes looks like a pillowcase with the eyeholes cut from it. This is not – as far as I am aware – a contemporary monks habit unless one of the previous vicars had a penchant for burning crosses. It could be assumed that this covering was to hide the identity of the figure posing for the double exposure. But then this is only a personal viewpoint: the picture could be genuine. The picture has appeared in numerous books.

The Church of Christ The Consoler can be found in the grounds of Newby Hall and dates from 1870.