1. Contextualizing L. M. Bazett’s Research and Chapter III
Between 1916 and 1918, psychical researcher L. Margery Bazett recorded hundreds of automatic writing scripts compiled in her foundational volume, After Death Communications. Operating with an uncompromising commitment to empirical accuracy, Bazett meticulously documented and independently verified the specific names, domestic details, and historical memories generated through her pencil. In this labor, she worked in close collaboration with her colleague Miss E. F. Cooper, who provided a dedicated cottage adjoining her residence to facilitate continuous, systematic investigation.
The scientific rigor of their setup attracted the attention of prominent psychical researcher J. Arthur Hill. Examining their methodology firsthand, Hill offered strong praise for their “painstaking habit of mind” and praised the “excellently systematic way in which they were keeping the record, with complete dating of each script and each item of verification.”
A critical analytical feature of Bazett’s oeuvre is the structural divide between sittings conducted with and without sitters present. In Chapters IV and V of her treatise—which explore cases where relations were absent—verification required slow, painstaking postal correspondence with distant families, or navigated confused cross-communications and vague psychic impressions. By contrast, Chapter III, titled “Cases Where Relations Were Present,” examines a unique experimental condition: automatic writing sessions produced while a living relative or close family member sat physically in the room.
The physical presence of a grieving relative transformed the automatic writing phenomenon from a passive reception of fragmentary scripts into an immediate, real-time dialogue. This post explores the central inquiry of Chapter III: how the physical proximity of a living family member influences the evidential vibrancy, clarity, and spontaneity of spirit communications compared to absent-sitter sittings.
2. Primary Case Studies: Analyzing In-Person Family Sittings
2.1. Case 1: Daisy Pendleton (Child Communicator)
The sitting with Mr. Pendleton stands out as a unique historical anomaly within Bazett’s corpus. Bazett explicitly noted that across her entire body of psychical research, she “only once written for a child”—five-to-six-year-old Daisy Pendleton. Mr. Pendleton arrived as a complete stranger, introduced solely by letter, and sat at the far end of the room while Bazett held the pencil.
- Real-Time Interaction: Rather than waiting passively, Mr. Pendleton spoke aloud, asking: “Daisy, will you give your father a message?” Bazett’s hand immediately and rapidly wrote: “My daddy, my daddy”, establishing an instantaneous, real-time vocal dialogue.
- Family Nuances & Mirror Writing:
- The script spontaneously identified her brother Dickie as her “great love” who was “a sad boy”. Mr. Pendleton confirmed Dickie was her favorite brother, who had been deeply saddened and bewildered by her sudden death.
- When the father asked how many teeth the infant baby had, the pencil responded: “Yes, teeth number 3… I think. And you were pleased.” Notably, the pencil drew the number ‘3’ as a mirror image first, followed immediately by a correct ‘3’.
- The script produced two distinct drawings: “My horse wot I rode” and “Pussy fluffy with big tail”, which Mr. Pendleton verified as accurate representations of two of her former pet animals.
- The communication closed with intimate familial phrasing: “Give my love to Dickie, and be my own Daddy still. Daisy.”
- Contrast with Physical Absence: Demonstrating the direct influence of physical proximity, Mr. Pendleton subsequently submitted additional questions by post. However, the answers obtained while he was physically absent proved unsatisfactory on the whole, underscoring the crucial role played by the sitter’s presence in the room.
2.2. Case 2: Kenneth Alderton
Mrs. Alderton was introduced to Bazett through Miss H. A. Dallas, an Associate of the Society for Psychical Research. Mrs. Alderton attended multiple sittings to communicate with her deceased son, Kenneth, yielding exceptionally detailed evidential clues.
- Geographic & Name Clues: Prior to meeting Mrs. Alderton in person, Bazett obtained advance clues through her pencil, including: “Sandgate send to…” and “Mother has three children”. Mrs. Alderton was traveling to Sandgate (Folkestone) at the time, a place where Kenneth had spent cherished holidays. During the sitting itself, the script added: “Rachel is well; say she believes in her daughter’s faith…”, correctly identifying Mrs. Alderton’s late mother, Rachel.
- Visual & Personal Evidence:
- The script abruptly inquired: “Which face is fuller?” This puzzled Bazett until Mrs. Alderton explained that she was carrying two pocket photographs of Kenneth taken a year apart, one showing a distinctly fuller face than the other.
- On August 4, 1917, while Mrs. Alderton was absent, the script noted: “Alderton has seen his father at his work Golden… Gold”, referencing his father’s recent work at a location called the “Gold Fields.”
- The script observed that his mother was a “great player of game, chess” and encouraged her to play again (she had abandoned the game after his death, as he was her primary partner). It also referenced his musical preference for playing “lente”.
- Shared Memories & Acquaintances:
- The script recalled an old family friend, “Ruth”, and a trip involving “Ship… India…”, referencing an early childhood journey where luggage was nearly lost while Ruth took care of Kenneth.
- It named deceased schoolmates, including “Leep has died, do you know?” (referencing a schoolfellow whose surname began with ‘Lep’ who had recently passed away).
- The “John” Anomaly & Evidential Rigor: The script stated: “Mother, I am, here, my friend, too, is here, John…. My mother met him at Sandgate once, long ago.” Mrs. Alderton initially noted a discrepancy: while Kenneth had a dear friend named John who died shortly after him, she had not met him at Sandgate. Rather than suppressing this error, Bazett recorded the flaw in full. In a subsequent session with another psychic, the communicator clarified that he had mentioned John previously, but it had been “coupled with a wrong suggestion” by the medium. Bazett’s inclusion of this subtle correction demonstrates her commitment to reporting evidential flaws rather than filtering data.
2.3. Case 3: Mr. Graham M. Marston
Marion Marston, the second daughter of the late Graham M. Marston (who died in December 1916), sat directly on a sofa beside Bazett to communicate with her father. Following her mother’s early death, Mr. Marston had served as both father and mother to his children, creating an extraordinarily close bond.
- Familial Identifiers: The script immediately produced his correct Christian name, “Graham M.”, referenced her grandfather “Bill” (William), and inquired after her elder sister Ida (“her back is well?”), who had recently recovered from back trouble. It also noted that Ida possessed a unique, family-specific way of pronouncing “Dad”.
- Personal Habits & Intimate Memories:
- The script remarked: “My handshake was better for Marion’s teaching”, alluding to Mr. Marston’s habit of squeezing hands very tightly and Marion’s gentle efforts to teach him a less painful grip.
- It addressed Marion by his personal pet name for her, “Lassie”.
- Matching the physical environment of the sitting, the pencil wrote: “Natural to be by a sofa… I sat in the corner of one so much, Lassie, did not I?”, referencing their shared habit of sitting together on a specific sofa in their former home.
- Specific Evidence:
- First Wife Details: The script noted “Mother has lost her baldness”, referencing Marion’s mother (Mr. Marston’s first wife), who had lost her hair during her final illness to her husband’s great sorrow. It also accurately described her wearing a dressing gown sized “between a blue and a green”.
- Floral Preferences: The communicator asked for “sweet violets” (noting the scent helped) and listed his favorite flowers: “Golden tree-lupins” and “white globe tolerus-flower” (which Bazett verified via a gardening index as “trollius” / Globe-flower).
- Tonic & Rendezvous Memory: The script recommended that Marion take a “pink mixture” tonic she formerly used at home. Furthermore, it recalled a specific event from when Marion was 17: while away from home, “She (Marion) missed me” (failed to connect with him at their planned meeting place) while waiting for him. Once reunited late at night, “we missed tram-car” together, getting home after 11:00 p.m. and causing her nervous father intense anxiety. Marion verified every detail of this recollection.
2.4. Summary Matrix of In-Person Case Evidence
| Communicator & Sitter Present | Key Evidential Items Verified | Unique Characteristics of Sitting |
|---|---|---|
| Daisy Pendleton *(Sitter: Mr. Pendleton, Father)* | • Brother Dickie identified as favorite, “sad boy” • Baby’s teeth (“number 3” drawn in mirror image first) • Verified drawings of pet horse and fluffy cat | Only child communicator in Bazett’s records. Sitter sat at far end of room and asked spoken questions; subsequent questions sent by letter while absent failed. |
| Kenneth Alderton *(Sitter: Mrs. Alderton, Mother)* | • Advance clues: “Sandgate” and “Mother has three children” • Grandmother “Rachel” • “Which face is fuller?” referencing two pocket photos • Father’s work at “Gold Fields” • Mother’s abandoned chess playing and music (lente) • Lost luggage on India trip with “Ruth” • Schoolmates “Leep” (Lep) and “John” (with mediumistic anomaly recorded) | Included spontaneous advance clues given prior to sitter’s arrival and during her absence, alongside rich real-time dialogue when present. |
| Mr. Graham M. Marston *(Sitter: Marion Marston, Daughter)* | • Correct name (“Graham M.”) and grandfather “Bill” • Habit of sitting in sofa corner and pet name “Lassie” • Sister Ida’s back recovery and unique pronunciation of “Dad” • First wife’s baldness in illness and blue-green gown • Specific flowers: violets, tree-lupins, “tolerus-flower” (trollius) • Recommendation of “pink mixture” tonic • Detailed memory of missed rendezvous and missed late tram at age 17 | Sitter sat directly on a sofa beside Bazett; yielded an exceptionally dense array of specific household, medical, and historical details. |
3. Theoretical Significance & Psychical Analysis
- Enhanced Evidential Vibrancy & Emotional Connection: The physical presence of a living relative introduces an immediate emotional warmth and conversational fluidity that is largely absent in distant sittings. Rather than generating sparse or purely factual items, sittings with relatives yield pet names (“Lassie”, “girlie”), private jokes, physical mannerisms (such as handshaking habits), and intimate household memories. Proximity acts as a catalyst, transforming mechanical transmissions into vibrant personal interactions.
- Role of Physical Presence as Energy/Focus: Comparative analysis across Bazett’s work suggests that physical proximity provides a necessary focal point or energy channel for spirit transmission. This dynamic is sharply illustrated in the case of Daisy Pendleton: while her in-person sitting produced immediate, coherent, and interactive responses to spoken questions, her father’s subsequent attempt to submit written questions by post yielded unsatisfactory results. The physical sitting appears to supply emotional rapport, mental focus, or mediumistic energy that enables clear communication.
- Living Telepathy vs. Discarnate Agency: A major theoretical problem in psychical research is determining whether automatic writing represents telepathy from the living sitter or genuine discarnate agency. The cases in Chapter III present strong evidence favoring the discarnate hypothesis through unprompted, spontaneous statements. Kenneth Alderton produced the geographic clue “Sandgate” and the statement “Mother has three children” before his mother arrived, and referenced his father’s work at the “Gold Fields” while his mother was absent. Similarly, Mr. Marston brought up the “pink mixture” tonic and the missed-tram incident without conscious prompting from his daughter. Because these details were introduced spontaneously by the script rather than extracted through active questioning, they support the hypothesis of an independent, surviving mind.
4. Conclusion & Key Takeaways
L. M. Bazett’s systematic study of sittings where living relatives were present provides invaluable comparative data for psychical research. By evaluating these interactive sittings alongside those where sitters were absent, Bazett successfully balanced scientific record-keeping with deeply personal human experiences.
The primary conclusion of Chapter III is that physical proximity between a living sitter and the medium significantly enhances real-time verification, emotional clarity, and spontaneous dialogue. By enabling immediate vocal questioning and live validation, these cases overcome the limitations of absent-sitter correspondence, making Chapter III among the most evidentially compelling sections in Bazett’s historical records.
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