VISIONS OF ANGELS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 150, 6 April 1933, Page 8

VISIONS OF ANGELS

ENGLISH COUNTRY PARISH. DISCOVERIES IN CHURCH. Tidings were spread throughout East Anglia recently of a dramatic addition to a series of mysterious happenings in the Church of England parish of Middleton. A seven-year-old boy, who, it is declared, has in the past few w r eeks received messages in his dreams from a shining vision of a woman, told his parents lately that "the lady arrived again." She had told him, he said, that at certain spots in the walls of the church there were two concealed hagioscopes, holes through which the 14th-century lepers used to look during service. The boy is Francis Thornber, the son of the church organist. Since he first received a dream message he has become strangely temperamental and only reveals his dreams when the mood affects him. His visitant it is said, had previously indicated the position of other hagioscopes in the church, and they have been uncovered at exact spots pointed out by him. News of his last dream was given to the rector of Middleton, the Rev. Clive Luget, wdio tried to locate the spy holes by prodding likely places in the wall with a sharp instrument. After a long and vain search he decided to wait until Francis was in the mood to indicate the spots. The boy's dreams are not the only supernatural manifestation reported at this old village. The rector, the organist and several villagers testify that on many occasions they have seen beautiful visions of angels by day and night both inside and outside the church. "I and several boy and girl members of the choir saw angels passing across the sky at about 8.30 one night, recently." The rector is a middle-aged grey-haired man who is deeply respected by his parishioners. The villagers have been so awed by the strange happenings that few can be persuaded to talk. However, a 16-year-old boy said that he was one of the first in the parish to see the "visions. " "I was in the dining ioom at the rectory," he said, "when I saw the figure of a woman on the lawn outside. She radiated a beautiful bluish light and wore a close-fitting head-dress like a nun's. I was very frightened. I said nothing about it until the rector came into the room ten minutes later and also noticed the figure outside. He pointed it out and I then told him that I had already, seen it." Meanwhile Middleton Church is becoming a mecca of sightseers. There has been a constant procession of visitors from far and near.