Mr David Farrant & Bishop Seán Manchester

David Farrant wearing one of his anti-Bishop Manchester T-shirts.

David Robert Donovan Farrant (born 23 January 1946) resides at the same attic bedsitting room in Muswell Hill Road, London, that was found for him when he was released on parole in July 1976 after serving a term of imprisonment for threatening people with black magic, malicious vandalism and tomb desecration at Highgate Cemetery. Bar a couple of weeks doing unskilled work when young, he has been in receipt of means-tested state benefits for most of his life. Much of this existence has been spent waging vendettas against those he dislikes, which he achieves chiefly by manufacturing fraudulent stories (usually with himself at the centre) that help feed his compulsive attention-seeking and craving for publicity in all forms of media.

One person stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to abuse and harassment at the hands of Farrant who has spent the last four decades disseminating gross defamation about this particular human being; seeking to cause him maximum insult and injury. Family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances of this man have not been immune from Farrant’s venom, having received poisonous pamphlets through the post as well as some of them being maligned themselves in these hate tracts which often include infringed images stolen from books and websites. Farrant’s life-long target for abuse is also the subject of his “Bishop Bonkers” T-shirt, as illustrated in the image at the top of this page. The infantile insult on Farrant's T-shirt is aimed, of course, at the well known author and exorcist Bishop Seán Manchester who first met Farrant in 1970, but has had no contact with him since the 1980s when their last meeting took place following threats made by Farrant on the bishop. Seán Manchester’s adversary nowadays proclaims: "I dare to say that ridiculous ‘fanged vampires’ simply do not exist! If there is any ‘feud’ at all, that is the main reason for it: simply because I have said publicly – and repeatedly – that such entities simply do not exist." His words appear on Andrew Gough's Arcadia. Are they true? Not as far as Seán Manchester is concerned. The bad blood between them, according to the bishop, was triggered in late 1970 when Farrant made black magic telephone threats to someone known to him (but not to the bishop) who later committed suicide. Farrant attempted to convince his victim and her husband that Seán Manchester was the offender. The couple at first fell prey to Farrant’s attempt to frame Seán Manchester, but they were only persuaded temporarily. This nevetheless led to an assault on Seán Manchester at the entrance to the north London offices of the British Occult Society and a subsequent court case which Seán Manchester won. It was during this case that Seán Manchester learned about the black magic threats and realised what had happened. Farrant sat grinning inanely in the public gallery as it slowly dawned upon him. This is where four decades of antipathy has its origin.

The Right Reverend Seán Manchester, Bishop of Glastonbury.

David Farrant claims that he first met Seán Manchester in “late 1967.” Seán Manchester is adamant that he first met David Farrant in "early 1970." Farrant conveniently slips all manner of unsubstantiated allegations into this three years discrepancy. For example, Farrant has latterly claimed he was entertained with a screening of an 8mm horror movie made by and starring Seán Manchester, and that the papier mache vampire he claims appears in the movie is what also appears in photographs of the corporeal shell of the exorcised vampire in Seán Manchester's account The Highgate Vampire (Gothic Press, 1991) and in television programmes featuring images from that book. Seán Manchester strenuously denies this and invites anyone who saw such a movie as described by Farrant to come forward and be identified. He states that no such movie was made; that Farrant was not someone he would have ever considered entertaining in his home; and that, even when they did eventually become acquainted in March 1970, he only visited David Farrant at Tony Hill's coal bunker in Archway Road and later, following Farrant's term in jail, an attic bedsitting room in Muswell Hill Road.

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David Farrant, on the other hand, alleges in an entry on his blog for 2 July 2009:

“I first met [Seán Manchester] in late 1967 in a pub called The Woodman in Highgate. I had brought Mary back from Spain to London in March 1967 after she had discovered that she was pregnant. We got married in a Roman Catholic Church in September 1967 and it was around this time that we used to frequent The Woodman pub just across the road from where we were living in Highgate. Mary had become friendly with a young mother nicknamed ‘Zibby’ who was married to a man named Tony [Hill] and sometimes the four of us would go into The Woodman and spend a few hours there. Now, at this time, a small trio jazz band used to play in the Saloon bar from a make-shift wooden platform at the back. There was somebody on drums, an electric guitarist and another individual [Seán Manchester] who played the saxophone.”

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There is no mention of them meeting so far. In Farrant’s self-published “autobiography,” however, which first made its appearance in 2009, he claims: “I learned that he had an avid interest in ‘ghosts’ and the supernatural, although he was later to say that his ‘speciality’ was vampires. He suggested that we must all meet up again when he wasn’t playing, and have a chat about the subject.”

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This claim is contradicted by Mary Farrant who denies her husband's interest in the supernatural at this time or indeed him knowing Seán Manchester in person even if he heard Tony Hill mention him. She might eventually have become aware of Seán Manchester from whatever Tony Hill told her when they spent six months living together. She met him only once when Hill and Mary called on Seán Manchester when they first "eloped." They wanted him to put them up for the night, but Seán Manchester would not become involved. He was also acquainted with Elizabeth Hill and did not want to feel compromised.

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Farrant could have learned of Seán Manchester’s paranormal interests from Hill with whom Farrant was only superficially acquainted at the time due to Hill’s increasing interest in Farrant's wife who worked as a barmaid in the evenings at The Woodman; though Hill would have known nothing about any case his old employer was involved in. Seán Manchester was neither acquainted with Farrant or Farrant’s wife, Mary, but knew Tony Hill from the time Hill worked part-time in Seán Manchester’s darkroom in the 1960s when the latter ran a photographic studio. Hill was also employed in the mornings as a milkman in North West London.

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Tony Hill and Mary Farrant became an item and “eloped” for six months. Seán Manchester did not personally know David Farrant, but was vaguely aware of having seen Mary work as a barmaid and met her just once when Hill ran off with her for six months. When Hill returned to his wife and Mary returned briefly to her husband it was not long before Farrant was declared bankrupt and became evicted from his flat. By which time Mary Farrant had left her husband with their two children and returned to her parents in Southampton. The next time Farrant saw her was at the Old Bailey in June 1974 when she was called as a defence witness on his behalf. Mary confirmed under oath that her husband had no interest in ghosts, witchcraft or the occult, and that Farrant's visits to Highgate Cemetery were for "a bit of a laugh and a joke and to look round." Court reports of Mary Farrant’s testimony published in newspapers in June 1974 can be found at the foot of this page.

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Seán Manchester’s version of events is recorded in his introduction to The Vampire Hunter’s Handbook (Gothic Press, 1997):

“It was whilst blowing a long jazz solo on the tenor saxophone in The Woodman, Highgate, where [Farrant’s] wife worked some evenings as a barmaid, that Farrant first caught sight of me in 1968. I would remain oblivious of him, however, until the beginning of the next decade. Who knows what went through his mind as he listened to my improvised harmonic structures, accompanied by a perspiring rhythm section, in that dimly lit venue for modern jazz aficionados? It was not his kind of music, but he mentioned it when I interviewed him in 1970.”

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On pages 62-63 of The Vampire Hunter’s Handbook, Seán Manchester reveals:

“His alleged sightings of the vampire were to coincide with the time when he was ensconced in [Tony Hill’s] coal cellar. His wife was gone and so were the people who had helped him squander his money. His interest was not the occult at this time, but pub-crawling and the collecting of exotic birds; mostly cockatoos, parrots and macaws. This earned him the nickname ‘Birdman.’ Ironically, Hill had the nickname ‘Eggman.’ Relishing the attention he was now receiving, following his alleged sightings of a vampire, he took foolish risks and ended up being arrested in August 1970 for being in an enclosed area for an unlawful purpose. His ‘vampire hunting’ days were over.”

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The Hampstead & Highgate Express, 6 March 1970, records the first meeting of David Farrant and Seán Manchester on its front page, under the banner headline “Why Do The Foxes Die?” The newspaper recounts:

“David Farrant … returned to the spot last weekend and disovered a dead fox. 'Several other foxes have also been found dead in the cemetery,' he said at his home in Priestwood Mansions, Archway Road, Highgate. 'The odd thing is there was no outward sign of how they died. Much remains unexplained, but what I have recently learnt all points to the vampire theory being the most likely answer. Should this be so, I for one am prepared to pursue it, taking whatever means might be necessary so that we can all rest.' The vampire theory was suggested last week by Mr Seán Manchester, president of the British Occult Society. … Mr Farrant and Mr Manchester met in the cemetery at the weekend.”

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The British Occult Society (1860-1988) was an investigation bureau which existed solely for the purpose of examining occult claims and alleged paranormal activity. It gave birth to the Vampire Research Society, which still survives, on 2 February 1970. Farrant carried out his threat to "pursue [the vampire], taking whatever means might be necessary" and was arrested on the night of 17 August 1970. The Daily Express, 19 August 1970, reveals Farrant’s explanation:

"‘My intention was to search out the supernatural being and destroy it by plunging the stake [found in his possession when arrested in Highgate Cemetery by police] in its heart.’" The report continues: "David Farrant pleaded guilty at Clerkenwell, London, to entering St Michael's churchyard, Highgate Cemetery, for an unlawful purpose. Farrant told police he had just moved to London when he heard people talking about the vampire in Highgate Cemetery. In a statement he said that he heard the vampire rises out of a grave and wanders about the cemetery on the look-out for human beings on whose blood it thrives. Police keeping watch for followers of a black magic cult arrested him. He was remanded in custody for reports. Last night, Mr Seán Manchester, leader of the British Occult Society, said: ‘I am convinced that a vampire exists in Highgate Cemetery. Local residents and passers-by have reported seeing a ghostlike figure of massive proportions near the north gate.’"

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View Farrant's latter-day self-revelations in a French television interview he gave in 2008. Click to view N

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The video begins with a French diabolist who befriended Farrant in 1980. Together they concocted all manner of skullduggery for media consumption and their own self-aggrandisement. The shambling shell of Farrant shuffles onto the screen some minutes into the video as he nervously speaks from outside the gates of Highgate Cemetery. Next is a scene at his Muswell Hill bedsitting room where viewers are shown photograph albums containing naked females he had duped into his malefic publicity stunts involving phoney witchcraft and pseudo-occultism. One of these wretched creatures is Martine de Sacy whose nude image in a mausoleum containing satanic symbols became vital evidence for the successful prosecution of Farrant at London's Old Bailey. This pathetic man appears oblivious to the implication of what he is displaying on screen and is clearly without any remorse. An arch-deceiver who always attempts to turns everything into something it is not, David Robert Donovan Farrant might make an interesting case study for the psychiatrist in search of a project concerning narcissistic personality disorders, or a priest specialising in the examination of demonic possession brought about by compulsive dabbling in pseudo-occultism for publicity, but is otherwise tedious and boring.

A chronicle of Farrant's obsessive publicity-seeking and descent into darkness can be viewed by clicking on the following photograph (taken by Tony Hill in August 1970) of David Farrant hunting the legendary vampire at Highgate Cemetery with a cross comprising two sticks tied together with a shoe-lace in one hand and a crudely fashioned wooden stake in the other. Due to spurious complaints from Farrant and his tiny clique of internet misfits this material carries a “content warning,” which is bizarre in the circumstances, but can nonetheless be viewed:

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Seán Manchester’s ministry has concentrated on healing, exorcism and the provision of an outreach to those enmeshed in diabolism and darkness. Over the years he has appeared in many film documentaries and innumerable television programmes. He is the author of several books, some of which deal with the case of the Highgate Vampire and the growing problem of the dark occult. He has also written historical biographies, a treatise on the British Church, and a novel based on some of the untold history at Highgate in the last century.

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Link to Seán Manchester on Facebook, MySpace and YouTube by clicking on the image of him at Glastonbury Tor (near the top of this page). To view some of his current books (available from Gothic Press from where they can be ordered) click on the images below from newspapers that record David Farrant’s vampire hunting exploits. The Evening News (below, left) referred to him as “Allan Farrant” in their caption because he had given police the false name of “Allan Farrow” when arrested. He was also known locally as “Allan.” Some newspapers reported him as “Farrow” while others managed to unearth his correct name, ie “Farrant.” The Evening News, 29 September 1970, settled for the hybrid “Allan Farrant.” His correct name is “David Farrant.”

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David Farrant published on his personal blog, 2 July 2009: "I first met [Seán Manchester] in late 1967 in a pub called the Woodman in Highgate." However, on the same blog one week later, 9 July 2009, Farrant claimed: "You asked how I first actually spoke to [Seán Manchester] ... I believe it was in early 1969." Such revisionism and the layering of one falsehood on top of another is reminiscent of Farrant's self-proclaimed sightings of the vampire phenomenon at Highgate Cemetery. His earliest published statement was in the form of a letter he wrote to the editor of the Hampstead & Highgate Express which appeared on 6 February 1970. In that published letter, Farrant claims to have witnessed "a grey figure" no less than three times:

"The first occasion was on Christmas Eve. ... The second sighting, a week later, was also brief. Last week, the figure appeared, only a few yards inside the gates. ... I have no knowledge in this field and I would be interested to hear if any other readers have seen anything of this nature."

If we roll forward some thirty years and read Farrant's self-published pamphlets, forum messages and blog comments, we discover he claims to have had only two sightings. Now roll forward almost four decades from that first letter to a local newspaper and listen to an interview Farrant gave on a blogtalk radio in 2009. He now apparently claims to have had only one sighting of what became known as the Highgate Vampire. That, at least, is what he told Steve Genier when interviewed in June 2009. He would reiterate “one sighting” when interviewed by Andrew Gough for Arcadia later in the same year.The reality is rather more prosaic. Farrant probably had no sightings and merely boarded what he perceived to be a convenient publicity bandwagon.

Let us return to Farrant's blog of 9 July 2009 because in it he continues when he allegedly met Seán Manchester in "early 1969" (having suddenly revised his "late 1967" claim from a week earlier):

"He [Seán Manchester] said that the ‘ghost’ I had been reported as witnessing at Highgate Cemetery might indeed be one such ‘real’ vampire!"

Yet David Farrant first "reported" his ghostly apparition in February 1970, not late 1969. And he did so to the Hampstead & Highgate Express. This was his overture in the press prior to which he had not reported anything to anyone. The casual observer is obliged to agree that Seán Manchester and David Farrant first met in March 1970 and that their meeting came about solely because of the latter’s alleged sightings of a spectral figure in a letter he had published in the Hampstead & Highgate Express. According to Tony Hill, that letter was an attempt by Farrant to hoax a ghost story in his local newspaper after having heard tales in the pubs he frequented of a vampire said to haunt Highgate Cemetery. These tales of a vampire had been circulating for many years. Farrant’s “ghost” was entirely an invention of his own. In early 1970 he took to wearing ghost-like make-up and frightening people as they walked past the graveyard. This was one of the “silly games” he played which Mary Farrant referred to when she appeared as a defence witness at the Old Bailey in June 1974. Little did Farrant realise that, while he was playing at being a “ghost,” a genuine supernatural entity lurked nearby …

David Farrant in February 1970 playing games as a “ghost” at Highgate Cemetery. (Copyright © protected images)

Things began to spiral downwards at an alarming rate as Farrant turned to what ostensibly appeared to be diabolism, but in truth was just further attention-seeking for the sake of the media. He nonetheless engaged in theatrical stunts of an occult nature in churchyards, cemeteries, woods and derelict houses which took on an increasingly satanic appearance. This led to him being charged, tried and convicted for offences which included malicious vandalism to tombs, interfering with and offering indignity to remains of the dead through the use of black magic, and attempting to pervert the course of justice by threatening police witnesses with voodoo death dolls impaled with pins. By which time Seán Manchester decided to get to know him properly for the purpose of discovering exactly what was going on and to try and resolve whatever lay behind the enmity evinced toward him. This occurred some time after Farrant had invited what he describes as a "satanic force" to enter him in a necromantic ritual he claims to have staged at Highgate Cemetery in 1971 with a naked female. The ritual is described at length by Farrant in an article he wrote while serving a four years’ eight months’ prison sentence. It was published in the fourth issue of New Witchcraft magazine. The person Seán Manchester discovered was nevertheless a phoney who believed only in his own self-aggrandisement and the amount of newsprint his manufactured stunts might achieve; a man, moreover, who did not believe in his own rectitude. So, rather than resolve anything, Seán Manchester getting to know Farrant only served to make matters worse because Farrant understood that someone who was aware of his insincerity and fakery now had evidence. Seán Manchester has all along not ruled out the possibility that by engaging in theatrical Satanism and phoney witchcraft for the benefit of newspapers Farrant might very well have become possessed by something demonic in the process.

Further details can be found in The Highgate Vampire, From Satan To Christ, and The Vampire Hunter’s Handbook. Click on each of these titles, or order directly from the publisher by clicking here: Gothic Press.