Allan Barham

Allan Barham (1912–1989), an Anglican vicar, wrote and lectured extensively about psi phenomena, as well as taking part in psychokinesis experiments.

Career

Allan Berridge Barham received a bachelor of divinity degree from London University in 1936, then worked as a missionary and teacher in India. On his return to the UK he was appointed vicar of several Midland parishes. He also lectured extensively in schools and colleges.

Psychical Research

Barham was a member of the Society for Psychical Research, the College of Psychic Studies and other similar bodies. He was appointed chairman of the committee of the Churches’ Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies and of the organization’s Speakers Panel for Schools and Colleges.

Barham held wide-ranging paranormal interests, in particular psychokinesis.1 He was a member of the Daventry Group, an experimental group which held table levitation sittings under the direction of Colin Brookes-Smith between 1971 and 1972, with the aim of using electronic instruments to measure the mechanical forces and other variables at work.2 According to Brookes-Smith, Barham’s contribution was significant.3 He continued to work with Brookes-Smith and in the 1980s carried out similar experiments in his own home.4 He was particularly intrigued by the earlier work of William Crawford, who investigated psychokinetic phenomena associated with a mediumistic circle;5 however, his book on Crawford was unfinished at his death.

Barham was personally acquainted with well-known mediums of the day, including Grace Roscher, Ena Twigg and Rosemary Brown, whom he wrote about in his popular book Strange to Relate.6 This also contains chapters to other subjects, such as non-medical healing, Queen Victoria and Spiritualism, and the Shroud of Turin. (When the book received a mild complaint about part of its content7 Barham defended it vigorously in subsequent correspondence.8) A second book, Life Unlimited,9 explored the survival of the personality beyond death from a psychical viewpoint.

Works

Books

Strange to Relate (1984). Gerrards Cross, UK: Colin Smythe.

Life Unlimited: Persistence of Personality Beyond Death (1982). Hythe, UK: Volturna Press.

Book Chapter

The nature of life after death (1973). In Life, Death and Psychical Research ed. by. J.D. Pearce-Higgins and G. Stanley Whitby, 210-21. London: Rider and Company,

Articles

Correspondence (1981). Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 51, 195-96.

Dr. W.J. Crawford, his work and his legacy in psychokinesis (1988). Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 55, 113-38.

The Crawford legacy, part 2: Recent research in macro-PK with special reference to the work of Batcheldor and Brookes-Smith (1988). Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 55, 196-207.

Melvyn Willin

Literature

Barham, A. (1981). Correspondence. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 51, 195-96.

Barham, A. (1984). Strange to Relate. Gerrards Cross, UK: Colin Smythe.

Barham, A. (1982). Life Unlimited: Persistence of Personality Beyond Death (1982). Hythe, UK: Volturna Press.

Barham, A. (1988). Dr. W.J. Crawford, his work and his legacy in psychokinesis. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 55, 113-38.

Barham, A. (1988). The Crawford legacy, part 2: Recent research in macro-pk with special reference to the work of Batcheldor and Brookes-Smith. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 55, 196-207.

Brookes-Smith, C. (1973). Data-tape recorded experimental PK phenomena. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 47, 69-89.

Brookes-Smith, C. (1976). Some long-range ESP propagation experiments. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 48, 269-92.

Cherry, C. (1990). Obituary: William Allan Berridge Barham. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 56, 124-25.

Perry, M. (1981). Book review: Strange to Relate by A. Barham. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 51, 109.

Endnotes

Footnotes

- 1. Cherry (1990), 124-25.

- 2. Brookes-Smith (1973), 69.

- 3. Brookes-Smith (1976), 288.

- 4. Cherry (1990), 125.

- 5. Barham (1988), 113-38; 196-207.

- 6. Barham (1984).

- 7. Perry (1981), 109.

- 8. Barham (1981), 195-96.

- 9. Barham (1982).

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