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UFO's
in Derbyshire, a 28 minute documentary video
(Partially funded by an Otis Faculty Development Grant)
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Dr. Heather Joseph-Witham, Folklorist.
Associate Professor, Liberal Arts & Sciences Department:
I traveled to Derbyshire to film interviews with
many ufo sightees. I have been visiting relatives in the rural region
of Derbyshire in Northern England for a number of years. I usually
stay with family in a 500 person strong village called Winster.
The surrounding countryside has pastoral rolling hills, flocks of
lambs, occasional pot-bellied pigs and numerous tors and circles
of druidic standing stones. Traditional cultural activities and
beliefs are highly prized in Winster and its surrounding villages.
Such customs include summer carnival and English folk Morris dancing,
well-dressings, Christmas mummer plays and local churches that risk
schism with the Anglican church by refusing all female vicars sent
their way. Of course, normal 21st century life exists, with satellite
dishes and cars, and more recently - UFO sightings.
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Incredibly, every other person I ask in Derbyshire claims to have
seen a UFO. In England, it is well-known that Derbyshire is the
new UFO 'hotspot'. I interviewed individuals from Winster and nearby
Bonsall Moor who have seen flying objects, as well as one person
who saw aliens. I also visited and filmed at the Barley Mow pub
at Bonsall which has become a hub for UFO interest. Each person
I interviewed had a completely different experience. Some saw flying
triangles, some saucers, others saw cigar-shaped flying vehicles
or odd hovering lights. Each was convinced that what they saw was
not of earthly origin and believed they were in Derbyshire due to
the large amount of minerals in the soil and the relative tranquility
and quiet of the countryside.
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I believe that these sightings and their accompanying narratives
are not new, but rather the continuation and modernization of old
English traditional beliefs in Faeries and will o' the wisps. People
have reported sightings of strange, fiery lights at lead mines in
Derbyshire for centuries. Additionally, many have experienced strange
things at standing stone circles, on windswept moors, and at many
other Derbyshire sites. I absolutely accept that my informants had
very real experiences. I also believe that these experiences are
interpreted in a manner consistent with the zeitgeist of the times.
Perhaps yesterday's ghost-lights and firedrakes are today's UFO's.
For further information about screening or purchase: hwitham@otis.edu |
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