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Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding (6 March 1867 – 8 February 1936) best known as Everard Feilding was an English barrister, naval intelligence officer and Parapsychology.
Feilding served as a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and worked for the British Intelligence Staff in Egypt and Palestine (1915–1919).Forster, Edward Morgan. (2008). The Creator as Critic and Other Writings by E.M. Forster. Dundurn Group Ltd. p. 490. Churton, Tobias. (2011). Aleister Crowley: The Biography. Watkins Publishing. p. 33. Gliddon, Gerald. (2002). The Aristocracy and the Great War. Gliddon Books. p. 390. "The 9th Earl's brother, Francis (1867–1936), educated at Trinity College, Cambridge joined the Royal Navy and served as an officer in the RNVR with the Intelligence Division in Egypt and Palestine 1915–19. He was made an OBE (Mil) in 1919." Feilding married the psychic medium Stanisława Tomczyk in 1919. "Francis Henry Everard Feilding". Biographical Dictionary of Parapsychology. It is alleged by biographers that he was a friend of the occultist Aleister Crowley.
Psychical researcher Eric Dingwall wrote that Feilding was a "member of one of the most distinguished Catholic families in England" and was "one of the most acute investigators of alleged supernormal phenomena that this country has ever produced."Eric Dingwall. (1962). Very Peculiar People. University Books. p. 108
Frank Podmore in his book The Newer Spiritualism (1910) wrote a comprehensive critique of their report. Podmore said that the report provided insufficient information for crucial moments and the investigators representation of the witness accounts contained contradictions and inconsistencies as to who was holding Palladino's feet and hands. Podmore found that the accounts among the investigators conflicted as to who they claimed to have observed the incident. Podmore wrote that the report "at almost every point leaves obvious loopholes for trickery." The psychologist C. E. M. Hansel criticised the report based on the conditions of the séances being susceptible to trickery. Hansel noted that they were performed in semi-dark conditions, held in the late night or early morning introducing the possibility of fatigue and the "investigators had a strong belief in the supernatural, hence they would be emotionally involved."Hansel, C. E. M. (1980). ESP and Parapsychology: A Critical Re-Evaluation. Prometheus Books. pp. 60–61.
Although originally convinced of her alleged powers, Feilding attended séances with Palladino in 1910 with the magician William S. Marriott and concluded her mediumship was fraudulent.Christopher, Milbourne. (1971). ESP, Seers & Psychics. Crowell. p. 201.
Paul Kurtz has noted that "Skeptic's question the first Feilding report because in a subsequent test by Feilding and other tests by scientists, Palladino had been caught cheating."Bullough, Vern L; Madigan, Timothy J. (1994). Toward a New Enlightenment: The Philosophy of Paul Kurtz. Transaction Publishers. p. 159.
In 1915, Feilding returned to Mirebeau. He made several visits to Vachère's home.Joe Nickell. (1993). Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures. Prometheus Books. pp. 59–60. The oleograph had been placed in his chapel. Feilding found that it was wet but he did not directly observe the picture to have bled. As a test, he locked the chapel door and placed a slip of paper in the hinge. He discovered hours later that although the picture was wet, the paper had been dislodged. The evidence was negative but Feilding did not believe Vachère was guilty of deception.
In 1920, Feilding and his wife visited Vachère. This time he alleged that a small statue of Jesus in the chapel had also bled. Feilding and his wife investigated this claim. His wife suspected that Vachère sprinkled water on the picture from a small pot she found behind some flowers in the room.The Case of Abbé Vachère. Transactions of the Fourth International Congress for Psychical Research. Athens, 1930. Feilding took a blood sample and this time the results showed it was human blood. He did not come to any definite conclusion but because of the evidence suggestive of fraud, sceptics have dismissed the case as a hoax.
Feilding with W. W. Baggally exposed the materialization medium Christopher Chambers as a fraud in 1905. A false moustache was discovered in the séance room which he used to fabricate the spirit materialisations.Richard Wiseman. (1997). Deception & Self-Deception: Investigating Psychics. Prometheus Books. p. 23. In 1911, Feilding attended two séance sittings with the medium Etta Wriedt. He suspected that the phenomena may have been fraudulent. He was "specifically excluded" from attending further séances with Wriedt.Benjamin Wolman. (1977). Handbook of Parapsychology. Van Nostrand. p. 314.
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