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Tom Corbett's Stately Ghosts of England
Book by Norman, Diana
190 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
Diana Norman
32 books150 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
British journalist Diana Norman also writes as Ariana Franklin.
Born Mary Diana Narracott, she grew up first in London and then in Devon, where her mother took her to escape the blitz. At the age of 15, she left school, but with journalism in her background (her father had been a Times correspondent)and her hardy intelligence, the lack of formal education proved no barrier and by 17 she was n London, working on a local newspaper in the East End.
Headhunted at 20 by the Daily Herald, Norman became the youngest reporter on Fleet Street, covering royal visits, donning camouflage to go on exercise with the Royal Marines, and missing her 21st birthday party because she was covering a murder on the south coast. When she protested about this to the news editor, she was told: "Many happy returns. Now get down to Southampton." Diana Norman became, at twenty years of age, the youngest reporter on what used to be Fleet Street.
She married the film critic Barry Norman in 1957, and they settled in Hertfordshire with their two daughters. She began writing fiction shortly after her second daughter was born. Her first book of fiction, Fitzempress's Law, was chosen by Frank Delaney of BBC Radio 4's Bookshelf as the best example of a historical novel of its year. She is now a freelance journalist, as well as a writer of biographies and historical novels.
She died at the age of 77 on January 27, 2011. She was best known for her historical crime series featuring the 12th-century medical examiner Adelia Aguilar, written under the pen name of Ariana Franklin. The first book in the series, Mistress of the Art of Death, was published to critical acclaim in 2007 and won the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award in the UK, as well as prizes in the US and Sweden.
Norman is survived by her husband, their daughters, Samantha and Emma, and three grandsons. Mr. Norman wrote a wonderful tribute to his wife.
• Diana Norman, writer, born 25 August 1933; died 27 January 2011
British journalist Diana Norman also writes as Ariana Franklin.
Born Mary Diana Narracott, she grew up first in London and then in Devon, where her mother took her to escape the blitz. At the age of 15, she left school, but with journalism in her background (her father had been a Times correspondent)and her hardy intelligence, the lack of formal education proved no barrier and by 17 she was n London, working on a local newspaper in the East End.
Headhunted at 20 by the Daily Herald, Norman became the youngest reporter on Fleet Street, covering royal visits, donning camouflage to go on exercise with the Royal Marines, and missing her 21st birthday party because she was covering a murder on the south coast. When she protested about this to the news editor, she was told: "Many happy returns. Now get down to Southampton." Diana Norman became, at twenty years of age, the youngest reporter on what used to be Fleet Street.
She married the film critic Barry Norman in 1957, and they settled in Hertfordshire with their two daughters. She began writing fiction shortly after her second daughter was born. Her first book of fiction, Fitzempress's Law, was chosen by Frank Delaney of BBC Radio 4's Bookshelf as the best example of a historical novel of its year. She is now a freelance journalist, as well as a writer of biographies and historical novels.
She died at the age of 77 on January 27, 2011. She was best known for her historical crime series featuring the 12th-century medical examiner Adelia Aguilar, written under the pen name of Ariana Franklin. The first book in the series, Mistress of the Art of Death, was published to critical acclaim in 2007 and won the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award in the UK, as well as prizes in the US and Sweden.
Norman is survived by her husband, their daughters, Samantha and Emma, and three grandsons. Mr. Norman wrote a wonderful tribute to his wife.
• Diana Norman, writer, born 25 August 1933; died 27 January 2011
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 31, 2017
This was actually a decent read and a tad enjoyable. The author befriends a clairvoyant named Tom and joins him as he travels through England. Tom is suppose to be really good and even convinced the author that ghosts were real. The author gushes on and on how great he is while detailing a few of his cases. Reading this book though I actually doubt his ability. The answers he gives are vague and include seemingly well known facts or things that seemed obvious. Many times the author mentioned books or brochures that help prove his ability had me wondering if maybe that's where he got his information from. They also seemed to get a lot of information from the owners so it seemed like he was already aware of each haunting and used the available information to create the illusion of being a clairvoyant. Still there was a lot of English history which I enjoyed and was the best part.
February 15, 2020
Here's a very interesting historical book about the back stories of the stately houses that Diana Norman and Tom Corbett visited on the search for ghosts.
Corbett was a clairvoyant and Diana was a journalist.
This is my second reading of the book and I'd forgotten how sparse it was of ghosts, even the pictures of rooms allegedly haunted haven't a ghost in sight.
Now, considering I'm basing this on one book, my criticism may be unfair and I should look for more on the escapades of Mr Corbett to see if there's enough evidence to prove his abilities, but sadly one won't find any in this book.
Overall, not a bad read, it's well written and the historical features are well worth the bother.
Corbett was a clairvoyant and Diana was a journalist.
This is my second reading of the book and I'd forgotten how sparse it was of ghosts, even the pictures of rooms allegedly haunted haven't a ghost in sight.
Now, considering I'm basing this on one book, my criticism may be unfair and I should look for more on the escapades of Mr Corbett to see if there's enough evidence to prove his abilities, but sadly one won't find any in this book.
Overall, not a bad read, it's well written and the historical features are well worth the bother.
January 10, 2024
Diana's intention with this book wasn't to convert anyone to believing in ghosts, but she did firmly believe in them by the end and hoped to convince the reader. Unfortunately she spent almost no time discussing the findings and experience of her clairvoyant guide, or at least enough for us to judge him for ourselves. The book is largely about the history of these English homes, and not much more. Not surprised by this given when it was written, nor more or less convinced of ghosts, but was a bit underwhelmed in reading it.
December 13, 2024
Skipped ~60 pages to get to conclusion. Sorry Diana Norman.
Simultaneously too many and not enough details - just not interesting
Simultaneously too many and not enough details - just not interesting
October 27, 2026
Very intresting book on the haunting(s) of stately homes in Britain. Well documented with legends en historical facts. For the open minded.
February 8, 2025
This was more enjoyable than I thought. I really liked digging into the history of all these estates, but I'm still not convinced about the existance of ghosts
August 17, 2021
Let’s start spooky season of with a ghost story, or rather, several ghost stories! In this book we follow author, Diana Norman, on an elaborate ghost tour of various stately homes in England. Leading the tour is psychic Tom Corbett, who explains he is a clairvoyant. Each chapter is dedicated to a certain stately home or area and the following pattern emerges: Tom does a tour of the house, spooky stuff does (or doesn’t) happen, the owners confirm suspicions, and a small history lesson ensues. The order may or may not vary on the history lesson but the book itself is definitely more history than mystery and not that spooky. Norman writes with the lens of a reporter and, if I remember correctly, this book was inspired by one of the assignments she went on with Corbett. I appreciated the investigative journalism spin but I was ultimately reminded of vlogging. There are also points where Norman seems lost in a ramble so this book is a bit longer than it really needs to be. All that being said I don’t think this is a writing style that everyone would enjoy. I gave this book three out of five stars.
Favorite Chapter:
Chapter 5 : Sawston Hall – This was such a cool chapter because of all the history jammed in. We read about the ghost of Mary Tudor aka “Bloody” Mary while she was on the run from her step-sister Elizabeth, the reigning queen. They also find and discuss historical items such as letters and recipes from the 1500s.
Least Favorite Chapter:
Chapter 10 : Burford Priory – This was such a disappointment. I’ve been to Burford, which is an adorable little town in the Cotswolds, and I absolutely loved it. So, naturally, I hoped to love this chapter but not much happened. There were a few ‘happenings’ tied where the nuns heard footsteps and saw a hooded figure. It just wasn’t that great a ghost story or a history lesson so I remain unconvinced.
Honorable Mention:
Chapter 8 : West Wycombe Park – This chapter featured a group of rich men with too much time and money on their hands, literally. They liked to dress up and run around as Satanic monks and cause debauchery. It was a creepy and memorable and I really feel for their wives.
Favorite Chapter:
Chapter 5 : Sawston Hall – This was such a cool chapter because of all the history jammed in. We read about the ghost of Mary Tudor aka “Bloody” Mary while she was on the run from her step-sister Elizabeth, the reigning queen. They also find and discuss historical items such as letters and recipes from the 1500s.
Least Favorite Chapter:
Chapter 10 : Burford Priory – This was such a disappointment. I’ve been to Burford, which is an adorable little town in the Cotswolds, and I absolutely loved it. So, naturally, I hoped to love this chapter but not much happened. There were a few ‘happenings’ tied where the nuns heard footsteps and saw a hooded figure. It just wasn’t that great a ghost story or a history lesson so I remain unconvinced.
Honorable Mention:
Chapter 8 : West Wycombe Park – This chapter featured a group of rich men with too much time and money on their hands, literally. They liked to dress up and run around as Satanic monks and cause debauchery. It was a creepy and memorable and I really feel for their wives.
December 20, 2011
This is one of those good news vs bad news books. The good news is that the stories of the spirits are interesting and entertaining, so it's a "good read" on that level. The bad news is that it is something of a breathless recommendation of the psychically gifted man that the author is working with in this process.
The concept of the book is that a journalist (the author, Diana Norman) would escort a psychic (Tom Corbett) around to some of the great estates in England and write about the experience. Not surprisingly, she shifts from skeptic to believer over the course of the investigation.
I wish there she had simply interviewed Corbett and had a chapter about that, rather than the bits and pieces she gives throughout the book. But the final chapter is redeeming, as she discusses psychic ability in more depth there and attempts to draw some conclusions at that point. Actually, in some ways the final chapter is the best of the book, if you are interested in trying to reconcile some of the paradoxes that a belief in "ghosts" (I prefer to call them visitors) brings to the questions surrounding standard concepts of the afterlife.
All in all, not a bad book. But I still prefer "True Hauntings: Spirits with a Purpose" by Hazel M. Denning, which is so much meatier if you want to go deeper into the why and how of hauntings, rather than just another ghost story book.
The concept of the book is that a journalist (the author, Diana Norman) would escort a psychic (Tom Corbett) around to some of the great estates in England and write about the experience. Not surprisingly, she shifts from skeptic to believer over the course of the investigation.
I wish there she had simply interviewed Corbett and had a chapter about that, rather than the bits and pieces she gives throughout the book. But the final chapter is redeeming, as she discusses psychic ability in more depth there and attempts to draw some conclusions at that point. Actually, in some ways the final chapter is the best of the book, if you are interested in trying to reconcile some of the paradoxes that a belief in "ghosts" (I prefer to call them visitors) brings to the questions surrounding standard concepts of the afterlife.
All in all, not a bad book. But I still prefer "True Hauntings: Spirits with a Purpose" by Hazel M. Denning, which is so much meatier if you want to go deeper into the why and how of hauntings, rather than just another ghost story book.
February 21, 2009
More history than ghost story, this book introduces the reader to some of the most famous homes in England and also some of their famous ghosts. The book gives more details about the homes than the ghosts, so if you like history this books is quite interesting, but if you are looking for the ghost stories, this probably will be disappointing.
July 13, 2010
Pretty much brilliant,if you ask me. It was almost like reading a newspaper about ghosts. (..Gotta find me one of those.) I loved the interpretations Norman gives us. And, though I find the idea of ghosts ludicrous, I think it's worth saying that Norman did a fabulous job of trying to convince me, or rather the reader, that what she believed was true.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews