Father Edwin Burroughs is a Catholic priest who performed exorcisms and is currently in a psychiatric hospital after a supernatural encounter ended with him cannibalising two students.[1] He has visited and been involved with Hill Top Road.
Physical Description[]
Father Burroughs is "short, and a bit portly, with close-cropped hair and deep smile lines around his mouth".
History[]
Father Burroughs trained as a Jesuit and so moved around the UK frequently, before settling down at the Oratory in Oxford in 2005 and training as an exorcist.[1] He performed over 100 exorcisms but rarely had supernatural encounters, with the exception of that he was once cursed at in Sumerian by an illiterate young man, and had his childhood pets named by an old Jamaican man.
In 2009, Father Burroughs performed an exorcism on Bethany O'Connor, a student with issues separating reality from fiction.[1] Following minor symptoms, she was suddenly admitted to hospital for facial lacerations following an accident during a fight with a porter. In the hospital, she did not respond to Burroughs until suddenly saying "I'm sorry, it wants your faith.", then convulsing and dying from a brain haemorrhage. Guilt resulting from this incident caused Burroughs to start drinking more.[1]
In November 2006, Burroughs was sent by Anne Kasuma, the nurse who treated O'Connor, to perform an exorcism at Hill Top Road after Ivo Lensik's experience there.[2] Inside, Burroughs began to say a prayer before a searing heat engulfed the room and he could smell smoke, despite the absence of any smoke, fire, or radiators. He tried to pray for protection as the pain grew overwhelming but felt a power other than God take over him and mouth his mouth to say “I am not for you. I am marked.” The pain dulled, and the noise of Lensik uprooting the tree freed him from the trance.
Immediately following this incident, he confessed his sins to Father Singh, a fellow priest. Singh talked in a different accent to usual and listed all of Burroughs' sins since age 6, causing Burroughs to flee, running past the real Father Singh. He wandered the streets of Oxford and ultimately found himself at the Oratory on Woodstock Road. A man told him that it was time for Mass and lead him into the church. Upon entering, Burroughs noted that the pews were empty, the statues and crosses had been removed, and candles covered every surface. When mass began, the church was filled with parishioners who were all dressed in black with sickly yellow skin.
As The Liturgy of the Word began the altar server stepped forward to speak but when he opened his mouth all Burroughs heard was the sound of a bell. As Burroughs tried to continue the mass the same bell noise rang from his mouth. The Liturgy of the Eucharist was next and the alter server brought him communion wafers and wine. As Burroughs spoke to the practitioners they slowly disappeared one by one until all the pews were empty again. As he went to retrieve the rest of the host the curtain covering the box seemed stuck and he had to pull at it to remove it. He ate the wafer, noting that it did not have the right texture, and realised it was human flesh.
When Edwin discovered what he had done he decided to take no action ever again, not even to take his own life. Instead, he waited for the police to arrive and pled guilty to all charges. He was sentenced to two life sentences and is held in Wakefield Prison. After these events, he has been unable to pray or say Christian words such as "Jesus" or "God". He also cannot hear what other members of the church are saying, instead only hearing the tolling of a bell.
Timeline[]
There are several timeline discrepancies in Burroughs' statement.
By Ivo Lensik's account in MAG 8, the events at Hill Top Road took place in 2006 but by Father Burroughs' account they took place in 2009. Additionally, Bethany O’Connor started college in 2008 and her exorcism took place in her second year. In MAG 19, Father Burroughs states that the events at Hill Top Road took place "a couple of years" after this.[1]
These discrepancies may be connected to the The Gap in Reality at Hill Top Road but the exact details are not known.
Episode Appearances[]
Bold marks episodes where Edwin has given a statement.
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