The events of the 1990’s at Black River House by no means mark the beginning of its long and disturbing legacy. Several years of research conducted in and around Kildubhan as well as at the house itself have unearthed a series of tragic and unfortunate events which affected almost every generation of the Kinkedd family as well as those around them. Whilst thinking along these lines it is quite possible to regard the Black River House Murders of 1992 and the disappearance of The Secret Method four years later as merely the most recent examples of a disturbing and continuing cycle of loss and personal misfortune.

To take this concept further there appear to be a wealth of examples in the history of the house and its inhabitants which point to a repeating pattern of history in both general events and more specific examples. Whilst the personal tragedies of the Kinkedd family are explored on the Tragic History page there are several characteristics which seem to have been repeated or echoed throughout history, regardless of who the occupants of Black River may be. The key areas of note are examined below.

Recurrent Tragedies - Murder and Disappearance

Such events have long been associated with Black River House and the village of Kildubhan. The most notable examples today are The Black River House Murders and The Lost Band case. However instances of both murder and disappearance have occurred throughout the history of Black River House and to find the first tragedy we must go back to the days of its construction.

	Church records from the turn of the eighteenth century refer to the death of one Liam O’Brian in the last weeks of building work. The labourer slipped from the roof of Black River House and died instantly from severe head injuries.
	In 1856 Kildubhan became briefly infamous for the case of the ten-year-old girl Rose Clarke. The girl’s body was found by the banks of the Black River, very near the grounds of the house. She had been strangled before being half buried in the undergrowth. Her killer was never found.
	George Edward Kinkedd returned from the Boer War a disturbed and changed man. In subsequent years he would earn the title "Mad" George for his artistic obsessions and his fits of rage. The nickname was set in stone when it was alleged that George Edward was responsible for the murder of his wife in 1901. Emily's passing was recorded as death in childbirth, however, it was also widely believed that George Edward murdered their son Edward, who died shortly after birth, and may also have deliberately caused his wife to miscarriage a year earlier.
	In an echo of the 1856 Rose Clark case, a young girl went missing near the house in 1930. She had been playing a local game, similar to hide-and-seek, with a group of youngsters including Robert Kinkedd. She was found wandering the kirk road a day later, dazed and mute but physically unharmed. Annie Fallon recovered fully but never recalled what had happened. She died in 2001.
	In 1977 Brian Kinkedd was killed in a car accident outside the house at the age of just 27. He had lost control of his vehicle, hitting another car head on. The inquiry found that the cause of death was accidental although it was noted that the crash may have been a consequence of his anti-depressant medication.
	John Marchant the first non-Kinkedd resident of Black River House killed himself and his family in 1992. Marchant succumbed to a rapid mental decline which saw him transformed from self assured family man to complete recluse within six months. In November he brutally murdered his wife and three children before taking his own life. However some question remains about Marchant's own death, as the location where his body was found hanging was inaccessible without assistance.
	British band The Secret Method disappeared without trace in March 1996 from the grounds of the house. The band ceased communication with their record company some weeks before, and when the house was entered their possessions and equipment were found as they had left them. No contact has even been made with any member of the band since.

Mental Illness

A tendency toward depression, perhaps even madness in some cases, has long been associated with creative individuals. A delicate balance of the mind it seems, is often the heavy price paid for creative and artistic ability. This is certainly true of many occupants of Black River House and it is known that several generations of the Kinkedd family were prone to, at best depression and at worst insanity. In one sense this medical history serves to rationalise the repetition of events at Black River House, discounting the involvement of unexplained influences. However, this theory suffers from the fact that the recurrent cases of mental illness were not restricted entirely to the Kinkedd family.

	Despite his high local standing, Abraham Shem Kinkedd displayed behavioural patterns which would today have been diagnosed as manic-depression, at times veering from wild exuberance to prolonged bouts of seclusion and anxiety.
	Traumatised from illness and the horrors of war, George Edward Kinkedd spent his last years in a state of extended convalescence. He developed a tendency towards superstition, filling his time with painting and sculpting graphic religious images with particular emphasis upon the Crucifixion.
	Like his father, George Edward, Tom Kinkedd suffered a lengthy bout of depression upon his return from military service. He often became delusional and would claim to converse with his dead father. He also claimed to commune with the spirits of his "brother and sister". Despite having only one brother in Jacob Kinkedd, another child, Edward died soon after birth. Another child was lost to a miscarriage the previous year.
	The musician, Brian Kinkedd, was a talented but solitary figure. Despite his success Brian had difficulty socializing and was medicated for depression and insomnia.
	John Marchant had no previous history of mental trouble before moving to Kildubhan although his maternal Grandfather was discovered to have suffered from manic depression. Marchant had no financial concerns and upon moving to Black River House he appeared to have a solid marital relationship and a well developed family life. His slide into insanity was as rapid as it was shocking.

"My Poor Sweet Love"

Throughout the history of Black River House, most commonly at times of distress, illness or death, one phrase in particular appears time and time again. In such cases it is difficult to choose between the temptation to believe in an external influence driving history to turn inward and repeat itself, or the more rational notion of a self - fulfilling prophecy.

The phrase "My Poor Sweet Love" punctuates the history of Black River House from the time of George Edward Kinkedd through to the disappearance of The Secret Method. Though many believe that George Edward murdered both his wife and one of his children, he sank into a deeper depression than ever in the months following her death and would not refer to her by name. When speaking of his wife, George would only use the term "My Poor Sweet Love".

The sentiment was picked up a generation later when Tom Kinkedd returned from action. During his delirium and obsessive painting he created a picture of his "sister" to whom he referred as Emma. As is noted elsewhere, Tom had no sister though his mother Emily did lose a child through prematurely in 1900. The painting in question was entitled "My Poor Sweet Love"

The next occurrence of the phrase appears during the three year depression suffered by Frances Montague Kinkedd. After the death of her Brother John Henry, Frances painted a series of images entitled "Siblings" which appeared to depict a group of three Brothers and one sister, a combination which had never existed in the family line. Whilst this series dominated her work she also painted a large portrait of John Henry to which she ascribed the title "My Poor Sweet Love Is Gone"

The repetition of the phrase appears to have outlasted the Kinkedd family as its next appearance comes during the residence of John Marchant. Having brutally murdered his family in November 1992, Marchant scrawled a cryptic message above the heads of each body. Above the form of his dead wife Carole were written the words, "My Poor Sweet Love".

Finally in 1996 when police investigated the disappearance of The Secret Method, they found numerous instances of graffiti on the inner walls. Many of these were later discovered to correspond to entries in the diary of John Marchant, which was not released by police until 2002. More chilling still, one example of the graffiti read unmistakably "My Poor Sweet Love".

Artists and Artwork

Black River House has played host to an unusual number of artists from various disciplines, be they poets, painters or musicians. Whilst it is possible to trace an artistic thread within the Kinkedd family from the time of George Edward, the pastime has almost always been associated with personal troubles of some kind. Very often the artwork served as a visual expression of a difficult mental state.

	George Edward Kinkedd returned from the Boer War in a fragile condition and began a fevered appetite for artistic expression. He produced a large number of painted and carved religious images with a particular focus upon graphic representations of the Crucifixion.
	George's eldest son, Tom Kinkedd, made numerous impressionistic paintings after the Great War, characterised by shadowy images to which he referred as his "Brothers and Sister". As noted above Tom had only one surviving sibling, Jacob.
	Tom Kinkedd's nephew, John Henry, was a keen poet and budding playwright until the outbreak of World War Two prematurely ended his ambitions. Tragically John never had the opportunity to revisit his creative pastimes as he lost his life engaging with the enemy in 1941.
	Frances Montague Kinkedd, John Henry’s sister, was the most successful of all the Kinkedd artists. She made a healthy living from her paintings for over forty years. However, for a period of three years after the death of her Brother she, like Tom Kinkedd before her painted only indistinct images of figures. She called these figures, usually four, "siblings" believing them to be three brothers and their sister, mourning each other's souls.
	Frances' son Brian Kinkedd was a successful musician. He released a handful of moderately noteworthy records in the early 1960’s, many recorded in the house itself. Sadly Brian died young and on his very doorstep in a traffic accident in Kildubhan. He was twenty seven years old.
	John Marchant embarked upon a sprawling, unfocussed artistic work about the house which was never completed. He wrote constantly in his last days, as well as sketching and photographing the house and its surroundings.
	The Secret Method were in the midst of recording an album when they vanished without trace. Their music is steeped in the dark history of the house and makes countless references to John Marchant and his life as well as Kildubhan, the house and its history.

Cursed Artwork

Finally, to remain with the theme of creativity, many of the artworks produced throughout the history of Black River House seem to be as blighted as the lives of those who created them. In 1766 the life works of the poet, Sir Henry Rupert Barnsley Applegate were lost to a house fire. Many of the verses had been written during stays at Black River House and focused upon the lives of the Kinkedd family. This would be the first case of the supposed ‘curse’ attached to art produced within the house.

The religious themed works of George Edward Kinkedd and, years later, his grandson John, have often changed hands and several recipients of such works have found themselves in unfortunate, sometimes fatal situations. In 1944 an American infantry man named Tom Carvel was stationed in England. He purchased a small crucifix in an antique shop which was believed to have been carved by George Edward Kinkedd. Intended as a gift for his wife Mary, it was found wrapped tightly around her neck when her body was found floating face down in a mill pond. More recently Wiltshire farmer Ron Mitchell lost his farmhouse and three horses to a fire in 1970. The blaze started in his stables where he had stored a John Kinkedd oil painting bought the previous day. Disturbingly, Mitchell noted that the picture itself had depicted an inferno but had been the sole surviving possession in the fire. The wooden frame was found to be singed and charred in places though the image itself was intact.

Artistic works by those outside the Kinkedd lineage do not seem to be immune to these strange phenomena either. John Marchant conducted a significant amount of research into Black River House and the village of Kildubhan and was believed to be working on a historical text based upon his findings. Carole Marchant also left behind a portfolio of illustrations, many of which were based on the house. These personal effects were entrusted to John Marchant’s friend Geoff Gibson in 1993 and he in turn passed on a few sketches to others who had known the Marchant family.

Geoff’s friend, Beth Porter, framed and hung a sketch of George Edward Kinkedd by Carole Marchant. Her three year old daughter Molly took a dislike to the image and only days later the picture fell from the wall directly on top of the child. The accident led to hospitalisation for the young girl and was subsequently torn from its frame and shredded as bafflingly, it refused to burn. Another ex colleague of John Marchant, Peter Graham, died suddenly of a heart attack aged only 40, just days after taking possession of two sketches in 1994. He had no history of heart disease nor did his family.

Finally, the recovered master tapes of the Secret Method have developed a reputation for ill - luck during their process of restoration for this site. Sound engineer Mitch Bell suffered a serious car collision while transporting some of the work in February 2005, though thankfully he was not hurt. He also opted to continue working on the project despite his accident for which I am eternally grateful.

The "cycle of events" is a fascinating concept and when the evidence is set out as above, a compelling case can be made for a series of events which appear to repeat indiscriminately throughout history, paying little attention to the inhabitants of the house at any one time. This notion is a fascinating idea which effectively renders the residents of Black River House, regardless of their name or background as pawns, whilst the recurrent pattern of events plays it self out time and time again.

However this theory should perhaps be tempered with caution. The events set out above are listed for convenience on a single page, but their content spans two centuries of history. The notions of auto-suggestion and the self fulfillment of prophecy must also be taken into account. The phrase "My Poor Sweet Love" for example appears in generation after generation of the Kinkedd family, but this does not rule out the possibility that it was being consciously revisited. Furthermore whilst the use of the phrase by John Marchant in 1992 is disturbing, its appearance on the walls of the House in was not actively concealed and The Secret Method who repeated the sentiment four years later may have been aware of it.