The Epworth Poltergeist: 2 – The First Week
In this first week of the Epworth Poltergeist, we see the odd one or two things starting to happen around the house. The groan of a dying man, and curiously, a levitating object. I say curiously, because poltergeist hauntings don’t usually start with such “energetic” activity. As we progress, this may become an important factor in determining what was happening in the Wesley household. Things then become a little more kinetic, with latches being lifted, knocking sounds, and other metal objects being tinkered with.
If you are reading John Wesley’s The Haunting of Epworth Rectory alongside this, you will find he uses artistic, storytelling licence to compress and alter timeline events, as well as insert new information that was never in the original letters. I have used some of the HER entries, but have put them into the correct sequence as analysis of the original letters nearer the time dictates.
In each diary entry, I have included a comments section, where a brief analysis of the day’s events is given. Please do feel free to add your own comments in underneath as I would love to hear your thoughts on what you think about the various events of the Epworth Poltergeist, and whether anything like these fit your own experiences of similar phenomena.
Astronomical data has been added to aid knowledge of ambient light levels [1].
To try and relive the experience, you may want to have the materials from Part 1 of the Epworth Poltergeist alongside to help.
And so it begins…
| Date | Saturday 1st December, 1716 |
| Sun Data | Rise:08:10 Set:15:42 |
| Moon Data | Rise: 06:22 Set: 15:14 Phase:Waning Crescent (4% Full) |
| Phenomena | Noise: Groaning |
| Locations | Door between Entrance Hall and Dining Room |
| Witnesses | Nanny Marshall, Molly and sisters |
| Letter References | LI, LV, M2J, Mo2J |
| Text Entries “Nanny Marshall had heard unusual groans at the dining room door” – Mother, M2J “I have always thought it was in November, the rest of our family think it was the 1st December 1716, when Nanny Marshall, who had a bowl of butter in her hand, ran to me, and two or three more of my sisters, in the dining room, and told us she had heard several groans in the hall, as of a dying man. We thought it was Mr. Turpine, who had the stone, and used sometimes to come and see us.” – Molly, Mo2J “at the door of the dining-room, several dismal groans, like a person in extremes, at the point of death. We gave little heed to her [Nanny Marshall’s] relation, and endeavoured to laugh her out of her fears” – Mother, LI “a most terrible and astonishing noise was heard … which caused the up-starting of her [Nanny Marshall’s] hair, and made her ears prick forth at an unusual rate. She said, it was like the groans of one expiring. These so frighted her, that for a great while she durst not go out of one room into another, after it began to be dark, without company.” – Emily, LV | |
| Comments Nanny Marshall had been installed “last Martinmas” (11th November) – Mother, LIV Often, poltergeist occurrences start off quietly and innocuously, leading the occupants to believe it’s of natural origin. | |
Servants Experiences and Corn Mills
| Date | Sunday 2nd December, 1716 |
| Sun Data | Rise: 08:11 Set: 15:42 |
| Moon Data | Rise: 07:17 Set: 15:55 Phase: Waning Crescent (2% Full) |
| Phenomena | Audible: Groaning and knocking – Servants Dining Room Turkey-cock gobbling – Garret Stumbling over boots – Garret Knocking on a door – Garret Visual: Levitation and operation of a hand mill – Garret. Latch lifting – Mr Brown’s Room |
| Locations | Servants Dining Room, Garret Stairs, Garret, Mr Brown’s Room |
| Witnesses | Mr Robert Brown, maid (Nanny Marshall) |
| Letter References | HER, RB2J |
| Text Entries “The first time Robin Brown, my father’s man, heard it, was when he was fetching down some corn from the garrets. Somewhat knocked on a door just behind him, which made him run away down stairs. From that time it used frequently to visit him in bed, walking up the garret stairs, and in the garrets, like a man in jack-boots, with a nightgown trailing after him, then lifting up his latch and making it jar, and making presently a noise in his room like the gobbling of a turkey-cock, then stumbling over his shoes or boots by the bed side. He was resolved once to be too hard for it, and so took a large mastiff we had just got to bed with him, and left his shoes and boots below stairs; but he might as well have spared his labour, for it was exactly the same thing, whether any were there or no. The same sound was heard as if there had been forty pairs. The dog indeed was a great comfort to him, for as soon as the latch began to jar, he crept into bed, made such an howling and barking together, in spite of all the man could do, that he alarmed most of the family. Soon after, began grinding corn in the garrets, and happening to stop a little, the handle of the mill was turned round with great swiftness. He said nothing vexed him, but that the mill was empty. If corn had been in it, old Jeffery might have ground his heart out for him; he would never have disturbed him.” – Mr Robin Brown, RB2J “On December 2, 1716, while Robert Brown, my father’s servant, was sitting with one of the maids a little before ten at night, in the dining-room which opened into the garden, they both heard one knocking at the door. Robert rose and opened it, but could see nobody. Quickly it knocked again and groaned. “It is Mr. Turpin,” said Robert, “he had the stone and used to groan so.” He opened the door again twice or thrice, the knocking being twice or thrice repeated. But still seeing nothing, and being a little startled, they rose and went up to bed. When Robert came to the top of the garret stairs, he saw a hand-mill, which was at a little distance, whirled about very swiftly. When he related this he said, “Nought vexed me, but that it was empty. I thought, if it had but been full of malt he might have ground his heart out for me.” When he was in bed, he heard as it were the gobbling of a turkey-cock, close to the bedside, and soon after, the sound of one stumbling over his shoes and boots. But there were none there; he had left them below.” – Jack, HER | |
| Comments The knocking is a similar phenomenon to the previous day, in the main Dining Room. There’s an interesting disparity in the accounts Robin Brown relating to his first encounter, as well as when the levitating hand mill appeared. This could be a mis-remembering of events as HER is nearly 70 years later than RB2J, so it’s probably best to treat the RB2J account as the more accurate account. Robin Brown is also the only person to allegedly see this levitation activity. | |
A potentially Mis-remembered Account?
| Date | ??? Monday 3rd December, 1716 |
| Sun Data | Rise: 08:12 Set: 15:42 |
| Moon Data | Rise: 07:17 Set: 15:55 Phase: Waning Crescent (2% Full) |
| Phenomena | Audible: Kicking on shelves – Dairy |
| Locations | Dairy – Not within the rectory floor plans. This would be a separate building on the grounds. |
| Witnesses | Maid |
| Letter References | HER |
| Text Entries “The next day, he and the maid related these things to the other maid, who laughed heartily, and said, “What a couple of fools are you? I defy anything to fright me.” After churning in the evening, she put the butter in the tray, and had no sooner carried it into the dairy, than she heard a knocking on the shelf where pancheons of milk stood, first above the shelf, then below. She took the candle and searched both above and below; but being able to find nothing, threw down butter, tray and all, and ran away for life.” – John Wesley, HER. | |
| Comments This instance sounds remarkably like Molly’s account on 1st December, but the addition of the incident in the dairy is new. This is probably a piece of mangled mis-remembering of the incident, nearly 70 years on from its occurrence. I’ve put this as ??? for the date, simply because in the HER record, it is the Monday 3rd, but I don’t believe it’s a correct rendering of the facts or date. | |
Thumping and Tinkering with Objects
| Date | Monday 3rd / Tuesday 4th December, 1716 |
| Sun Data | Rise: 08:12 Set: 15:42 |
| Moon Data | Rise: 07:17 Set: 15:55 Phase: New (astronomical) |
| Phenomena | Audible: Knocking / thumping (in triplets) “rushing” against outside doors Tingling of latch and warming pan – Paper Chamber |
| Locations | Rear Dining Room, Garden, Paper (Best) Chamber |
| Witnesses | Molly, Nancy and Suky |
| Letter References | LI, LV, LXI, N2J, HER |
| Text Entries “Some nights (two or three) after, several of the family heard a strange knocking in divers places, usually three or four knocks at a time, and then stayed a little. This continued every night for a fortnight; sometimes it was in the garret, but most commonly in the nursery or green chamber.” – Mother, LI “The knockings at those prayers [for the king] were only towards the beginning of the disturbances, for a week or thereabouts.” – Nancy, N2J “The first night I ever heard it, my sister Nancy and I were set in the [rear] dining room. We heard something rush on the outside of the doors that opened into the garden, then three loud knocks, immediately after other three, and in half a minute the same number over our heads. We enquired whether any body had been in the garden, or in the room above us, but there was nobody. Soon after my sister Molly and I were up after all the family were a bed, except my sister Nancy, about some business. We heard three bouncing thumps under our feet, which soon made us throw away our work, and tumble into bed. Afterwards the tingling of the latch and warming pan, and so it took its leave that night.” – Suky, LV “My sisters in the paper chamber [Molly and Suky] had heard noises, and told me of them, but I did not much believe, till one night, about a week after the first groans were heard” – Emily, LXI “After supper, she was sitting with my sister Suky (about a year older than her) in one of the chambers, and telling her what had happened, she quite made light of it, telling her, “I wonder you are so easily frighted: I would fain see what would fright me.” Presently a knocking began under the table. She took the candle and looked, but could find nothing. Then the iron casement began to clatter, and the lid of a warming-pan. Next the latch of the door moved up and down without ceasing. She started up, leaped into the bed without undressing, pulled the bedclothes over her head, and never ventured to look up till next morning.” – John Wesley, HER | |
| Comments John’s 1784 account (HER) is placed a few days later and includes conversational details not in the original letters. These may well be later additions in order to embellish the story. What we see here is an increase in the disturbances, from knocking to objects within rooms being knocked. The sound outside could be attributed to persons wanting to create the effect of a haunting as it would have been dark when the girls were in the rear dining room and heard the sounds. Similarly, the latch lifting could be someone outside the door. The noise on the warming pan could be caused by very small vibrations if the metal part happens to be a fraction of a millimetre from a hard object. These noises in themselves are easily able to be passed off as natural in origin at this stage. Nancy’s report says the knockings during the prayer for the king only occurred for the first week or so, whereas, as we shall see, they continued for longer than this. Perhaps this is a mis-remembering? The knocking in groups of three has entered modern paranormal folklore as being a sign allegedly mocking the Christian Trinity. This is a modern Western interpretation of an old superstitious belief in Scottish and Irish cultures that the three knocks at the door signified the impending death of one of the occupants. My own mother relates a time when my father (of Scottish descent) was with her one day when they heard a knock at the door. My father answered, but no-one was there, and there were no footprints in the fresh snow outside. This really freaked him out, and shows how deeply held beliefs can be regarding the paranormal in certain cultures. In the case of the Wesleys, we shall see how they interpreted the knocks in a similar fashion. | |
Overall, this week’s Epworth Poltergeist activity has been strange, but nothing for the Wesleys to be overly concerned about. If the events had only stayed at this level, and quickly died off, then we wouldn’t be reading of them. But strange happenings were only going to increase from hereafter.
What do you make of things so far? How would you investigate such instances? Was this trickery, or something more dark and sinister? Please do leave your comments / stories below.
Next Time – In the next part of the Epworth Poltergeist, the Wesley household experience some stranger sounds which suggest certain things happening, which upon investigation, haven’t. One of the family receive a ghostly visitation, and Mrs Wesley provides an explanation. Click here for the next part.
Bibliography
Southey, R. (1820), The Life of Wesley; and the Rise and Progress of Methodism, Volume 1, London: Longman, Rees, Orme and Brown.
Footnotes
[1] Moon Phase information for Epworth on the dates shown has been taken from Moonpage.com; Moonrise / set taken from TimeAndDate.com (moon); Sunrise / set taken from TimeAndDate.com (sun).
