Paranormal record / 1894

The Durweston Poltergeist

December 13, 1894 · Durweston, near Blandford Forum, Dorset, England, United Kingdom

30Partially documented Paranormal Other 16 sources 1 videos

Dorset. December 1894. In a white cottage on a hill above Durweston, a widow named Mrs Best began to hear knocking and scratching. Small stones flew through the windows, breaking the glass. Witnesses said they returned of their own volition through the clean, round holes. An old boot struck the back door. A gamekeeper stood on it and defied anything to move it. It rose up behind him and knocked his hat off. The raps answered questions. They tapped out tunes. On a slate, they wrote two words. At the centre of it all was Annie Cleave, an orphan aged 12 or 13 taken from the workhouse.

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Key facts

When	December 13, 1894 to 1895
Time of day	not recorded
Where	Durweston, near Blandford Forum, Dorset, England,United Kingdom
Duration	about a month or more (13 December 1894 to at least early January 1895)
Witnesses	7
Witness roles	other
Found	,physical traces
Evidence	none confirmed
Investigations	none recorded
Status	disputed

The phenomenon

No figure or light was seen. Witnesses reported knocking, scratching and loud, continuous rapping that answered questions and tapped out tunes on a bedstead. Stones flew through windows and returned through the holes, an old boot flew and rose by itself, shells and thimbles travelled 5ft off the ground, and a slate bore the words MONY and GARDEN.

Sound	other sound

The Drummer of Tedworth: the Mompesson House Poltergeist (1662) (related)
The Epworth Rectory Poltergeist, "Old Jeffrey" (1716-1717) (related)
The Willington Mill Haunting and Edward Drury's Overnight Vigil (related)
The Cideville Poltergeist (Presbytère de Cideville) (related)

Context

Durweston is a small village in Dorset, close to Blandford Forum. On a hill above it stand a pair of semi-detached white cottages. They can still be seen from the A350.

Sources (16, most influential first)

The Intelligent Poltergeist | Looking Back · Dorset Life· 2021-10-14 · Press, book, documentary · news
Poltergeist (Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition) · Wikisource· 1911 · Academic / paper of record · book
The Intelligent Poltergeist | Looking Back · The Blackmore Vale· 2021-10-14 · Press, book, documentary · news
The Intelligent Poltergeist | Looking Back · The Blackmore Vale· 2021-10-14 · Press, book, documentary · news
Studies in Psychical Research · archive.org· 1897 · Press, book, documentary · book

Reputability

30/100Partially documented

Keywords

People

Mrs BestWidow, about 60, who lived in the cottage and first heard the knocking
Annie CleaveOrphan aged 12 or 13 from the workhouse, at the centre of the events
Mr NewmanGamekeeper for Lord Portman, neighbour, gave a statement on 23 January 1895
Rev. W. M. AndersonRector of Durweston, took part in the slate sessions and wrote an account
Mr SheppardVillage schoolmaster, took part in the slate sessions
Fred CrossVillager who took in the girls; the events continued at his house
Frank PodmoreSociety for Psychical Research investigator who included the case in his 'Poltergeists' paper
Andrew LangAuthor of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica entry 'Poltergeist'

Names

poltergeist Society for Psychical Research Andrew Lang Frank Podmore Podmore Epworth Rectory