The Wesley Ghost #3: Time November 8, 2015
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
An important preliminary to the haunting is to sketch out the period of Jeffrey’s activity. Most reference works (and this blog) refer rather carelessly to December 1716-January 1717. But a careful reading of the Wesley files shows that actually the haunting was rather more drawn out than that. First, in a very important passage we learn that there had been ‘events’ in the house for some time.
‘The first time my mother ever heard any unusual noise at Epworth, was long before the disturbance of old Jeffrey. My brother [which one?], lately, come from London, had one evening a sharp quarrel with my sister Sukey, at which time my mother happening to be above in her own chamber, the door and windows rung and jarred very loud, and presently several distinct strokes, three by three, were struck. From that night it never failed to give notice in much the same manner, against any signal misfortune, or illness of any belonging to the family.’ 149-150
Interesting the connection between the family’s own negative energies and the haunting. Prophetic?
The most systematic chronology of the 1716-1717 haunting is given by Samuel Wesley the elder: he claims the haunting began first December and lasted until the end of January.
1 December the family begins to hear groans and knockings in the house at night.
21 Dec Samuel Wesley the elder begins to hear the knockings for the first time
23 Dec Susanna Wesley (the elder) spies a strange creature like a headless badger under her daughters’ bed.
25 Dec Susanna the elder and Samuel the elder walk down the stairs in the night. Susanna heard (and felt?) a cascade of coins in front of her. Samuel heard a colossal noise below them as if bottles were being smashed by a great rock.
26 Dec Samuel Wesley the elder uses his knock against Jeffrey who then takes up the knock.
28 Dec Father brings Mr Hoole to stay and they hear the noises together.
1 Jan: Samuel Wesley the elder writes ‘my family have had no disturbance since I went.’ When did he come back? He writes that there were no more disturbances till the 24 Jan
24 January: new knockings and Robert meets the ‘white rabbit’ in the kitchen.
25 and 27 January: more noises
The implication of Samuel’s record is that the noises then die out. So in summary there were noises throughout December peaking around Christmas. Then the noises actually disappeared for much of January, coinciding with the father’s absence (a fascinating detail). This corresponds with the record of Emilia, one of the more level-headed daughters.
‘From this time [early December], I heard it every night, for two or three weeks. It continued a month in its full majesty, night and day. Then it intermitted a fortnight or more, and when it began again, it knocked only on nights, and grew less and less troublesome, till at last it went quite away. Towards the latter end it used to knock on the outside of the house, and seemed farther and farther off, till it ceased to be heard at all.’ 157
But there is some evidence that poltergeist activity continued afterwards.
A letter dated 27 March describes a trencher ‘danced upon the table a pretty while’ (139) Another letter dated the same day sees Susanna (the younger?) write that ‘I cannot imagine how you should be so curious about our unwelcome guest. For my part, I am quite tired with hearing or speaking of it;’
1 April, Emilia writes that ‘the spright was with us last night’ and opened the door.
This haunting was never just a two month affair then. The spike in family interest came at Christmas 1716 and then the events trailed off through the spring of that year. In fact, there are also reasons for thinking that it continued for some years but more of this later.
Drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com: chronological adjustments…
The tag for these posts is Wesley Ghost: all comments collected on Wesley 1.
Anyone interested in the original documents they have been usefully put together in a single pdf document. There are about sixty pages and the file weighs in at about 15 mb.
