Enfield Poltergeist
Encyclopedia
The Enfield Poltergeist was a period of apparent poltergeist
activity in London
, England between August 1977 and September 1978, with an added outburst in August 1980.
in North London
, at 284 Green Street, a council house
rented to Peggy Hodgson, a single parent
with four children.
During this time furniture is said to have moved by itself, knockings on the walls were heard, and children's toys were said to have been thrown around and to have been too hot to touch when picked up. A police officer signed an affidavit
to affirm that she saw a chair move. Reports of the activity attracted various visitors including mediums
and members of the press. One photographer reported being hit on the forehead with a Lego
brick. After visiting the house, George Fallows, a senior reporter for the Daily Mirror, suggested that the Society for Psychical Research
(SPR) be called in to investigate.
and Guy Lyon Playfair
, both members of the SPR, who were convinced by the evidence which they encountered during their thirteen month investigation.
The family in the Enfield case consisted of a mother, two daughters and two sons; Margaret aged 12, a younger sister Janet aged 11, Johnny aged 10 and Billy aged 7. Billy had a speech impediment. Johnny featured only marginally in the inexplicable events, at least 26 of which the investigators considered could not be accounted for by fraud. These included moving furniture, flying marbles, interference with bedclothes, cold breezes, pools of water on the floor, apparitions, physical assaults, graffiti, equipment malfunction and failure, disappearance and reappearance of objects, apparent levitations, and fires which spontaneously ignited and extinguished themselves.
Among other alleged phenomena they witnessed was Janet speaking using her false vocal folds for hours on end while she was apparently possessed
by another entity. Speaking in this way is believed to be medically impossible. When speaking with the false cords Janet said she was "Bill" who had died in the house of a brain haemorrhage. The "Bill" persona habitually made jokes and exhibited a very nasty temper, swearing at Maurice, once calling him a "fucking old sod". Grosse was contacted by a man who claimed to be Bill's son. Recordings were made of these occurrences. After the BBC
went to the house the recording crew found the metal inside of the recording machines bent, and recordings erased.
Further investigations by Anita Gregory and John Beloff, also from the SPR, were less positive. They spent a few days with the family and, after they found them bending spoons themselves, concluded that the children had faked the poltergeist activity. Janet admitted to Gregory that they had fabricated some of the occurrences. This admission was repeated on the ITV
News (12 June 1980) when she stated: "Oh yeah, once or twice [we faked phenomena], just to see if Mr Grosse and Mr Playfair would catch us. And they always did."
After writing a feature on supernatural activity for Loaded
magazine, journalist Will Storr included a retrospective investigation of the events and conflicting personalities involved in the Enfield case in his book Will Storr Versus the Supernatural. The book comes to no positive conclusions regarding the truth of the haunting but throws considerable light on the personalities involved, particularly those of Maurice Grosse and Anita Gregory.
Peggy Hodgson remained in the house until her death in 2003. Grosse died in 2006.
In the book he Ghost That Haunted Itself, Jan-Andrew Henderson argues that "(b)oth [the Amityville and Enfield poltergeist cases] turned out to be fakes. The witnesses were misrepresented or had something to gain. Evidence turned out to be manufactured."
In the June 2003 edition of Focus magazine, Caroline Green wrote "There was no concrete evidence and [Peggy] was accused of making it up."
and James Cosmo which is loosely based on the events of the Enfield Poltergeist.
In March 2007 Channel 4
aired a documentary about the events of the Enfield case, entitled Interview with a Poltergeist.
In 2010 Dead House productions registered the name "The Enfield Poltergeist" with a view to making a feature film version with the same title. Although the film is billed for release in October 2012, casting is not expected to start until the beginning of 2012.
night, 1993, the BBC
aired a fictional mockumentary
entitled Ghostwatch
, written by Steven Volk and based on the Enfield Poltergeist investigation. Like the Enfield Poltergeist, Ghostwatch supposedly took place in a North London house, and featured a possessed adolescent girl speaking by using her false vocal cords. The programme, which was only aired once on television, created a brief period of public hysteria due to many viewers believing the events that they had just witnessed were real.
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
activity in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England between August 1977 and September 1978, with an added outburst in August 1980.
Activity
The activity occurred at EnfieldLondon Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, at 284 Green Street, a council house
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
rented to Peggy Hodgson, a single parent
Single parent
Single parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver...
with four children.
During this time furniture is said to have moved by itself, knockings on the walls were heard, and children's toys were said to have been thrown around and to have been too hot to touch when picked up. A police officer signed an affidavit
Affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...
to affirm that she saw a chair move. Reports of the activity attracted various visitors including mediums
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
and members of the press. One photographer reported being hit on the forehead with a Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
brick. After visiting the house, George Fallows, a senior reporter for the Daily Mirror, suggested that the Society for Psychical Research
Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research is a non-profit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand "events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal by promoting and supporting important research in this area" and to "examine allegedly paranormal phenomena...
(SPR) be called in to investigate.
Investigations
The incidents were duly investigated by Maurice GrosseMaurice Grosse
Maurice Grosse was a British paranormal investigator famous for his involvement in the Enfield Poltergeist case.-Early life:Grosse was educated at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London...
and Guy Lyon Playfair
Guy Lyon Playfair
Guy Lyon Playfair is a freelance writer and translator best known for his books about parapsychology.Additionally, he's worked for several U.S., British and Brazilian magazine, newspapers and publishing houses. From 1967 to 1971 he worked in the press section of the U.S. Agency for International...
, both members of the SPR, who were convinced by the evidence which they encountered during their thirteen month investigation.
The family in the Enfield case consisted of a mother, two daughters and two sons; Margaret aged 12, a younger sister Janet aged 11, Johnny aged 10 and Billy aged 7. Billy had a speech impediment. Johnny featured only marginally in the inexplicable events, at least 26 of which the investigators considered could not be accounted for by fraud. These included moving furniture, flying marbles, interference with bedclothes, cold breezes, pools of water on the floor, apparitions, physical assaults, graffiti, equipment malfunction and failure, disappearance and reappearance of objects, apparent levitations, and fires which spontaneously ignited and extinguished themselves.
Among other alleged phenomena they witnessed was Janet speaking using her false vocal folds for hours on end while she was apparently possessed
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
by another entity. Speaking in this way is believed to be medically impossible. When speaking with the false cords Janet said she was "Bill" who had died in the house of a brain haemorrhage. The "Bill" persona habitually made jokes and exhibited a very nasty temper, swearing at Maurice, once calling him a "fucking old sod". Grosse was contacted by a man who claimed to be Bill's son. Recordings were made of these occurrences. After the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
went to the house the recording crew found the metal inside of the recording machines bent, and recordings erased.
Further investigations by Anita Gregory and John Beloff, also from the SPR, were less positive. They spent a few days with the family and, after they found them bending spoons themselves, concluded that the children had faked the poltergeist activity. Janet admitted to Gregory that they had fabricated some of the occurrences. This admission was repeated on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
News (12 June 1980) when she stated: "Oh yeah, once or twice [we faked phenomena], just to see if Mr Grosse and Mr Playfair would catch us. And they always did."
After writing a feature on supernatural activity for Loaded
Loaded (magazine)
Loaded, first published in 1994, is a British magazine for men that is considered to be the "original lads' mag". Its motto is "For men who should know better".-History:...
magazine, journalist Will Storr included a retrospective investigation of the events and conflicting personalities involved in the Enfield case in his book Will Storr Versus the Supernatural. The book comes to no positive conclusions regarding the truth of the haunting but throws considerable light on the personalities involved, particularly those of Maurice Grosse and Anita Gregory.
Conclusion
Margaret has publicly stated that although she did fake a few phenomena to catch the investigators in action, they were not responsible for all the phenomena. She has stated that "It is ridiculous to suggest that either my sister or I could have been responsible for the strange activity that went on in our house."Peggy Hodgson remained in the house until her death in 2003. Grosse died in 2006.
In the book he Ghost That Haunted Itself, Jan-Andrew Henderson argues that "(b)oth [the Amityville and Enfield poltergeist cases] turned out to be fakes. The witnesses were misrepresented or had something to gain. Evidence turned out to be manufactured."
In the June 2003 edition of Focus magazine, Caroline Green wrote "There was no concrete evidence and [Peggy] was accused of making it up."
Further media coverage
In 1998, Living Spirit Pictures produced a film called Urban Ghost Story starring Jason ConneryJason Connery
Jason Joseph Connery is an English actor.-Early life:Connery grew up in London. He attended Millfield School, a co-educational independent school in Somerset, England, and later at the independent Gordonstoun School in Scotland. He was later accepted into the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School...
and James Cosmo which is loosely based on the events of the Enfield Poltergeist.
In March 2007 Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
aired a documentary about the events of the Enfield case, entitled Interview with a Poltergeist.
In 2010 Dead House productions registered the name "The Enfield Poltergeist" with a view to making a feature film version with the same title. Although the film is billed for release in October 2012, casting is not expected to start until the beginning of 2012.
Ghostwatch
On HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
night, 1993, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
aired a fictional mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
entitled Ghostwatch
Ghostwatch
Ghostwatch is a British reality–horror/mockumentary television movie, first broadcast on BBC1 on 31 October , 1992.Despite having been recorded weeks in advance, the narrative was presented as 'live' television...
, written by Steven Volk and based on the Enfield Poltergeist investigation. Like the Enfield Poltergeist, Ghostwatch supposedly took place in a North London house, and featured a possessed adolescent girl speaking by using her false vocal cords. The programme, which was only aired once on television, created a brief period of public hysteria due to many viewers believing the events that they had just witnessed were real.
External links
- recording of BBC Radio 5 Live interview with photographer Graham Morris
- Original documents relating to the Enfield case from Haunted Mansions Around the World
- Enfield Poltergeist Photographic recreation of Janet Hodgson's levitation