The Stockwell ghost, also known as the Stockwell poltergeist, was an alleged case of

poltergeist In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; ; or ) is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of polter ...

disturbance in

Stockwell Stockwell is a district located in South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. It is situated south of Charing Cross. History The name Stockwell is likely to have originated from a local well, with "stoc" being Old Englis ...

, London, England, that occurred in 1772. It was later exposed as a

hoax A hoax (plural: hoaxes) is a widely publicised falsehood created to deceive its audience with false and often astonishing information, with the either malicious or humorous intent of causing shock and interest in as many people as possible. S ...

. On 6 January 1772 at the house of Mrs Golding, various cups, saucers and stone plates were reported to have fallen from a shelf to the ground and food was thrown across the room. Violent noises were also heard around the house. Golding decided to take refuge with her neighbour but the disturbances continued. It was noted that the disturbances only took place when her servant Ann Robinson was present. She was dismissed and the disturbances ceased. Hone, William. (1878 edition, originally published 1825)
''The Every Day Book''
London: William Tegg. pp. 31-35 Roud, Steve. (2010). ''London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World's Most Vibrant City''. Arrow. pp. 414-415. Despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding Robinson, the case was considered for many years by the public to be the result of poltergeist activity or

witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

William Hone William Hone (3 June 1780 – 8 November 1842) was an English writer, satirist and bookseller. His victorious court battle against government censorship in 1817 marked a turning point in the fight for British press freedom. Biography Hon ...

in his ''The Every Day Book'' (1825) revealed that Ann Robinson later admitted she had faked the phenomena. She had attached

horsehair Horsehair is the long hair growing on the Mane (horse), manes and Tail (horse), tails of horses. It is used for various purposes, including upholstery, brushes, the Bow (music), bows of musical instruments, a hard-wearing Textile, fabric called ...

s and wires to move the crockery, thrown the other objects and made the noises herself. The Stockwell ghost was sensationalized by Catherine Crowe in ''The Night-Side of Nature'' (1848) as a genuine poltergeist incident. She had failed to cite the confession of fraud that was documented by Hone.Anonymous. (1850). ''The Philosophy of Apparitions''. ''

British Quarterly Review The ''British Quarterly Review'' was a periodical published between 1845 and 1886. It was founded by Robert Vaughan, out of dissatisfaction with the editorial line of the '' Eclectic Review'' under Edward Miall. Editors *Robert Vaughan for its ...

'' 12: 395.

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Further reading