The Deathwatch
In the quiet of the night, people sitting with the dying heard a slow ticking in the walls, and believed it was counting down.
What was reported
For centuries in England, a soft tapping heard in the walls or beams of an old house at night was called the deathwatch. It was believed to foretell a death in the house, and it was often heard during long vigils beside the sick, when the house was quiet enough to hear it.
In 1913, surveyors found that the great medieval oak roof of Westminster Hall, built in the 1390s, had been so badly eaten by the insect behind the sound that parts of it were close to collapse. Its repair took about ten years.
Explanations offered
The sound is made by the deathwatch beetle, which lives in old, damp hardwood timbers. In spring the adults tap their heads against the wood to attract mates. The sound was most noticeable at night in silent rooms, which is why it became tied to deathbed vigils.
- When
- Feared for centuries; found in Westminster Hall in 1913
- Where
- Westminster Hall, London, England, UK
- Witnesses
- Families keeping watch at night, then restorers
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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