The Phantom Battle of Edgehill
Two months after the first battle of the English Civil War, shepherds saw and heard it being fought again in the sky.
What was reported
The Battle of Edgehill, fought on 23 October 1642, was the first major battle of the English Civil War, and hundreds died. Around Christmas, a pamphlet reported that shepherds and travellers near the field had seen phantom armies fighting in the air, with drums, cannon fire and the cries of the wounded, for hours, on several nights.
King Charles I sent officers to look into it. The pamphlet said they saw the ghostly battle themselves and recognised some of the soldiers who had fallen.
Explanations offered
The account comes from a pamphlet published in January 1643, at a time when pamphlets were used for propaganda by both sides. Suggestions include storms, a shared state of grief and fear after the battle, or simple invention. The legend lives on locally, with reports of phantom sounds around the anniversary.
- When
- Christmas 1642
- Where
- Edgehill, near Kineton, Warwickshire, England
- Witnesses
- Shepherds and villagers, and officers sent by King Charles I
- Status
- Unexplained
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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