The Ringcroft Poltergeist
In 1695, stones flew around a Scottish farmhouse, fires started, and a voice spoke out of the air. Fourteen witnesses signed their names to say it was true.
What was reported
In 1695, at the farm of Andrew Mackie at Ringcroft of Stocking, in Rerrick parish in south-west Scotland, the family began to be pelted with stones, inside and outside the house. Over the following weeks, things got worse: they were beaten with sticks, small fires broke out, and a voice was heard speaking.
The local minister, Alexander Telfair, published an account in 1696, signed by fourteen witnesses, including several ministers, who said they had experienced the disturbances themselves.
Explanations offered
The account was written in a time when such events were read as the work of the devil or witches. Sceptics suggest a hoax by someone with a grudge, perhaps from among the family's own circle, though no culprit was ever found. It's one of the earliest well-documented poltergeist cases in Britain.
- When
- 1695
- Where
- Rerrick, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, UK
- Witnesses
- A farmer's family, local ministers and neighbours
- 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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