The Cock Lane Ghost

In the winter of 1762, London became obsessed with a ghost. The entity, which communicated through knocking sounds in a house on Cock Lane near Smithfield, accused a local man of murder. Crowds gathered nightly. Pamphlets flew. Samuel Johnson himself investigated. The Cock Lane Ghost became a sensation—and ultimately a scandal that exposed fraud while raising questions about belief, evidence, and the supernatural.

The Background

The story began in 1759 when William Kent and his common-law wife Fanny moved into lodgings at 33 Cock Lane, owned by Richard Parsons. Kent was a money-lender from the country; Fanny was his deceased wife’s sister, which made marriage legally impossible.

When Kent left town briefly, Fanny asked Elizabeth, Parsons’ twelve-year-old daughter, to sleep with her for company. During these nights, scratching and knocking sounds began. Fanny believed rats were responsible, but the sounds followed her.

In February 1760, Fanny died of smallpox. Kent moved away, and Parsons fell into debt—partly because of money he owed Kent. The stage was set for supernatural revenge.

The Ghost Emerges

In 1762, the knocking returned, now centered on young Elizabeth Parsons. Through a code of knocks, the entity claimed to be the spirit of Fanny. More dramatically, it accused William Kent of having poisoned her with arsenic.

News spread rapidly. Crowds gathered outside the Cock Lane house every night to hear the knockings. The ghost, dubbed “Scratching Fanny” by the newspapers, answered questions through its code. Yes, Kent had poisoned her. Yes, she wanted justice. Yes, she would follow Kent and haunt him until he confessed.

The Sensation

The Cock Lane Ghost became a phenomenon. Newspapers debated its authenticity. Sermons were preached about it. Crowds grew so large that police were required to manage them. The ghost became topic of conversation throughout England.

Many notable figures visited Cock Lane. Samuel Johnson, the famous writer and lexicographer, investigated on behalf of a committee of gentlemen. The Duke of York attended. Horace Walpole wrote about it extensively.

William Kent, for his part, protested his innocence. Fanny’s death had been certified as smallpox by reputable physicians. There was no evidence of poisoning. Yet the ghost’s accusations ruined his reputation and made him a figure of public suspicion.

The Investigation

Samuel Johnson’s investigating committee conducted a crucial test. They arranged for Elizabeth Parsons to be observed under controlled conditions—moved to a different location, separated from her father, and watched carefully.

Under these conditions, the knockings stopped. Elizabeth was eventually caught hiding a small wooden board under her clothes, which she used to produce the sounds. The fraud was exposed.

The Aftermath

Richard Parsons, Elizabeth’s father, was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to stand in the pillory and serve two years in prison. His wife and a collaborator were also convicted. The case became a byword for supernatural fraud.

William Kent brought a civil suit against the conspirators and won damages. His reputation was partially restored, though he never fully escaped the taint of the accusations.

Legacy

The Cock Lane Ghost had lasting cultural impact. It inspired Charles Dickens, who referenced it in “A Tale of Two Cities” and other works. It influenced the development of skeptical investigation of supernatural claims.

Yet the case also revealed something about the power of belief. For months, hundreds of people heard the knockings and believed they were hearing a murdered woman seeking justice. The fraud was relatively crude, but the social conditions—religious belief, fear of the supernatural, distrust of money-lenders—made thousands willing to believe.

The Cock Lane Ghost remains a cautionary tale about the intersection of belief, fraud, and the human desire to contact the dead.