The Cottingham Poltergeist

The vicarage at Cottingham, a village near Hull in East Yorkshire, was the site of an extended poltergeist outbreak from 1905 to 1907. The phenomena were witnessed by multiple members of the household, visiting clergy, and investigators, providing one of the more thoroughly documented English poltergeist cases of the Edwardian era.

The Vicarage

The Reverend Frederick Foley and his family moved into the vicarage at Cottingham in 1904. The large Victorian house had no prior reputation for supernatural activity, and the family settled in without incident.

In early 1905, the first disturbances began. The Foleys initially attributed them to natural causes—drafts, settling of the old house, perhaps mischievous servants. But the phenomena soon exceeded any mundane explanation.

The Phenomena

The activity began with sounds—knockings, rappings, and footsteps when no one was walking. Objects began moving on their own. Bells rang without being touched. Doors opened and closed by themselves.

The activity escalated over months. Heavy furniture was found displaced overnight. Books flew from shelves. Crockery crashed in the kitchen when no one was present. On one occasion, a large chest of drawers was found barricading a bedroom door from the inside, despite the room having been empty all night.

The servants became terrified. Several quit, refusing to remain in a haunted house. Those who stayed reported being touched by invisible hands, hearing whispered voices, and seeing shadowy figures in hallways.

The Investigation

Reverend Foley, himself a skeptic, initially refused to attribute the phenomena to supernatural causes. He searched for rational explanations, investigating the possibility of pranks, structural problems, or animal intrusions.

When natural explanations failed, he consulted fellow clergy. Several ministers visited the vicarage and witnessed phenomena firsthand. Objects moved in their presence. Sounds emanated from walls they had just examined. The weight of clerical testimony added credibility to the case.

Harry Price, who would later become famous for investigating Borley Rectory, heard of the Cottingham case early in his career. Though he did not conduct a formal investigation, he corresponded with witnesses and included the case in his writings.

The Focus

As in many poltergeist cases, the phenomena seemed connected to a particular individual. In the Cottingham case, suspicion centered on one of the servant girls—a young woman in her late teens who had been hired shortly before the disturbances began.

When she was away from the house, the activity decreased. When she was present, it intensified. Yet she was never caught producing phenomena artificially, and she seemed genuinely frightened by the occurrences.

Religious Response

Reverend Foley conducted prayers and blessings throughout the vicarage, which had temporary effect. A more formal exorcism was considered but ultimately not performed, as the local bishop was reluctant to sanction such a ritual.

The clergy involved debated the nature of the phenomena. Some believed they dealt with demonic forces; others suggested spirits of the dead; still others wondered if the disturbances represented some unknown natural force connected to the servant girl’s adolescent psychology.

Resolution

The phenomena gradually decreased in intensity throughout 1907 and had essentially ceased by 1908. The servant girl left the household, though whether this was cause or coincidence is unclear. The Foley family remained in the vicarage for several more years without further incident.

Assessment

The Cottingham poltergeist displays classic characteristics of such outbreaks: onset without warning, escalation, connection to a young person, multiple witnesses including authority figures, and eventual resolution.

The clerical nature of the household and the willingness of witnesses to document their experiences provides more detailed records than many comparable cases. Yet, as with all poltergeist cases, definitive proof remains elusive.

Whether the result of unconscious psychic energy, deliberate deception, or genuine supernatural forces, the Cottingham poltergeist remains one of the better-documented English cases of its era.